Legendary Lapland - warming up for holiday season

 

It is a cliche but very true: Lapland is truly a Winter Wonderland! Snow, reindeers, cozy cabins, snow, nice colours on the sky before and after sunset - the arctic landscape of the Finnish Lapland left us in awe! We visited the Santa Claus Village and the Arktikum in Rovaniemi (1 day) and explored Levi area where we based (4 days).

 

I planned this trip even when Dominik was young. So it was high time to actualize it. I did not really find such organized trips from Hungary, just some travelogues for the same from ancient times and on extremely high price. So I did everything by myself. Flight and accomodation were reserved well in advance, even in June.  Finally I managed to keep the original dates (01-06/DEC) but with two transfers: BUD - LHR - HEL - KTT.

I can tell without exaggeration that this vacation was a perfect one, from each point of view. Even from the very beginning, when I chose Kittila airport instead of Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi is overcrowded, full of tourists, ruining the beauty of this place. Of course, a perfect vacation means different for everybody, but for me a perfect vacation is thoroughly planned in advance but leaves space for modification on site. These 5 days were my darest and most succeeded trip of mine with kids ever.

Second best decision was our cottage. Reserved on the day I saw it, being afraid of loosing it later. A very well-equipped, well-heated log house in the forest with sauna, high above my expectations. The accomodation came with a car fully prepared for winter, with 2x fat bikes, with tripod to catch the auroras, with 3x sledges. We were given everything to maximize our stay!

Third best decision was to go down to Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus on the very first day. Although, I had to drive almost 200 km there and the same back on icy roads; somewhere on ice ribs or ice armor, somewhere on mirror ice - and of course the major part in darkness, and once reindeers crossed the road in front of us. Thanks to our host, the car (Suzuki Vitara) was very safe and comfortable (and new), really enjoyed it. It turned out, that the weather was warmer than usual on that day (around 0°C), that is why the road conditions were so bad. In general, the roads are not cleaned very much in Finland, they let the snow trample down and rather use tyres with special rivets. They also often use oversized lamps on the cars outside the cities. So why was the best decision to visit Santa Claus village on our very first day? Because it was under expectation and it would not have been good to wait for it during our whole stay and then to disappoint. Overcrowded, without snow, restaurants and souvenir shops everywhere. Rather call it business center than a theme park. I really missed the magic of Christmas. No Christmas tunes in the background at all, looong serpentine row waiting for that short 5-min reindeer sleigh, crowd that wasn't handled professionally. We had to ask an appointment to meet Santa and then go back. In between we decided to visit the nearby arctic museum, named Arktikum. It was OK and at least we spent that time contentfully. 

To meet Santa Claus is miraculous, indeed, even as an adult.

 

And to tell you the truth, it is free but you aren't allowed to use any cameras. They are taking the photo and also a video of the great meet that can be purchased either in printed or in digital form. So we sat, posed and even had time to ask Nolen's question: how is it possible that his reeinders can fly? The answer is top secret and cannot tell to anybody. Here, at Santa Claus Office you also have the chance to send a postcard to your beloved ones stamped by the elves. And one more famous spot: you can cross the Arctic Circle which runs right through the village. It marks the southernmost latitude where the sun can stay continuously below or above the horizon for 24 hours (called Midnight Sun in the summer, Polar Night "Kaamos" in the winter).

We had to plan our days smart, as the sun was on only for 2 hours during our stay. In return, the sky was beautiful right before and right after sunset. The darkness wasn't disturbing at all because of the snow and the play of lights. It was good that the sun did not stress us to wake up.

Fourth best decision was to reserve the reindeer ride not in Rovaniemi but in Sirkka winter forest (10-min drive from us), at a family-run business. It was pretty cold but the landscape along the frozen river and the cozy ancient café as assembling point compensated. Before the ride we were told that the reindeers are semi-wild animals, therefore we have to avoid sudden movements and loud noises next to them. After the ride Nolen enjoyed and hardly could stop the sledging from a hump. 

On the same night we decided to hunt for the Nothern Lights. We had to wait till 22:00 at least (almost fell asleep and hardly wanted to go out and feel the cold again), and find a place where there was less artificial light. The sky was clear and we drove to a nearby lake. We had luck! Within 30 minutes, we could admire the aurora in full beauty and could take some gorgeous photos with Dominik's iPhone (mine was not suitable for this, ha-ha). It was on my wishlist for a long time to see the polar lights, and now I hardly believe that everything was together to come this true.

As our accomodation was located in a ski paradise, we could not miss to go up to the peak by gondola. Surprisingly, the temperature was warmer high above than down below. Although, the view was fantastic, everybody spend time there only until put on their ski or snowboard and decide on which track to slide down. 

Wherever we went, there was snow, mountains and hills, therefore we put all 3 sledges into the trunk and if we felt like sleighing, we did. And all of us really enjoyed. The cold drawed off not only the energy of the mobile devices but also the children's.

Tontulla Elves Village was an unexpected good experience. Almost missed but luckily we stopped on the way home. We found the feeling there that was missed from Santa Claus Village. It was wonderful even just walking around. Found a hole in the lake to dip after sauna, an intimate place to warm up, reindeers together with their candies (lichen), and of course there was sledging possibility, here on huge donuts.

Loved the nature, the white roads, the less number of people in Levi area, the "Glögi", the noodle chips, the oversized tissues, the oversized snow-shovel, the oversized tyres of the bikes - Lappish people are undoubtedly prepared for this climate! I think I would return anytime without any hesitation.

Halloween 2024

 It gives me great pleasure that Halloween is increasingly popular inside our country. More and more families are preparing for this holiday enthusiastically. Nice decorations, tireless treat seekers, familiar faces.

This year I was ooo on the 31th to have enough time for the preparations and to make some Halloween dishes because no holiday can pass away without fitting foodstuff. It was a plus to go to the hipermarket in full custome to take part in the custome competition. I was completely satisfied and more than happy with the black frilled long skirt, a fathingale. Nolen's wish was to have a plague custome from the Middle Ages since we visited the castle in Boldogkőváralja where we met with a plague doctor. He was afraid of it and then he thought it will be frightening enough to make the other children to be afraid of him during Halloween.  

We always do the trick or treat walk around my parents' place at Kőhegy area, after we decorate their stairs with carved pumpkins, lights and placed the treats to let the hunters find it themselves. Mom and Dad are always keen to help us with the preparations. This year we started our tour right after sunset and thanks to the really mild weather, we were able to walk even to the farest spots. A very old friend of mine joined us this time and so we were entertained with rhyming poems, witty sayings. We found the participant places 40 - 60% self-service - hosts on the spot. For me, it is always hard to choose, either to go and collect ideas or to wait for and meet the others at home.

 

I saw that the fathers and mothers had a good time as well and enjoyed the evening not less than the children. Unfortunately, this lasts only for 1 day and there is no trace of this holiday on other days. Still divisive but much better than years ago. 

Of course, Halloween is not Halloween without some Halloween style DIY dishes. And as a curiosity, at my parents' place, there is Halloween mood in the cellar all year long...

Note for myself what not to forget in 2025: to take a day off for 31/OCT, to study the ready-made map in advance, to buy the suitable sweets and plan how to serve it well in advance, to create a striking photowall. Also let's start the preparations for a Mexico trip to experience Día de los Muertos.

In Barcelona on business (19-21/OCT)

Those who ask will be given. After an extremely busy period at work full of events when I hardly had private life, I decided to ask from the country leader, who is my direct manager, whether I can join the football promo tour which was organized by me as well. Those growers who bought the biggest quantity from our fungicides, were entitled to travel to Barcelona to enjoy some sightseeing and a Barcelona-Sevilla football match. He said yes which made me very happy and motivated.

I have never been to the capital of Catalonia, one of the most visited cities on planet Earth before, so everything was completely new for me there. I did not have to make special preparations before the trip, as we had a professional guide (from an agency dealing with sport tours) who lived there before. My first impression was that the town itself is very sporty. Not only due to the football. People doing sports together on the streets, in the parks, in groups. I like it, this is absolutely a good habit! They bend together and move together. They're running in the park, doing gym in the shadow of an ancient monument, or they even practicing step dance in public.

Besides the match, we inserted some famous spots to see. Barcelona is the most favourable city I ever seen from this point of view, as many eyemark are very close to each other, even in walking distance. And, of course, they have beach as well! The second impression was that the town is very crowded. The beach was full, although, not so many people were in the sea though it was suitable for swimming. (We were warned about pickpockets several times.) Started our sightseeing tour at Parc de Ciutadella. A pretty nice green area with a baroque imitated waterfall fountain and a famous chancel arch (and parrots!). Then we went to see the Sagrada Familia, neo-Gothic church, masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi (it is said that above-the-ground part is Gaudi, under-the-ground part is not Gaudi). It is still under construction, and they want to finish it by 2026, after building it for 144 years. In 2026, it will be the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death, when he was run over by a tram. With its 170m height, it is higher than the actual highest cathedral in Ulm, but definately not higher than the surrounding mountains. Reason: no masterpiece created by humans can exceed the creation of God. Most visited place in Spain.

 

Parc Güell is also a must to see and also attached to Gaudi's name. Public park located on 17 acres, full of gardens and architectural specialties. Part of UNESCO World Heritage. After Güell park, we went up to the Montjuic mountain to enjoy funicular. During our visit, we could see the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup from above. Our second day was not as demanding as the first one. We tried the public transportation, walked through La Rambla which is a tree-lined pedestrian street and considered as one of the most beautiful streets in the world, connecting the Placa de Catalunya, in its center with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell. (As it is said, Columbus is pointing in the direction of America, but this is also the direction of Madrid which is not OK for Barcelona to point to Madrid.) After this I got lost in the Gothic Quarter with the parade whirlabout and hardly could find our next meeting sport for lunch. :-) After lunch we had time to dip into the sea and enjoy the beach feeling. Once getting back the hotel by public transportation, we approached the stadium on Montjuic on foot, where the matches are held temporarily while Camp Nou is under construction. The atmosphere was great, the real fans spoiled the players much. The final result was 5:1 for FC Barcelona.

The trip was undoubtedly useful. I got to know our partners much better, and when I organize our TOP100 conference next year, I will know them by name, and even more. This makes me happy and gives self-confidence, not the tour itself. So it was definately a wise decision from my manager to let me go.

 

Dominik turned 17

 

Nolen turned 6

He has constantly plenty to say. As age specificity, he also has plenty to ask. He has smart questions and also really smart findings and conclusions.

He is able to present imaginary stories suprisingly realistically.

He is very much interested in adult things, and not only in the objects we are using but also the spoken things. His radars are always on mode.

He adores to get on different clothes and customes, combined and selected from his wardrobe on his own. He really loves to dress himself randomly when he feels like getting into someone's skin. He is able to put on really warm pieces of cloth even in the hottest weather just for fun and this does not disturbes him at all.

He expresses his feelings and can change it very quickly.

Very independent but his biggest enemy is the packing up, to put the things in order after he finished playing with them.

Happening-seeker. He is safe in the water.

He will attend the school next September.

 

Height: 128 cm

Weight: 30 kg