People on the road – Northern Lights

Northern Lights – on the road

2016 12 21 – 2017 01 03

Luck summary:

When we encounter mild winters in Northern Europe, the coldest point is minus 2~3°C. When we leave Lapland, the temperature is as high as minus 30°. If you sneeze, your face will be covered with ice.

Watching the sunset on the Sampo icebreaker is breathtakingly beautiful;

The aurora suddenly appeared while steaming Snow Sauna. I stood naked in the snow and wrapped in a towel to watch the aurora, which was mesmerizing.

Sunshine hours:

Stockholm: 08:30 – 15:00

Helsinki: 09:30 – 15:30

Lapland: 10:30 – 15:30

* I’m very envious of Tingbo & Xi Yue in Antarctica. The sun has gone to your place in the daytime. In fact, the distance between us is only half the world!

👇It’s 8 o’clock in the morning in Sweden, waiting for the sunrise…

DAY 1 – 12.21 – Arrival, time difference adjustment

Fly from Shanghai to Stockholm and transfer via Helsinki. Don’t forget to take a look at the prices at the airport when you have a 2-hour transfer. Euros are low and prices are cheap. Arrive at Stockholm (hereinafter referred to as S City) at around 4pm.

DAY 2 – 12.22 – Waiting for the sun to rise, the old town

I woke up at 4 o'clock due to jet lag, but it was still dark at 6 o'clock and I could only continue to pretend to sleep.

It dawned around 9 o'clock, and around 10 o'clock the sun's rays illuminated the outline of the house particularly clearly.

I have a special affection and fate for Sweden. I worked for TEMA (once the largest travel agency in Sweden) for four years and only received Scandinavias for four consecutive years. Now when walking through the streets of S City, every Swede I see feels like a tourist I knew before. It's my first time to visit a city that feels very familiar to me. It's strange to see each other so late.

Anna invited me to come to Sweden in 2002 when she was working in the visa section of the Swedish Consulate in Shanghai. She was not ready at the time. In the middle of 2016, I really wanted to go to Sweden, so here I am!

When I first arrived in S City, I felt it was very clean. I didn’t see any workers or sweepers. Every corner was spotless, and there was no dog poop in sight! Because this is a city that loves dogs, big dogs and small dogs can freely go in and out of almost anywhere, from grass to squares, from shopping malls to supermarkets and even restaurants, from buses, subways to trains, and they can also take planes at will. The dog (small dog) was seated in the cabin with people, lying at the foot of the seat instead of being given anesthesia and placed in a coma in the luggage compartment. How large dogs fly is unknown. The dogs here are very polite and rarely bark when they meet and greet each other. They all look very gentle and naive, just like the Scandinavia people.

Anna's company is near our hotel. She took us to visit the old town during lunch time. If we hadn't had to go back to work in the afternoon, we could have talked all the way into the evening. I remember that the last time I met Anna was when she came to Shanghai on a business trip three years ago. Facebook had banned her for a long time and there was no contact. Old friends of more than 15 years will not be separated by time and geographical distance.

S city is not big, and I live in the center of the city. I use my feet to cover a lot of places in the short daylight every day.

Old Town (Gamla Stan)

Before 1980, its official name was Staden mellan broarna (City between Bridges), an ancient town in Stockholm, Sweden. Anna said that the houses in the old city are basically eight or nine hundred years old, but they are well maintained and look like new ones. The main buildings on the island include the Royal Palace, Cathedral, Royal Theater, Parliament Building and Old Exchange. The old town is only 10 minutes away from our hotel. In fact, we pass it every day. There are several bridges connecting the nearby Knights Island and Whitsunday Island.

stockholm cathedral

The official name is St. Nicholas Church (Sankt Nikolai kyrka), which is located next to the Royal Palace. It is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm and was built in 1279. It is a typical Swedish brick Gothic architecture. Many important celebrations of the Swedish royal family are arranged in this church. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too many churches and my aesthetic is a little tired, but Jiajie is a must-see church when passing by, and there is no distinction between a Catholic church or a Christian church. 😅 All I can say is that the interior is very simple and detailed.

There is a square in the center of the old city. Just in time for the Christmas market, the crowd filled the originally small square. Anna repeatedly told us to carry our bags on our chests and to keep a close eye on valuables. Even in hotels and restaurants, we should not leave mobile phones, wallets, etc. on the table. Unexpectedly, there are thieves in Sweden, a socialist country! On one side of the central square is the Nobel Museum. In addition to briefly introducing Nobel's life, the museum also introduces previous Nobel Prize winners and winners who have made great contributions to mankind. There are photos of Mo Yan inside. and introduction. There is also a restaurant in the museum, with the signatures of the winners under the chairs. I heard that the restaurant is cheap and delicious, but it is a pity that it is full.

King's Garden

There are many squares in S City. Just walk a few steps and turn a corner and you will find a square. They vary in size and there are different market activities in different seasons. The Avenue of the King's Garden is particularly wide, and at the end is a huge ice rink. Bring your own skates and go skating directly, which is a unique advantage.

DAY 3 – 12.23 – City tour

Stockholm City Hall

The city hall is in the southeast corner of King's Island. It has a courtyard-style structure. Within a circle of buildings is a small square with a few trees still inside. To the south of the city hall is a wider garden, facing Knight's Island across the water.

The lawn of the garden is neatly maintained, and there are two statues on both sides of the platform near the water, one male and one female, representing singing and dancing respectively. Standing by the water, it feels like the autumn moon over Pinghu Lake in Hangzhou.

The city hall can only be visited under the guidance of a guide. The Blue Hall on the first floor is also where the dinner is held after the Nobel Prize awards every year. The commentator said that this hall can also be rented for weddings, it’s magnificent!

Then we walked through the steps to the parliament hall, where Stockholm’s parliamentarians meet. Each seat has a member's name on it, which means that the member's seat is fixed. There is also a gallery next to it, where everyone can come and observe the meetings of the MPs. Now every meeting is broadcast live on television, so almost no one comes to observe.

Just outside the Parliament Hall is the Hundred Arch Hall, which is the honorary entrance to Stockholm City Hall. This is where the king and distinguished guests arrive at the Blue Hall, which is equivalent to the VIP passage. There are one hundred honeycomb-shaped arches on the roof, representing 100 members. Later, it was discovered that an even number of members would have an equal vote, so one member was added, and now there are 101. There are a total of 50 female members and 51 male members of the current parliament, which shows that men and women are still very equal in this country. Most MPs work part-time, so parliamentary meetings are usually held after 4 p.m.

After leaving the Bai Gong Hall, you arrive at a small room called the French Hall. Every Saturday, 10 couples get their marriages notarized here, and the people who made the appointment have already registered for half a year. Then passing through a small banquet hall leads to a magnificent hall, called the Golden Hall. The Golden Hall is about 25 meters deep, and its four walls are decorated with murals made of 18 million pieces of gold and various colored glass about one centimeter square. The material used in the Golden Hall is a sandwich process, with gold foil sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Therefore, the amount of gold used in the entire Golden Hall is not much, only a dozen kilograms. The mural in the middle of the Golden Hall depicts Queen Mälaren, the patron saint of Stockholm.

I felt a little dazed, as if I was about to step into the gate of heaven.

Skansen Open Air Museum

Because of the Christmas holiday, only some small museums are open and can be visited, and the Christmas market is also closed. The zoo is open, but we haven't seen many animals, and we haven't found any bears either. They are hibernating. We can only blame us for coming at the wrong time!

nordic museum

A 10-minute walk from Skansen is the Nordic Museum. It is a museum that displays real life scenes of Swedish people. It truly shows the work and life of Swedish people since modern times. The architecture and decoration of the museum itself are full of Nordic style from the inside out, and the furnishings from ancient times to the present are quite interesting.

Day 4 – 12.24 – Christmas Eve Dinner @ Anna’s

Following Anna's instructions, I got on the hourly train to the suburbs at the Stockholm C central train station opposite the hotel, and got off the train 9 minutes later (actually, how can a 9-minute drive be considered a suburb? In our country's Shanghai, we usually go from remote areas to urban areas It takes 1~1.5 hours by rail transit). Anna was waiting for us at the station. We changed to a bus and rode for 2 stops. We walked through the villa area for 10 minutes and reached Anna's house. Living in the suburbs (actually a villa area), it takes 25 minutes to get to the company by public transportation (a very precise 25 minutes). Swedish people are so happy!

*As for the policy that maternity leave can be taken for 18 months, let’s just pretend we don’t know and don’t understand it!

A very traditional Swedish Christmas dinner, thanks to Anna and her family for their hard work.

Mulled wine with raisins and almonds before meal

Smoked grilled salmon with creamy caviar

Sashimi in cream vinegar (name unknown)

Eggs with caviar

Homemade cured ham

bread+cheese

Foie gras

shredded pickled cabbage

Ball cabbage

roasted baby potatoes

Swedish Meatballs with Plum Sauce

Sauce grilled pork ribs

Fish stew with shredded potatoes

grilled sausages

After meal coffee, tea, fruit, chocolate, dates and figs. . . . . .

Anna is very happy to have a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter Yingying can simply count in Chinese. The son is very naughty and likes to run around the house and stick to his sister Yingying. The most frequently asked question is where is my sister? My husband was gentle and considerate, and invited his parents to cook dinner together. Their dog Gesa (Finnish Sheltie) was also invited.

Day 5 – 12.25 Christmas Service

Hedvig Eleonora Kyrka Catholic Church

Jiajie and I wanted to go shopping (in fact, the shopping malls were not open yet), so we took the bus first, missed the stop and didn't get off, and then transferred to the subway. When we saw the subway coming, it seemed to be in the right direction, so we jumped on it. I don’t know where the results came out. It’s all in Swedish and I feel dizzy, so just walk around. I saw a large piece of grassland connected to a castle, which is the Hedvig Eleonora Kyrka Catholic Church (I didn’t even know the name at the time, I just found it on the map). It happened to be in time for the service that started at 11 o'clock (Swedish service), so we stepped into the church to experience the festival + Sunday prayers and singing together. The church is very big, with seats packed upstairs and downstairs. Parents took their children, and the elderly held hands with their wives. They were all dressed up, with bright red skirts, red ties, and red scarves, all looking happy.

Uppsara

It takes 45 minutes by train from S City to Uppsara, the fourth largest city in Sweden. A very quiet small town, it is the religious center of Sweden and a university town. It is famous for Uppsala University, one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe.

Uppsara Cathedral

It is the oldest church in Northern Europe, a Gothic brick cathedral built in 1287. When I went there, a service just ended. The church was very big and it took some time to finish. It was a bit messy and disorderly, but it was very polite.

Festival + religion = a group of happy and religious people.

The evening flight takes 50 minutes from S City to Helsinki (H City). It’s a bit reluctant to leave, a strange yet familiar city. Especially if you live in the city center, you have already memorized the roads around you. I finally figured out the Bus, Subway, Express train, Commuter train and SJ train, and could easily understand the train timetable, but I was about to leave.

S City has a gloomy feel to the Twilight Zone. There is not much sun in winter, coupled with the cold and biting wind, it is definitely suitable for vampires.

👆Sweden

————————————–

👇Finland

As soon as I arrived in H City, I felt a little dizzy. Maybe I was brainwashed by too many Swedish friends (including my Swedish boss). Everyone said to me, why are you going to Finland? They say Santa Claus is theirs? ! You can also see the Aurora in Sweden! Their Snow Hotel is modeled after Sweden! Haha.

Flying from City S to City H is like flying from Shenzhen to Hong Kong. People who return at the door when getting off the plane can board the plane directly. Then where can I find my checked luggage? I don’t know, look for the exit, and while you are going around to get your luggage, congratulations, you are already outside. There is no customs, no entry and exit, not even in Schengen countries.

Take the P/I line directly from the airport to the city. The ticket vending machine cannot read non-chip credit cards, so I didn’t buy a ticket when I got on the bus. Because there is no ticket gate at the platform, and the conductor’s English is limited to the point where I can’t speak English, so I took the initiative to buy it. It’s not easy to get tickets.

Because no one took the initiative to sell or check tickets, I saw a group of Chinese girls buying children's tickets to get on the train in order to save 2.80 euros. 😓

Day 6 – 12.26 – City tour

helsinki

H City is the capital of Finland, adjacent to the Baltic Sea. It is a city where classical beauty and modern civilization are integrated, and it is also a garden city where urban architecture and natural scenery are cleverly combined. Most of the buildings in the city are built of light-colored granite, and it is known as the white city in the north. H City is praised by the world as the "Daughter of the Baltic Sea". In the harbor market, there is a bronze statue called "Daughter of the Baltic Sea", which is a symbol of H City.

H City is dotted with lakes in the streets and alleys. It not only reflects the glorious tradition of Finland's past, but also pays attention to the taste of modern life. The entire city has a good mix of old and new, exuding cosmopolitan charm and Nordic elegance. There are countless distinctive buildings and museums in the city. The minimalist style combined with various lively and unique ideas has been integrated into a variety of unique furniture, fashion, glass and ceramics, which have attracted admiration from all over the world and are regarded as classics.

Perhaps because of the winter, City H continued the gloominess of City S.

Helsinki Cathedral Helsinki Cathedral

The Helsinki Cathedral, located in front of the Parliament Square, is the most famous building in Helsinki. The green vault is very eye-catching. You can see this extraordinary milky white green-roofed building no matter where you are in the city, so it is also called the Helsinki Cathedral. "Whitechapel". The cathedral is the most famous building in Helsinki and has a special status in the hearts of Finns. Finnish couples all hope to hold their wedding here, and for this they even need to make a reservation a year and a half in advance. Architectural Beauty There are many exquisite murals and sculptures in the magnificent building. In winter, heavy snow covers the square in front of the church, warm lights turn on, and the whole church is holy. Whenever the church bell rings, the entire square is silent, and many tourists quietly experience this precious moment of peace of mind that only religion can bring.

The Ateneum

Ateneum has a collection of more than 4,300 paintings and more than 750 sculptures in Finland from the mid-18th century to the 1950s, mainly paintings by many famous Finnish artists. It is the oldest and richest art museum in Finland. In addition to domestic artworks, the museum also houses a large number of works by foreign Impressionists and modern film masters, such as masterpieces by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Chagall and others. The museum is so big that it can take half a day to see it all.

Day 7 – 12.27 – Night train from Helsinki to Lapland

The VR sleeper train goes from Helsinki to Kemi into the ice and snow of Lapland. We specially booked a double sleeper carriage with a rain shower. Although it is small, it is well-equipped. The washbasin and shower room can be switched and rotated for alternate use, making full use of the small space and designing it rationally.

Day 8 – 12.28 – Sampo Icebreak Boat + Snowmobile Safari Icebreak Journey

It’s incredible that trains in Northern Europe can be delayed, and they were delayed by more than an hour. Arrive at Kemi (K City) at around 9 o'clock and transfer from the city into the ice and snow world of Lapland!

K city is our first stop. The city is very small. The train station has only one platform. It takes 10 minutes to walk in the snow to reach Hotel Merihovi. The hotel was very considerate in preparing the room early in the morning. After a simple wash, I changed into the thickest equipment (actually, thickened cotton pants + snow pants + snow boots, thickened cotton sweater + cashmere sweater + down jacket, and suede). Lei Feng hat + ski gloves + thickened mask + 2 pairs of cashmere socks + cashmere scarf) and you can go out. 😅

I booked a Sampo icebreaker + snowmobile one-day tour from Finland Travel more than two months in advance.

10:45 Pick up from hotel to snowmobile base and start dressing up. It turns out that the travel agency provides professional snow boots + snow one-piece clothing + gloves + hats + headscarves + masks + motorcycle helmets. It’s just that the clothes are a bit too big, the clothes are a bit ridiculous, and everyone looks like Michelin.

While waiting for the snowmobile to return to camp, we were arranged to ride a reindeer sleigh. It's not interesting, the reindeer are not very willing to do this job, and the speed is very slow, which makes these little guys feel sad. 👇This reindeer only has one horn!

After drinking a few glasses of hot cranberry juice, I felt warm all over.

I originally thought that snowmobiles were just boring circles in a designated area, but they were forced to be bundled into the icebreaker project and could not be excluded. But it is actually very worth it. You need to drive your own motorcycle to and from the pier, two people per motorcycle, driving nearly 20 kilometers on the snow, passing through a large lake and ice and snow forest. After a brief instruction, everyone got on the bus, and more than a dozen snowmobiles lined up to set off. The speed limit is 40KM and keep a distance of about 10 meters between the front and rear vehicles.

The sun was already preparing to set at noon, chasing the sun all the way to the west. The sky and the snow have long been connected, stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s not until you can’t see the sun that you know the sun has set. This scene has only appeared in IMAX movies. It gave me the illusion that I was driving to heaven, where my father was waiting for me. 😅

The sky was getting dark and snow started to fall. It was not cold at all even though I was wearing thick clothes, but my eyelashes were frozen and there were still ice beads hanging on them! I arrived at the dock in about 30 minutes. I was very proud that I could drive a snowmobile. Not having passed the motorcycle license test has always been a pain point for me. I was very ashamed, mainly because I was afraid of motorcycles.

Ps.: Strictly speaking, a driver’s license from mainland China cannot drive a motorcycle in Finland. Suddenly something flashed through my mind: Can I use a Chinese driver’s license when renting a car tomorrow and the day after tomorrow? ! 😱

As soon as we got on the boat, we were divided into groups. A Finnish guy who could speak Chinese (Xinjiang spoken) was our guide on the boat and was responsible for introducing the boat and the journey. The trip takes about 4 hours, including visiting various parts and floating on the ice sea. The boat ticket includes lunch (venison soup), and we paid an additional fee to upgrade to a three-course meal.

The Sampo icebreaker is the only icebreaker in the world that can be used for sightseeing. It is located in the port of Kemi, Finland. It was built in 1960. After being used to break ice and open up the frozen sea for 27 years, the width of the ship can no longer accommodate larger ships. General navigation aircraft need to be honorably retired before their service life expires. The mayor of K City felt that it would be a pity to abandon the ship, so he took over the decommissioned Sampo from the government and changed it into the first sightseeing icebreaker sailing in the polar waters between Finland and Sweden. In this way, the Sampo The world has the opportunity to understand and experience the most realistic icebreaker operations. The ship is 75 meters long and weighs 3,540 tons. It can accommodate up to 150 passengers. It carries tourists every year during the winter period from December to April. It has been carrying passengers for more than 40 years.

This year is the first day of icebreaking in Sampo 2016, and everyone on board is very excited. Sampo can break through ice up to 1.2 meters thick, and is currently breaking through 50-60 centimeters. The boat was sailing just in time for the sunset. The colors in the sky were so many and constantly changing that I was mesmerized by the sight.

After the boat stops in the middle of the sea, drop the anchor and the lobster can float. Xin'er and Jiajie, who were not afraid of the cold, went down to the ice water to float. Later I found that my hands and mobile phone were frozen while I was taking pictures for them on the shore! ! !

Day 8 – 12.29 – Rovamieni Santa Claus Village

In the morning, I took an hour's train from K to Rovamieni (R), but encountered difficulties. Because several places in the snow are far apart, renting a car is the most convenient way. So I booked a rental car from the EuroCar website and picked it up at the train station in R City in the afternoon. Before coming, double-check whether driving in the snow is possible, and it is indeed possible. Although heavy snow covers all the roads, it is reassuring that vehicles can drive safely on the roads. I was happily preparing to go through the formalities. The original pick-up time in the afternoon was moved to the morning. While I was still laughing that I didn't have to pay an extra half-day fee, I was told that according to the latest regulations, a Chinese driver's license cannot be used to drive in Finland! ! ! Even hard and soft tactics can't get rid of the handsome guy who goes through the formalities. We don't have a car anymore! By the way, I complained to the car rental company that the details were not informed when booking, which led to an unexpected situation. The deposit has not been returned yet! But it’s no use, we don’t have a car anymore! The box storage cabinets at the train station are full and can only be piled on top of the cabinets. Switch to public transportation and taxis.

Santa Claus Village

On the Arctic Circle, 8 kilometers north of R City, the white marking line marked on the ground with the words 66°32'35" is the latitude of the Arctic Circle. However, the latitude and marking line are covered with heavy snow, and it is impossible to dig three feet into the ground. Come out! Forget it, take a photo with Santa Claus first, and then send a postcard home from the village post office. This is the "genuine Santa Claus", a "Santa Claus" who has been strictly audited and trained. There are currently only 50 of them in the world. Their appearance fee is 200,000 yuan. Here, Santa Claus is more famous than the mayor. His office is filled with photos of celebrities from all over the world, and postcards with his face are everywhere.

Santa's PO Box:

Santa’sPostOfficeFIN-96930 Arctic Circle, Finland

I specially booked Lapland Northern Lights Hotel Ilveslinna to see the aurora. After getting dressed in the middle of the night, I followed the instructions of the pizza shop guy and walked 2 kilometers to a bridge with no people and no lights, facing the entire lake. It was pitch dark and there were so many stars in the sky that it was dazzling, but there was no sign of the aurora in the heavy fog.

First night, failure.

Xin'er was not bored at all when he was there, looking for stars with his mobile phone's astrolabe. I felt like I had found the Big Dipper, but later I discovered it seemed to be the Corona Borealis. Xin'er also taught me how to look at Altair and Vega. I couldn't find Gemini but only Scorpio. 😁

Day 9 – 12.30 – Husky Safari

👇The Husky sled dog in the introduction is large in size, has long hair, and looks like a dog. But there is always a certain gap between ideal and reality.

Husky (category sled dog)

Husky is the general name for a large group of dogs used to pull sleds in northern areas. They are distinguished from other types of sled dogs because of their ability to pull sleds quickly. There are many kinds of them, most of them are genetically hybrids, and they are very fast. In comparison, the Alaskan Malamute is the largest and strongest sled dog and is typically used for heavy tasks. Huskies are also used in sled dog racing. In recent years, some companies have also used it to pull sleds for tourists in snowy areas. There are a wide range of purebred sled dog breeds. In addition to huskies, commonly used sled dogs include Alaskan sled dogs, Siberian sled dogs, Samoan sled dogs, Eskimo sled dogs, polar sled dogs, etc.

The owner of the Husky dog ​​park welcomed us to visit and warmly introduced his husky employees. The little ones all live outdoors in the ice and snow, in separate single rooms, and sleep in small wooden houses. It looked very cold, and the drinking bowl had frozen into a bowl of ice.

Because I had a lot of questions, the introduction process was a bit long, and I was so bored that I almost fell asleep.

The Husky here is a little different from what you think. They don’t have very long hair and are medium-sized (in fact, they look almost the same as Chinese garden dogs). The kind of Husky you raise at home is called Disney in my dictionary. Husky (Disney Husky, makes me laugh)! My huskies are all for work, and I don’t care if they look pretty or not, or what color their fur is. I only care if they can serve the guests well and docilely and intelligently. Their stamina is very good and they can work continuously without interruption. They need to work more than 8 hours a day, especially now that it is the peak tourist season. They may need to work for 3-5 consecutive days before taking a break.

Newborn puppies can come out to meet people when they are about 4 months old. As long as they want, they can greet guests in the snow (actually keep biting our fingers). After constant training until they were about 1 year old, they began to pair up and cooperate, and they were able to work when they were one and a half years old. Male dogs of similar age are more likely to fight. In order to reduce conflicts during the peak season, young male dogs and older female dogs are usually paired to work together. The male dogs will be very well-behaved and obedient.

Usually three pairs of six sled dogs are used to pull a sled of 2-3 people. A larger sled may require 8-10 dogs to pull. The two dogs in the third row (closest to the sled) are mainly responsible for pulling. They remind them that they are larger and have more strength; the two dogs in the second row in the middle are purely for soy sauce; the first row They are much more powerful. They take the lead. Their main task is to follow the guidance in front and decide to turn left and right. Not every dog ​​can be the lead dog in the front row. They need to be given a lot of training and testing and then a group of dogs are selected. They are the smartest, most obedient dogs who know how to listen to instructions.

On average, a sled dog can work for 10 years. Only after retirement will we ask them to live in the house. In fact, they prefer to live in the snow. We feed them salmon and Sashimi samlmon salmon sashimi. With this kind of treatment, the poor people in Northern Europe can only feed their dogs salmon.

After being briefly taught how to ride the sled and how to stand behind and control the brakes, we started the journey that lasted more than an hour. Our sled was second in line, led by a snowmobile in front, and a long line of teams set off in such a mighty manner. Xin'er sat in the sled and I stood behind the sled to control the brakes. When we set off at 3 o'clock, the sky was still slightly bright, but it started to get dark when we crossed the snow and lakes. The sky was dark, the motorcycle taillights were completely invisible, and the sight ahead was very blurry with light snow falling. We relied entirely on our friends to lead us through the woods. The trees were covered with thick snow, revealing a vague snow path. Everything was silent except for the rapid breathing of Husky running in the snow. A few naughty ones poked the passing snowdrifts with their mouths while running and took a sip of ice water.

We stopped several times to let the dogs rest, and also allowed us to get off the sled and interact with them at will. Husky is super docile and will not refuse your touch but will not jump on you enthusiastically. It is really well-trained. Professional dog. One stop was particularly long because our mother and Jiajie, who were following us, had an accident. Jiajie was thrown out of the sled by the dog when we turned the corner, and she probably fell directly into the snow. My mother was sitting alone in the sleigh and didn't know what was going on until she heard the people behind her starting to speak English. Mom thought calmly: Okay, Jiajie flew out! In fact, the staff member happened to be at that turn. After seeing the accident, he immediately rushed over and knelt on the brake to stop the sled. It was really brave.

Day 10 – 12.30- Arctic Snow Hotel Ice and Snow Hotel Challenge Certificate

In fact, I originally wanted to book the glass house of Igloo Hotel, but it was all full and I could only stay at Snow Hotel under the same group. I just want to say that the experience is unprecedented, but once is enough. I won’t go there a second time even if I pay more!

Step1: Dinner @ ice restaurant – Have dinner on the table and chairs made of ice cubes. The chairs were covered with reindeer fur, and the table was covered with wooden placemats (actually just a pillow board). The waiter said thoughtfully that the food would be served quickly and guaranteed to be hot. I ordered hot drinks and hot soup, and the main course was salmon. The last cake was placed directly on the snowflake ice cubes. The whole process takes no more than 20 minutes, so it’s a quick decision.

Step 2:Snow Sauna – I specially booked a private sauna + ice sauna. The handsome Finnish guy patiently explained the entire sauna process: 1) Please go to the traditional hot sauna to steam your body first to ensure Your body is warmed up; 2) When preparing to go to the ice and snow sauna (I will always be able to see your movements in the snow) you need to walk from the sauna through the snow to the ice and snow cave on the opposite side. Considering that you are only wearing A towel, I suggest you run (Make sure you run! Okey? You RUN!) Okay, wear paper slippers and run across the snow to the other side; 3) After you run into the ice and snow cave and sit down, I will help you remove the ice from the outside. Close the door of the cave, open the bucket inside, and pour water to the designated place. In an instant, the whole room will be filled with heat, and you will no longer be cold immediately; 4) He is right, there is heat in the ice cave It spread all of a sudden, and I was so blind that I couldn't see anything. After half a minute, the heat disappeared, and the water was rinsed again to generate new heat, and the cycle started again; 5) Finally, 10 minutes later, the guy knocked on the door and we received the order. Wrapping up the towel tightly and getting ready to run back; 6) The moment he opened the door, he calmly said to us, Look, the Aurora!

In the direction of his finger, there was a small aurora, a faint green color, that kept twisting and spreading, like the beginning of a undulating movement in the starry sky. Just like that, I stood naked and wrapped in a towel in the snow and stared at it for 2 minutes, until I was so cold that I took a deep breath and ran back to the hot sauna.

Step 3: Ice bed – The most challenging part is to sleep on the ice bed in preparation for practicing the Jade Girl Heart Sutra? The room was made of an ice cave. A large piece of ice served as the bed, and a large piece of reindeer fur was spread on top. The room had no door, and a piece of cloth was hung on the door hole. Each person can receive a sleeping bag + liner. They are required to wear long-sleeved and long-trousers underwear, wear a hat, burrow into the liner and put it on the sleeping bag. I also put the down jacket I took off between the sleeping bag and the liner as a thickener. Thermal layers. The sleeping bag requires only one face to be exposed and it needs to be tied tightly to prevent cold air from entering. In this way, I slept for more than 4 hours relying on self-heating, and then I started to have shortness of breath. The air I breathed into my nose was too cold. After waking up, I couldn't fall back to sleep. I escaped to the warm dressing room at around 5 o'clock. It turned out that my mother and Xin'er had been in the dressing room for a long time and had not slept for almost the whole night. Spending money to buy the pain. When I checked out the next day, I received a certificate for successfully challenging the ice and snow challenge. It was so cold! 😅

Finally, I was lucky and had a face-to-face communication with Aurora on the second night. Standing in the snow and looking up at the sky while braving the heat (heat energy stored in the sauna just now), it is really difficult to describe in words the miraculous workmanship of nature.

Formation of the Aurora Let’s learn about the formation of the aurora:

Aurora is a luminous phenomenon caused by the collision of charged high-energy particles and atoms in the upper atmosphere in the sky at high latitudes. Different atoms are bombarded to produce different spectra, thus emitting colorful light. The Earth's magnetic field is like a funnel at the North and South Pole, and the magnetic field intensity is relatively high, enriching charged particles to the North and South Poles, thus forming aurora belts around 67° north and south latitude, giving the earth a gorgeous "crown".

Day 11- 12.31 – R City → H City Take the overnight train back to Helsinki.

Day 12 – 1.1- New Year’s Service

Rock Church Temppeliaukion Kirkko

The Rock Church is a Christian Lutheran church designed and built in 1968. It is the meticulous masterpiece of the Siomaranei brothers. It was built using the rocky high ground located in the residential street. In order not to damage the natural landscape, the rock part was excavated downwards, and the church was cleverly designed inside. There are concave and convex traces of rock excavation everywhere on its internal walls, so when An uninformed person walking by would never guess that this is a church.

The top of the church is designed in a circular shape, supported by 100 radial 3-inch red copper beams, and inlaid with transparent glass, providing excellent lighting. The entrance corridor of the church is tunnel-shaped, and the entrance is coated with concrete. The entire church looks like a flying saucer landing on the earth; its shape is quite unique. The altar located on the central side of the church presents a very simple and solemn atmosphere. Behind it is the choir stage. This church is not only used for mass, but also a concert venue. The pipe organ in the church is It is the largest in Northern Europe.

There is a Finnish service at 10 o'clock. Since it's here, I took my mother and Xin'er together to experience my father's charm. It really did not disappoint. Although we didn't understand a word of it, the cello, organ and soprano solo and chorus shocked us to the core. It was a small regret that she could not move her heart. She kept accompanying the choir with her own snoring. 😁

About 20 minutes' walk from the rock church is the Sibelius Memorial Park and the Sibelius Monument. The park was established to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the birth of Finnish composer Sibelius. Sibelius once composed "Ode to Finland", known as Finland's second national anthem. The sculpture is designed in the shape of an irregular pipe organ, consisting of 600 steel pipes of different lengths welded together. In fact, it’s not interesting, just a quick trip here.

silent church

The Church of Silence is a modern building with the most unique shape, the most eye-catching shape, and the least like a church building but exactly a church. It looks like a big wooden barrel, but don’t look down on this big wooden barrel-like church. It was one of the projects in the Design City in 2012. At the end of 2013, it was rated as one of the “Top Ten Must-Go” projects by the American “Today News Network” at the end of 2013. "An incredible new landmark in the world" is also another pioneering work of innovative wooden structure architecture in Finland.

Here, from bustle to silence, it’s only one step away. In the church, feel the warm sunlight projected from between the wooden boards, and sit quietly on the simple seats made of ash trees. Inner peace is a kind of self-cultivation.

Uspenski Cathedral Uspenski Church

It is the largest Orthodox church in Northern Europe. It is located on the hillside of the Katajanokka Peninsula and offers a panoramic view of Helsinki. The church combines Byzantine and Slavic styles. The ingenious architecture of the red brick spire is one of its features, and it is also known as the "Red Church". It is noteworthy that the church's 13 gilded, onion-shaped domes symbolize Jesus and his disciples, a total of 13 people. Unfortunately, because the church was not open during the Christmas holidays, I went there again on New Year's Day and missed the service time and was never able to visit the interior.

DAY 13 – 1.2 – Return +1 day

This is also the first time that some people are required to arrive at the airport 4 hours in advance for tax refund and shopping. We encountered heavy snow before taking off, and huge spray sprayed on both wings of the plane for more than 2 hours before flying. After flying for 9 hours, we encountered heavy fog when we returned to Pudong Airport. After going around and around, we finally landed safely.

Bravo trip, a complete win!