This blog post describes the content of the video, which you can see below:
In this video, we visit Finland for the first time. We see reindeer, visit Santa Claus, and learn many interesting things about the Sami before mosquitos drive us out of the country into Norway.
Starting at the river Kemijoki
We started our Finnish adventure by driving to a clearing near the Kemijoki river. It was really pretty, and because the river widened here, Isa could easily go into the water without any current.
We started the evening alone, but later a couple with a tent showed up, and we spent the whole evening at the wooden building with a campfire, chatting and drinking wine. You find those wooden buildings a lot in Scandinavia, with a place to make a fire pit and be a bit more protected from the elements.
On our first night in Finland, we were also welcomed by the midgets and mosquitos. The midgets kept coming in the whole night. They are small little flies that bite and get through the smallest holes.
Midsummer in Rovaniemi
We drive to Rovaniemi for midsummer, which is quite a celebration with music and kids activities during the day. The Finnish flag is hoisted, and there are traditional dances. Afterwards, there was supposed to be a celebration with bonfires, but they were not allowed because of fire hazards. Everyone just chills in the grass and celebrates the never-ending sun.
Wild camping vs camping grounds in Finland
We love to wild camp and were happily (though hot) doing so in a parking lot near Rovaniemi, where we were working. But our battery gave out, and we had to move to a spot with electricity. Because of the insanely high-priced campgrounds around the village, we end up on a camper spot near Santa’s village with a loud road.
Santa’s Village
The good thing about our location is that we can go to Santa’s village early the next morning before it gets too hot. We are in Finland, in Lapland, in the middle of a heatwave, after all, and it is HOT.
We walk around the village, see the different buildings of Santa’s village and of course we have to meet Santa! And luckily for Isa, she is allowed to come and meet the big guy too!
You also find the Artic Circle line in Santa’s village, so now we are officially in the Arctic circle and full midsummer nights.
Ranua Zoo
We didn’t see any moose in Sweden, and we wanted to make sure we saw reindeer in Finland. And so we went to the Ranua Zoo, a little bit more south, a zoo that was recommended to us by the German family we hiked with in Sweden.
We are both not big fans of zoos because the animals live in cages, but the spaces were big here, and the animals mostly seemed happy. Especially the polar bear who was a clown while we were there.
We didn’t need to go to a zoo to see reindeer, though, as it turned out, they walk across the road everywhere. It was harder to miss reindeer than it was to spot them.
Heatwave
This heatwave in Finland was absolutely insane. We had 30 degrees almost every day for a week when it officially broke Finnish records. Funny because one of the reasons we wanted to travel to Scandinavia during summer was to escape the heat you see in southern European countries.
We decide to lay low for a few days, camp out on a camping, do laundry, and do other household tasks, try to work a bit, and mostly just wait until the heat subsides.
Mountainbiking down a mountain
We found a spot up a mountain near a big reindeer herd. Because of the altitude, the weather was a bit better, still warm but more doable, with a bit of wind, and it was a great spot to mountain bike from for Marten.
Learning about the Sami in Inari
We drive up to Inari to learn about the Sami and find an amazing spot near a lake in the forest. The problem is that there are so many midgets that our camper is literally black on the inside. We use the vacuum to get rid of a lot of them and kill a bunch, but they keep coming in. We quickly realise there is no way we can sleep there and need to find another spot.
The next day we go to Siida, a museum in Inari about the Sami. They have three exhibitions: one with art, one with history and culture, and there is also an outdoor exhibition with Sami buildings. We are really impressed with this museum. The museum was modern, interactive and with loads of video and audio elements. It explained things really clearly and showed the challenges and oppression of the Sami, most of which we knew nothing about.
Mosquitos drive us out of Finland
The next night we struggle to find another spot to sleep at without mosquitos and midgets. We have to move a few times until we suddenly drive into Norway. And so we decide to drive to the Norwegian border with Russia….
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