At Home with Santa

by Elizabeth Johnstone

Trees and water, water and trees. As the Finnair flight dipped towards Rovaniemi in the late autumn sunshine, all you could see was swathes of forest punctuated by mighty rivers and wide lakes. Most visitors come to Finnish Lapland in the winter, but our citybreak was in October, the off-season, when the famous autumn colours were to be seen. Our plan was to do some sightseeing and get together with local Mensans. Without snow, tourist activities were limited, but socialising fitted the gaps perfectly.

Post-ash, I wanted ATOL protection, so I booked hotel and flights as a package through Guild Travel, the travel agency of the Finn-Guild in London, itself an offshoot of the Finnish church. We had scheduled Finnair flights (Assigned seats, snacks and drinks. Luxury for this easyJet flyer!) Off-season, there were no direct flights from London. The one-hour layover in Helsinki in each direction was simultaneously convenient and nerve-wracking, as we wondered if we would see our luggage at our final destination. Of course, the Helsinki baggage handlers did us proud and we were reunited with our suitcases without incident. Rovaniemi Airport is about the size of a sports hall. The single baggage conveyor belt boasts a selection of cuddly-toy Arctic animals. A selection of stylised reindeer leaps off the roof. After all, it is the ‘official airport of Santa Claus’.

We took the Airport Taxi (minibus) to the Sokos Vaakuna. I chose this hotel as I had stayed in its sister establishment of the same name in Helsinki the previous year. The Vaakuna was well up to the expected standard. I tried out the (single-sex) sauna this time. The etiquette was to use one of the paper seats provided when sitting on the wooden benches. I had a go at ladling water on to the hot coals to provide a burst of löyly or intense heat. The hotel was so quiet that I had no-one to talk to in the sauna, otherwise I would have stayed a lot longer in this most civilised setting. The hotel’s buffet breakfast offered a splendid selection of Nordic delicacies as well as more international fare. An easy way to spot the native Finns was to look for the plate of porridge. On our first evening, we dined at Nili: a little pricey, but with charming service and bags of atmosphere – or there would have been, if it had been fuller. Our freebie starters of reindeer broth came in the typical kuksa, or hand carved birch cup.

The next day, we set off on the most important part of our sightseeing, visiting Santa Claus. We took the number 8 bus to the Santa Village, a collection of outlet and souvenir shops, cafés and the official Arctic Circle Post Office. I sent off postcards to friends and family from there to get the special postmark. The Arctic Circle is painted on the ground, a classic photo opportunity. In case you are wondering, the Arctic Circle is defined as the parallel of latitude that runs 66° 33° 44° (or 66.5622°) north of the Equator, or a line that marks the latitude above which the sun does not set on the day of the summer solstice (usually 21 June) and does not rise on the day of the winter solstice (usually 21 December). Off-season, the complex was very quiet, and only one café was open. The shops were not at all tacky, with souvenirs generally of high quality.

Visiting Santa is impressive. It is free of charge. You are led deep into a labyrinth, passing the massive pendulum which allows Santa to stop time and visit all the world’s children in one night. We got straight in, but I imagine that you generally have to queue. The great man thanked me for the sherry and mince pies we had left for him in the past, and indicated that the reindeer had appreciated the carrots. He also shared a few remarks about Glasgow Rangers FC with my husband. Santa is nothing if not cosmopolitan. We declined the photo taken by an tech-savvy elf. These come in various formats, starting at an eye-watering 25 Euros for one snap, but I bet a fair few are impulse-bought by moist-eyed parents.

Back in town, we obtained passes for the main city museums. We started at Korundi, the ultra-modern art and concert venue. Modern art always provides a talking point. After that, it was time to rendezvous with Arctic Mensans in the restaurant attached to our hotel. They had thoughtfully chosen a restaurant with Lappish specialities. I am no stranger to reindeer meat on my plate, but other tastes were new: I had reindeer tongue, whitefish roe and rillettes of moose in a selection of starters. It was a most convivial evening. Our hosts courteously spoke perfect English, even amongst themselves, which is always faintly shaming for this languages teacher.

The other two museums were the Arktikum and the Pilke centre. The former, jutting out magnificently towards the river, is full of informative, if worrying, information about the current state of the Arctic and its inhabitants. The latter is full of hands-on activities for children related to trees and forestry. Trees and water, as I mentioned earlier, form the fabric of national life.

That afternoon, we were taken out and about to see local residential areas and leisure facilities. Very scenic on a fine autumn afternoon, but we were told that a Finnish driving test is in three parts: “normal” driving, driving in darkness, and driving in slippery conditions. We dined at a moderately-priced-and-cheerful pizza place that evening.

Our hosts arranged a wonderful outing for us on the Sunday. They took us hiking in the forest at Vikaköngäs. Scratch a Finn, and you will find a forest dweller with a deep connection to nature. Access to the forests is regarded as a birthright and schoolchildren are taught forest skills from an early age. ‘Hiking’ sounds laborious, but we proceeded along well-constructed, if slippery, duckboards past tumbling rivers and russet trees to our destination. We reached a superbly appointed barbecue area, complete with fireplace, logs, twigs (with which to spear the sausages) and an earth toilet. Not one scrap of litter to be seen, either before we arrived or after we left. Our hosts had brought huge amounts of food and drink. This townie had never grilled a sausage over an open fire before! There were other hikers, Finns and foreigners, and everyone quickly got talking. We decided that the national characteristics of sausages formed too controversial a topic and moved back to the safer areas of politics and religion.

Our last meal out was a good value set meal at the Monte Rosa. Our flight home did not leave until lunchtime, which left plenty of time for my last session of supermarket shopping. I stocked up on rye bread, lingonberry preserve, reindeer and similar goodies, not forgetting another Littala mug for my collection.

Getting to the airport presented a dilemma. Flying from any of the London airports, you are recommended to be at check-in two hours before your flight. In Rovaniemi, the airport taxi called at our hotel in the town centre one hour before the flight. My husband and I struggled with this concept and debated it at length. Finally, our inner Londoner won and we (almost certainly unnecessarily) got a regular taxi somewhat earlier.

An uneventful trip home, and we found ourselves at Heathrow in time to struggle back through the rush hour. I still can hardly believe I was at the Arctic Circle, although I can always keep an eye on what’s happening in Lordi Square with the city webcams. The square is named after the city’s most famous sons, a heavy metal band who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. The sightseeing was wonderful, but was easily matched by the warm welcome we received from fellow Mensans. Next time – with snow!

First published in VISA issue 100 (Dec 2011)