Winter Week at the Arctic Circle Exploring Nature Am I going on a trip? However, my inner voice said that I can endure staying at home for these six weeks, as the number of COVID infections is on the rise again... Then I got a call from work that, after the holidays, I'm (again) being laid off. So my six-week vacation stretches to nine weeks! Oh, dear! Now staying at home is enough, I must go on a trip. I'm falling apart here, being alone at home without anything to do for many weeks. For those of you who have had to stay home a lot during the COVID times, perhaps even lost your jobs or are on continuous furlough, you know; everyone needs a break from their routine, whether it's work or binge-watching Netflix at home. That's why I decided to go on a trip, although I've been extremely cautious on every trip and haven't been partying in bars, lucky if I even dined out at a restaurant. Rovaniemi as a destination has interested me for some time; meeting Santa Claus after many years, Lapland's nature, winter... FROM HELSINKI TO ROVANIEMI BY ONNIBUS Yes, 11 hours on a bus, yeehaw!! The bus journey went well and surprisingly smoothly. I've enjoyed traveling with Onnibus; the seats are comfortable, you can choose your seat. And best of all, in my opinion, it's ALWAYS cheap to travel with Onnibus. Onnibus regularly offers trips at discounted prices, and at best, you can travel for one euro! YES, ONE EURO! And lo and behold, I also got from Helsinki to Rovaniemi FOR ONE EURO (plus I paid two euros for seat selection), so one-way trip cost me 3 euros! It's unbelievable that you can travel for this price! Upon arriving in Rovaniemi, I went to my accommodation through a hamburger place, Forenom. I ended up at Forenom when comparing prices; as a solo traveler, I wanted to stay in an affordable option. Also, important factors were the location and the versatility of the room (cooking possibility). During the week's trip, I mostly cooked in the room. A week's accommodation at Forenom cost around 280 euros. During the week, I became familiar with Rovaniemi's city center; which in winter shone with various Christmas lights, there were many spruces, and a big plus was that I saw a lot of people wearing masks! In the shopping center, hardly anyone appeared without a mask, I would estimate that the mask usage there was about 90%! Big thumbs up! SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO HERE? In winter, you can ski, ride snowmobiles, walk on the Ounasvaara winter walking trail, visit museums (Arktikum, Science Centre Pilke), engage in various winter sports, and of course, visit Santa Claus Village! There are also more exotic trips available; aurora borealis tours, husky and reindeer rides. Personally, I spent a couple of days walking in Ounasvaara and was stunned by the beauty of nature. Ounasvaara has ski tracks, nature trails, and in winter a "winter walking trail" covering about 6 km if you start near the bridge and walk the entire route, and then a few kilometers back. It's about 2 kilometers from the city center to Ounasvaara, and the easiest way to get to Ounasvaara trails (if you're walking) is to walk along Jätkänkynttilä Bridge and immediately after the bridge, there are signs to the trails. By car, to remember a good parking spot, continue driving over the bridge and towards Santasport Sports Institute (and continue a little past it). Along the winter walking route, there are a couple of lean-to shelters, an observation tower, and a viewpoint. Ounasvaara also has routes that can be ridden with fatbikes. One day I had a kind of "culture day" and visited Arktikum and Science Centre Pilke. These were also within walking distance from the city center. During the week, I spent quite a lot of time in the room, especially in the afternoon, as the sun set around three o'clock in the afternoon and darkness came soon after. Rovaniemi was a refreshing experience amidst layoffs/vacations, and the weather was pleasant almost throughout the trip. In summer, I'd be interested in exploring a couple of nature trails there, but I feel that in summer/autumn, I'd rather head to other destinations in Lapland than Rovaniemi. Here's a brief list of the pros and cons of Forenom (Valtakatu 35): + Good location, downtown. Also a plus that there were sauna shifts for women/men three times a week downstairs! + Easy to book accommodation, check-in was possible at any time, you could enter every door with a code (The code is sent by text message on the arrival day by 4:00 PM, when the room is available). + The room was comfortable, with a TV and cooking facilities + Quiet, suitable especially for solo travelers, couples, groups of friends, and business travelers. - The kitchen lacked a cutting board (or at least I didn't find one) - The TV channel selection was limited In my next post, I'll write about Santa Claus Village and how much money I spent during the week (including accommodation and travel). If you're considering a trip to Rovaniemi or just want to see what Rovaniemi could offer you, I got the best help from this website. You can find more pictures/videos/stories on my Instagram account (@tinttitutkimusmatkalla), where I post pictures almost continuously. Book your trip to Rovaniemi here
