The Arctic

On Wednesday, we left Jakobstad by train for an overnight trip to Rouvanemi Finland and the Arctic Circle. This was a first train ride for the kids so it was very exciting to explore the train, buy from the dining car, and pass the time writing postcards and journals. The journey north was about 5 hours, but was nice because you could get up to move around and go to the restroom without having to stop the train! We left Jakobstad around 10:30 and arrived in Rouvanemi by 3:30. After stopping to ask 3 or 4 people directions to the hotel since we walked instead of hiring a taxi, we arrived at a nice hotel...right across from a shopping mall! We shopped the mall in the afternoon and ate supper at the northernmost McDonald's in Finland. The hotel was also near other shopping areas so we did that after dinner. (We get very excited about McDonald's because of the ice in the drinks.) We relaxed in the hotel for the evening catching some American TV for most of the first time since arriving.

On Thursday morning, we went down to breakfast in the hotel. The kids were expecting pancakes and bacon, sausage biscuits, etc. However, they found meatballs, eggs like a custard, many things to make sandwiches, breads, and fruit. Davis tried the white beans with tomato sauce and liked them okay. The kids tried the meatballs but did not care for them...thank goodness for rice crispies and corn flakes!

We hired a taxi to take us to Santa Claus park where Mom has been with all the other grandkids to have their official picture with Santa himself. After shopping for all the right souvenirs the kids took a sled ride (with wagon wheels since there is no snow)led by a Lappi girl and her reindeer. They really enjoyed that! Then on to visit with Santa. He does not look like the American Santa which must really be an elf, because I do believe we had an audience with old Kris Kringle himself with a very long beard. We visited for a few minutes and then had our picture made with him, too. Now we can be on the wall at Mama Janice and Papa's house, too. Santa also told Davis, Austin, and Jessica that he will be to our house about 6 p.m. Christmas eve. I'm sure Austin will remember that on December 24!

We also stood on the actual Arctic Cirlce line at 66, 32, 35 latitude north line. When we arrived back at Mats and Britt's house, we looked at the globe to show the kids how far north we were...at the same latitude which most of Cananda is south of.
And as you might expect, the weather cooperated and felt like we were in the Arctic. The bad news is that not only was it cold at the Arctic Circle it is also cold (40-45 degrees F) and windy!

Today we went to an Arctic Museum here in Jakobstad called Nanoq. It had outside displays of different types of Arctic buildings and an inside museum that had displays about Arctic exploration, not only of Arctic Finland but of all the Arctic such as Norway, Sweden, and Greenland. (Admiral Peary had a display and we learned that he had children by an Eskimo woman, and their descendants are still alive.) There was also a rebuilt cabin that was modeled after the guy (Rudi, I think) that holds the world's record for most polar bear kills, 700+ from the early 1900s. We also saw an officers cabin from the Finnish-Russian war of 1939-40, just after my grandmother immigrated from Finland to the US. There was a machine gun and another gun that was very interesting to the boys. Also there was a recreated village (Bjorndet) from the early 1900s with all the farming and fishing implements and all the tools used from that era. It made me think that many of these things were items that my grandmother and great grandparents might have used. We really enjoyed the time at the museum.

Pic #1-A moose antler skeleton Pic #2 The kids with polar bear at Nanoq
Pic #3 The kids in an Arctic sled Pic #4 At the Arctic Circle