We are going to Santa-Land.....

On Thursday 5th October 2017, we are leaving for Finland and points south of there, afterwards. Our first stop will be in Helsinki where we will stay with my brother Bill and sister in law Paivi for a day before flying off up to Ivalo in Lapland for three days. We will stay in a hotel where they have glass ceilings so that the Northern Lights will be visible from the comfort and warmth of one's bed, very civilized. But, I am sure that we will venture outside to see the Aurora Borealis 'in the flesh'. I am also sure there will be some fun Nordic adventures for us involving being boiled in a sauna and frozen in a local lake!! It would not be fun if we did not get the full 'Monty'. Activities on offer are gold-panning, hiking, white-water rafting and (probably) reindeer wrangling(!). It is also where Santa Claus has a workshop. Here is what Wikipedia says about the place.

"Ivalo is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Lake Inari. It has a population of 3,998 as of 2003 and a small airport. 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Ivalo is a very popular resort named Saariselkä. Many tourists visit this place every year for winter sports (downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, husky and reindeer sledge riding) and for summer activities (trekking and hiking in the Saariselkä fjells, canoeing in Lapland's rivers, mountain biking, panning for gold, fishing, etc.).

Ivalo was severely damaged during the Lapland War (1944–1945). The village was subsequently extensively rebuilt."Jump up

Here is Finland for the uninitiated, Helsinki, the capital, down there in the south and yes...there is Ivalo right up there at the top, at latitude 68 deg 39' North above the Arctic Circle which is at 66 2/3 deg North.

.......and this is what it looks like in the middle of winter!! NOT when we are there!!

After out Lapp adventure we will spend some time in Helsinki, visit with nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces and generally catching up on what is going on. There are also some entertainments arranged which we look forward to.

After we bid farewell to Helsinki we fly to Berlin in Germany where we have a Greeter for the day who will show us 'his' Berlin. We have already been in touch with him and he has given us lots of information about what to do, far more than we can accommodate in three days. 

Then it is on to Rome with a secret agenda to be revealed later.