Lovely Town of Porvoo, Finland :)

Recommended by my Finnish friend who grew up in this quaint medieval town..

Porvoo is just an hour away by public bus from Helsinki, Finland..

We spent half a day in this very lovely town, and I am glad we listened to Maria :)

It was 6 am when our flight arrived in Helsinki, and our hotel rooms were not ready yet..

So we dressed up at the lobby, left our luggages with the concierge.. and off to Porvoo!

It was the first time for some of us to touch snow.. and that was serious happiness! :)

We didn't really research on where to go.. so we just walked and walked and walked..

The old buildings were so cute and colourful.. and that wedding truck was driving in..

To the compound of the 14th century Porvoo Cathedral.. where a traditional wedding was going on..

Though I am not sure if this is really considered their traditional wedding car ;)

I assume these are houses.. or maybe barns?! 

Well, anyway.. they are red and yellow, and pretty! That's all that matters! Haha :)

And there was something about this street.. I think it was the most photographed? in the town?

Oh gosh.. forgive my memory.. but there was a painting of this street right on the wall with some information on it..



Exactly a year ago.. Winter in February..

Isn't this such a beauty?!

The Holm House and its yard.. where they host seasonal exhibitions of how a wealthy Porvoo merchant family lived in the 18th century..

Old cobblestone streets..

Lovely, lovely shopping areas..

Eye candy shop windows.. :)

And Brunberg Chocolates! Where you can eat all the chocolates samples that you can!

Ahhh yes, I tried all the flavours, and ate more of my favorites.. to the point of almost getting a sore throat :P

A must in Porvoo.. and the cause of my heavy luggage!

 Just another cute little cafe.. with a name.. maybe they should change ;)

Or maybe they really knew what it meant!

More pretty old town shopping districts..

And a Mentos candy!

Just kidding.. that's the old Town Hall :)

Somebody's backyard I wanted to steal ;)

Men.. Ice.. Fishing..

At the frozen Porvoo River..

And the symbol of the medieval town.. Buildings used to store imported exotic delicacies and merchandise..

The very lovely red shore houses by the Porvoo River..

So please.. go and get lost in Porvoo.. and you'll be as happy as these! ;)

Related Stories: Northern Lights Over Lake Inari, Husky Dog Sledding, Reindeer Sleigh Ride, First Glimpse of the Arctic Circle, and Medieval Old Town of Tallinn. Enjoy! :)

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References:

Full Trip Itinerary and Budget - Finland and Estonia - Northern Lights Itinerary

Amazing Northern Lights at the Glass Igloo Village

Yes, the Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis again.. but this time, at the Glass Igloo Village from 7 pm to 5 am! :)

And even more spectacular!!

On this very beautiful winter day in February 2014, the most amazing thing happened..

It was my dream to be able to stay at a Glass Igloo in Kakslauttanen, Finland..

And I booked the igloos even before I booked our flights! 

Because for me.. no igloo, no Finland ;)

But it wasn't cheap.. so we only stayed for 1 night..

That 5th night in the Arctic Circle we were all waiting for..

And this is how we roll.. our luggages! ;)

To the igloos..

And here's ours.. big enough for 2 to 3 people.. with a toilet and sink but no shower.. 

The shower and sauna are at the reception building.. because they would not fit inside the igloo ;)

The door jamb is low, so you have to bow your head down when passing through.. and careful with your ice frosted boots because the tiled floor is slippery when wet..

It is warm inside.. with 2 reclinable single beds meant for watching the skies at night.. 

And to answer what all my friends asked.. "Is it see through?!"

Yes, it is a transparent glass dome, and you can see everything outside clearly.. the sunset, the sunrise, and your naked neighbours inside their igloos! But don't worry, nobody really peeps! haha! ;)

How did we change our clothes? We turned off the lights at night, and changed in the dark..

As for the toilet.. the glass is frosted at that area ;)

While waiting for the skies to get dark.. we roamed around and walked to the Celebration House..

That house that looks like it was plucked out of a Christmas movie!!

Where dinner would be served.. but only at 7 pm..

So we headed back.. some to the reception building to use wifi.. and the others to their igloos to relax while waiting for dinner..

While lounging at the lobby.. a Brazilian guest came looking for his wife, who was at the sauna.. 

He came to say something to her.. but since we all turned and looked at him.. he calmly shared..

"The lights are out."

As if we had not seen the northern lights the past 2 nights.. we panicked again!!

How could we not panic, if that "God, it's so beautiful!" was going on outside??!! :D

 Grabbed our jackets, scarves, neck warmers, ear muffs, beanies, gloves, cameras....

Then I ran to the igloos to call the others, but I couldn't find them..

Because.... I was at the wrong row of igloos!! They all looked the same!! ;)

Mesmerised once again by these dreamy green and purple lights..

Nobody wanted to leave for dinner anymore..

So when the lights started to fade a little, we forced everyone to pause and head to the Celebration House..

An hour after, we came out of the dinner hall to see the lights still dancing..

Getting stronger.. filling up the whole sky..

At -27 ºC, we forgot how cold it was..

We were shivering quietly.. overwhelmed.. constantly whispering to ourselves..

"Wow... Wow..."

"Thank you Lord.." 

It was all around.. we did not know where to look anymore.. it was so magnificent.. surreal.. unbelievable.. and I'm not exaggerating at all..

When the cold finally won over us.. and when our necks could no longer hold our heads facing the skies above..

We walked back to our igloos..

Snuggled up comfortably in our beds, and continued watching the dream through the snowflake speckled glass..

"I wish the northern lights will disappear now.."

Not that I wanted it gone.. but it was already 2 am.. and it was so difficult to close our eyes knowing the lights were still dancing outside.. you just wouldn't want to miss a second of it.. 

You know.. you try to sleep.. then you try to peep if it's still there.. it's still there.. then you try to sleep again.. then you open your eyes again to check if it's still there.. and it was there until 5 am..

And so.. did last night really happen??!! :D

Felt like everything was just a dream..

And this sunrise from my bed.. is love x 100!! :)

And now, out to the Celebration House once again..

For a lovely breakfast.. 

And really.. to celebrate!!

I finally understood why they called it the "Celebration House!" :)

This has been my most amazing travel experience so far.. 

And I could not thank God enough for it.. for everything! :)

Related Stories: Northern Lights Over Lake Inari, Husky Dog Sledding, Reindeer Sleigh Ride, First Glimpse of the Arctic Circle, and Medieval Old Town of Tallinn. Enjoy! :)

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References:

Full Trip Itinerary and Budget - Finland and Estonia - Northern Lights Itinerary

Glass Igloo Kakslauttanen - www.kakslauttanen.fi

Aurora Forecast - www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast