First Glimpse of the Arctic Circle

To many, a winter filled with snow is normal.

To us, who never get frozen lakes, it is a fairy tale :)

On our first 2 nights in the Arctic part of Finland, we stayed at Hotel Korpikartano which was by the shore of Lake Menesjarvi.

In choosing accommodations, the most important factor we considered was the light pollution - the darker the area was at night, the better it was for viewing the Northern Lights. And we moved every few nights, to change our backdrop.

Every now and then, friends would ask me about the Northern Lights. But their first question always has nothing to do with it. 

"So what do you do during the day?"

Well.. let me start by showing you our first glimpse of Arctic daytime..

We arrived at around noon time.. and loved our rustic hotel the moment we stepped on the wooden stairs..

It used to be a school.. converted into a hotel.. and there are a few buildings in the complex..

This is the lake view terrace..

The hallway to our rooms..

And one of them.. Before the invasion of the cameras, coats, beanies, and boots ;)

Now out to play!

Those are covered snowmobiles, and kayaks waiting for summer..

Behind is the Lake Menesjarvi.. frozen..

This is Timo, the very nice owner.. who picked us up from Ivalo Airport, an hour away.. 

He is paving our play area ;)

So here it is! A few of what we did during the day!

Aside from the Reindeer Sleigh Ride and the Husky Dog Sledding which I have already shared ;)

Kick Sleds, Snow Sleds, Toboggans.. 

A kick sled.. should not be used downhill.. so please don't follow this! :P

Back to the main building where dinner is served.. 

We usually had Reindeer Meat.. Reindeer Stew, Reindeer Stroganoff, Reindeer Shepherd's Pie.. 

Cooked and tasted similar to Beef!

The next day.. some of us borrowed snowshoes..

To walk on deep snow.. (but actually just to have fun ;))

The others learned how to build a fire in the Glass Roofed Fire Hut..

Now.. time to go down to the frozen lake again..

Careful not to fall into the cracked, melted part..

The snowman on the left was already in the middle of the lake when we arrived..

And since we just finished watching the movie Frozen, we wanted to build Olaf the Snowman..

Unfortunately, we did not have Elsa's magic.. and with our powers combined.. still failed.. haha!

It was harder than we thought.. and we ended up with Olaf's fat uncle! :P

Dinner time.. and then Sauna..

And snowmobiles on the way home..

 

On these first 2 nights, we gathered at the lake from 9 PM until 1 AM to wait for the Northern Lights. 

Unfortunately, the clouds were too thick.. and we were not able to see the green lights.

However, these waiting games, made us appreciate seeing the lights on the 3rd day even more!!

You can click Northern Lights Over Lake Inari, Finland for the story :)

I would say that having at least 2 crazy friends to hang out with in the dark, freeeezzzing cold of a night.. is a must!! :) 

You need to have dancers, singers, jokers.. to endure 4 hours of shivering! :)

Ah yes.. some of those crazy friends! Who made shivering lake nights bearable! ;)

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References:

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

Helsinki to Ivalo - FinnAir or Norwegian Air
Ivalo Airport to Hotel Korpikartano - Arrange with the Hotel

Hotel Korpikartano - www.menesjarvi.fi
As of Oct 2014 - Room Rates Per Night, Breakfast Included - EUR 75 to EUR 126
Lunch - EUR 16 / Dinner - EUR 26 - No Restaurants Nearby
Fire Hut, Sauna, Toboggans, Kick Sleds, Snow Sleds - Free of Charge

Bruce Lee and Me

Finally found you Bruce..

Let's do this!

Hiyaaahh!!!

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Mural Title: The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do This (To Cats)

Location: On a wall of a back lane at Lebuh Ah Quee (Ah Quee Street)

George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Northern Lights Over Lake Inari, Finland

It was on this February 2014 night in the Arctic Circle..
When our sweetest dreams happened before we blissfully closed our eyes to sleep..
And I am not exaggerating at all :)

We planned this trip for 6 months, hoping and praying that God would show us the Aurora Borealis. In those 6 months, we were both excited and anxious. Anxious because we could plan everything perfectly, but we could never control nature.

When we arrived at the Finnish Lapland, the weather was not looking good for the lights. The skies were covered with clouds, and the wind was not blowing hard enough to disperse them. You can imagine how helpless we felt.

You see.. to see the Northern Lights, the stars must be out. There must be at least an opening in the clouds. But.. that's just part of the equation.

There must be some solar activity.

On our first 2 nights, we hung out at the frozen Lake Menesjarvi, waiting for the lights to show up. It was freezing cold, but the clouds showed no mercy and owned the skies. At about 1am, when we could no longer feel our toes, we gave up and went to bed.

On our 3rd night, we moved to Hotel Inari, which was just beside the frozen Lake Inari. When we checked in, the hotel guests showed us pictures of the Northern Lights that showed up over the lake the night before. Damn! We were in the wrong lake!

But it was ok. We had 7 more nights to go. However, the clouds were back! 

Seriously, I have never checked the weather forecast that much in my life. Every 5 minutes, I would check and wish for a Sunny / Starry weather icon!

Looking at the clouds, we became hopeless.

So when the night came, we just saved our energies and kept warm inside the hotel. My husband, however, would constantly go out and check the skies. At 9pm, he came back and whispered to me..

"I see stars."

Yes, the value of those 3 words... we panicked!

You see.. the lights can show up for only 2 minutes or over 10 hours. We could easily miss it!

We rushed to wear our jackets, beanies, scarves, neck warmers, ear muffs, gloves.. no, it wasn't that easy to just run outside! ;)

It was at least -15 Cº.. and it was on a windy frozen lake.

Those who had cameras, started setting up their tripods and testing their long exposure shots. Those who had none, just stared at the skies, hoping and praying.

After 30 minutes of waiting, we spotted a movement in the skies. It was very faint, and we could not tell whether it was a cloud or the lights.

So we did test shots. And it came out green through the thin clouds.

It was the Northern Lights!!!

We were all stunned.

It was happening! It was really.. finally happening!!

Our friends positioned their cameras.. and sometimes got overwhelmed by the skies, that they did not know which parts to shoot anymore.

In reality, the lights were more of a fainter green. But equally fascinating!

 The rest of us sat on the icy ground mesmerised..

Ok, not really on the ground, but on flattened cardboard boxes we took from the garbage behind the hotel restaurant.  

Believe me.. frozen bums call for desperate measures! Haha! :)

The lights danced slowly..

Beautifully..

Faded away..

Splashed the skies..

Spiralled down..

Round and round..

Moved back..

Doubled up..

And left us all in awe..

It was amazingly surreal!!!

After 2 hours of being astonished, and against our will, we had to go back to the hotel to defrost our frozen toes.

Tip: Wear a plastic bag over your wool socks before putting on your boots. The condensation inside the boots gets your socks wet, making your toes really cold. The plastic bag prevents the moisture from going into your socks.

Unfortunately, we only discovered this on our fifth night!

We walked away from the lights in a daze.. wasn't that just marvellous?!

3rd night. 1st Northern Lights show. 6 nights to go! :)

We all went to bed with a smile on our faces. 

The whole night seemed like a dream. And it was our dream. 

Also check out: 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

Hotel Inari - www.hotelliinari.fi

Streets of Lisbon

As with a lot of cities, exploring Lisbon, Portugal will never be complete with just a ride on a tour bus (previous post: Lazy in Lisbon).

In this beautiful summer weather, a stroll on the streets.. or a walk anywhere, is a must. 

So let us start by arriving at the Gare do Oriente.

Or Lisbon Orient Station in English.. one of the largest stations in the world, and as busy as the Grand Central Terminal of New York.

Now on the streets of the Bairro Alto district..

Where you see graffitis during the day.. and party life at night!

Just a random pink house.. in the neighbourhood..

Elevador da Bica

Or Bica Funicular in English.. constructed in 1892, climbs the 245 meter steep road of Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo from Rua S. Paulo, and allows the riders to see both how the locals live their daily lives as it passes through the narrow alleys, and the spectacular views of the Tagus River.

On the left where a man is standing by the doorway, is Casa Liege, a restaurant. We had our first Portuguese lunch there, and I just want to say.. you can find better ones ;)

Tagus River and 25 de Abril Bridge as seen from.. somewhere in the neighborhood.. hehe! Isn't it fun to get lost?! :P

On the way to Rossio Square.. I shamelessly asked the policeman on a segway if I could take a picture with him. He made me ride on the segway instead.. haha!! :D

Praca Dom Pedro IV.. popularly known as the Rossio Square

That statue on top of the column is of Pedro IV, a king of Portugal, and the first emperor of Brazil.

Behind is the Teatro Nacional Doña Maria II, or National Theatre Doña Maria II.

With shops and cafes all around, this is the liveliest square in the city - where people meet, socialise, and relax.

I really like it here! :)

Hard Rock Cafe.. Because friends wanted those souvenir shirts and shot glasses..

Tourists in a GoCar.. a 2-seater, GPS-guided, cute little talking tour car :)

Now let's go up!

Elevador de Santa Justa

Or Santa Justa Lift in English.. and also called the Carmo Elevator, connects the lower situated Baixa District to the Bairro Alto, the higher part of the city.

This landmark was built by Engineer Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, a student of Gustave Eiffel.. which explains the similarities of the structure to the Eiffel Tower of Paris.

Convento da Ordem do Carmo

Or Carmo Convent in English.. used to be the largest church building in Lisbon until the great earthquake of 1755 destroyed most of it. 

What's left of the church building is now used as an archaeological museum, and the convent building is now used by the Republican Guard.

Why you really have to take that Santa Justa Lift to come up..

The view..

And this.. the Castle of Sao Jorge..

And this.. just a street, but doesn't it look amazing?!

And of course, this beauty.. which sums up my memories of Lisbon! :)

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References:

Research - www.golisbon.com

GoCar Tour - www.gocartours.com