Dissatisfied with your everyday life? Move to Lapland!

This is not the exact reasoning I followed in the moment I decided to leave the country I was living in, but it is the one that turned out to be true afterwards. At first, I just wanted to move away from my previous country to study abroad without any concrete idea in mind about where to go. I did not even know what to study. So I picked up my laptop and, being a person who cannot really sleep at night, within a couple of sleepless nights spent surfing the Internet in my electronic friend’s company, I found the right Degree Programme for me. Only after that I checked where the university offering that Programme actually was located. On the webpage it said “Rovaniemi”. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t recall where from. I googled it and the first thing that appeared on my laptop’s screen was a picture of Santa waving at me. That was the moment I realised that I was going to apply to a university in Santa’s hometown and, being a winter and Christmas atmosphere lover, this fact only strengthened my wish to move to the administrative capital of Lapland.

I applied to Lapland’s University of Applied Sciences, I did the entrance exam and after about two months I got the email I was most waiting for at that time: I got accepted to study in Rovaniemi.

As soon as I landed in Rovaniemi, I felt at home. I felt so good, and my feelings after almost a year living here are still the same, that I don’t even really want to go back to my other home country because I would feel homesick from here.

Life in Lapland proved to be amazing to me. There is no way of getting bored in here. There is always something to do and a lot to discover. This is the region that has 8 seasons and as many reindeers as inhabitants, if not more.

This is the region where sleepless nights turn into breathtaking experiences by admiring stunning Northern Lights from late autumn till spring

and the astonishing Midnight Sun in summer.

This is the region of colours: white winter wonderland; bright red, yellow and orange with all of their nuances during Ruska in autumn; Northern Lights’ green, yellow, pink and purple shining in the darkness of winter nights; different shades of blue during the “blue moment” or “Kaamos” in the same period as Northern Lights; beaming sunlight in summer. This is the region of happiness to me.

Every ordinary day can be turned into an extraordinary one here in Lapland. My average day could simply be waking up in the morning, having a coffee, going to the university, having lunch there, going back home after the lessons, having dinner, studying for a while, sleeping and repeating this over and over again. But no. This is not how things work here. Of course, they can go like this if someone wants to have a standard life with a basic and, in my opinion, quite boring routine. But Lapland offers far more to the ones that are willing to be Above Ordinary, which is also the region’s slogan. You can enjoy the view of beautiful landscapes simply while walking or cycling to move around; you can pet and make friends with adorable huskies and reindeers

and have a ride on a sleigh pulled by them in the farms that provide safaris with them; you can pick berries and mushrooms in autumn

and go fishing in summer or ice fishing in winter; you can ski or ice-skate on frozen lakes and rivers in winter and do many other kinds of winter sports;

you can attend hockey matches; you can go hiking from spring to autumn; you can enjoy homemade blueberry juice almost anywhere or coffee and pancakes prepared in a traditional way in a Kota outside in a forest, in a park or along a hiking path; you can have sauna anytime – if you do not have one in your own apartment you will have at least one in your building for common use – and make friends with Finns there or simply enjoy a relaxing moment;

you can hunt Northern Lights or wait till midnight to see the sun approaching the horizon and rising again according to the season and so much more. All of these incredible activities can be included in your everyday life when living in Lapland. Moreover, as I mentioned before, nights are not only meant for sleeping in here and they have an added value, thus enlarging the concept of everyday life also to “everynight” life.

So, to everybody who wants to make a change in their lives and feel Above Ordinary: Lapland is waiting for you. Even if not for living, but just for enjoying a shorter stay with extraordinary everydays and exceptional experiences that will probably turn into lifelong memories, Lapland is ready to host you and to be discovered.

Anyone can choose what to be and how to live. I chose to be and live Above Ordinary. What about you?

Blog Post competition with Lapland University of Applied Sciences

This blog post has been written by another of two winners of our blog post competition. Gofinland organised a competition among the students of Lapland University of Applied Sciences. The students are studying tourism in international degree programme. In the future, they will be the professionals in International Tourism.

Isabella Victoria Borgogni is sharing her inspiring experience in Finland.

Read also the blog post of another winner of our competition: Minh Hieu Nguyen wrote a great article about how hiking. Minh’s insight gives aid how to relax in nature and improve your wellbeing.

Salla – in the middle of nowhere, as their official slogan goes – is a heaven for the peace and nature -loving traveler. Whether you’re traveling alone or with children, winter or summer, you will find lots of places to see, things to experience and history to discover.

Text and photos: Laura Rumbin

In the south of Finnish Lapland lies the small village of Salla. Salla is most known from its Ski Resort, which is no wonder: Salla is actually the place where skiing was born in Finland. The first downhill skiing and slalom competitions were held in Salla’s sister fells Sallatunturi, Välitunturi and Rohmoiva in 1937, but there is even older evidence of skiing in Salla. The world’s eldest ski, that has been tracked all the way to the Stone Age, has been found in Salla!

After the Second World War the three sister fells had to be given to the Soviet Union, but this didn’t kill the skiing culture in Salla – after all, it had roots deeply in the ground of the area, but also in the blood of the people. Even nowadays the Salla Ski Resort employs mostly local people and not seasonal workers. This really shows: customer service is genuine and full of Lappish warm-hearted style. In Salla you really feel like home on holiday.

Winterfun

You don’t have to be a ski enthusiast to be able to enjoy Salla, though. The wilderness area and views in Salla are just breathtaking, and there are multiple ways to enjoy the great outdoors. You can, for instance, rent a pair of snowshoes, pack your backpack full of goodies and warm drinks, and walk your way on top of the fell. The are many marked routes there, visible also in the wintertime. The cross-country skiing facilities in Salla are amazing: there are over 140 km of well maintained tracks, of which 40 km have lightning. Equipment can be rented from the ski shop if you haven’t got your own skis, boots and other essential stuff. Even a teacher can be organized in no time!

The silence on top of the fell is truly something to appreciate. Close your eyes, breath in some of the world’s cleanest air, and feel the change in your body and mind. Suddenly you’ll find yourself free from stress, feeling relaxed and invigorated.

When in Lapland, you might want to experience also a snowmobile safari. This can be easily done in Salla, and the friendly folk at Napapiirin Safarit will organize a safari that suits your interests and needs. Even families with small children are covered: a comfy shuttle, that is attached to a snowmobile, fits easily a couple of adults with children. When attached to a shuttle, the snowmobile is always driven by a professional guide, so there is no need to worry about drifting off the marked route in the nature.

Good times in the summer sun

Summer in the Finnish Lapland is something unique and a thing everyone must experience at least once in a lifetime. The polar nights – or nighless nights as we say – are unbelievable. Imagine a beautiful summer day that never comes to an end, and you’ll get the picture. You see, the sun doesn’t set at all in the summertime. This might be tricky considering a person’s need for sleep, but then again: who wants to sleep when there is so much to do and see!

Photo: Graham Schmidt / VisitFinland Image Bank

First, you might want to go mountain biking – there are 444km paths for biking of which 46km for mountain biking only. If biking isn’t your cup of tea, there are many intriguing hiking routes to explore close to Salla. Only a short drive away from the village there is also the beautiful  Oulanka National Park, where you can, for instance, experience some of the most amazing canyons in Finland. There are wilderness cottages in the nature for sleeping but you can also sleep in a tent.

If you wish to experience a place that is still unseen by many, you might want to navigate your way to Naruska, Northern Salla, where the Kullaoja waterfall lies hidden in the woods. Imagine an enchanted forest and the purling sound of water running in the streams. As you walk on, the sound gets stronger but still stays gentle as a summer day. There are signs that will guide you to the right direction from the car park, but there is no visible path to the waterfall – you’ll just have to listen and follow your ears to get to this beautiful waterfall.  But it is really worth it. The serenity of Finnish nature can truly be found in places like the wilderness of Naruska.

As you can imagine by now, Salla is a great destination any time of the year. If you wish to read more about Salla, click here!

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Laura Rumbin is a travel blogger and an adventuring mom, who loves nature and wants to see mountains when traveling abroad. She co-writes two blogs: RIMMA + LAURA (www.rimmalaura.com) and Fall into Finland (www.fallintofinland.com)