One of my beloved traditions is to travel on my birthday. This year, Lapland was my gift of choice. Lapland in winter. Cold, dark, boring - some think. The others get shiny eyes. Lapland leaves no one indifferent. Either you don't want to go under any circumstances or you absolutely want to.
The days before my birthday we spent in a tipi modeled on the dwellings of the Sami nomads. That's right. With an oven and a fireplace in front of it. For the morning coffee in the bright sun or the white wine aperitif at sunset around 4 p.m. At minus 15 degrees. Hearty cooked for by muscular Vikings with blond and red beards, tattoos on their arms and lots of adventurous stories in store.
We were allowed to lead our husky teams ourselves and go on trips lasting several hours. Through forests, over frozen lakes, over the Arctic Circle. And as a reward there was a drink according to the old Sami tradition, which was very tasty, but quite unusual in its preparation and would probably turn most people's stomachs. I liked it.
The days were well filled with snowmobile tours, cross-country tours, snowshoe hikes, fat bike excursions and saunas. The Vikings punched a hole through the ice and went inside to cool off. All in absolute solitude. This snow-covered expanse has given us an unforgettable closeness.
On the eve of my special day, we moved from the nomad camp to a sensationally designed UFO tree house.
And exactly at midnight I saw a beautiful aurora borealis as a gift for the first time in my life. I still carry this feeling of: the world is full of secrets, never stop to discover, to research, to be curious, to travel, which has spread in me through this special extraterrestrial spectacle.
PLAN YOUR DREAM TRIP NOW
