We finally took a journey on the “big green train” as Little Man calls the sleeper trains. We had planned to be back in the States this September, visiting family, and introducing them to Young Miss. But of course, in light of the pandemic, we stayed in Finland. On the bright side (because if you know me, you know I always try to find the bright side), we took this opportunity to explore Finland a bit more, and go somewhere I’ve been dreaming about since we moved to this wondrous northern country: Rovaniemi.
Let’s start with the pronunciation: rove-ah-knee-amy. Good. Now, just what and where is this place you may or may not be able to pronounce? It’s located about 815 kilometers, or 506 miles north of Helsinki. If you’re like me, and distance doesn’t mean much to you, that’s a nine hour drive, or approximately 12-13 hours on the train. We opted for the train because, one, we don’t have a car, and two, Little Man loves trains, as you all know by now. Plus, if we took the night train, we could travel while sleeping, and not have to worry about packing restrictions in the same way as flying. Win-win!
So, to the train station we went! Hefting much more luggage than usual, and pushing a broken-at-the-last-possible-second stroller. I kid you not, I released the break to push the stroller out the door, and one of the wheels jammed. Not about to let that deter us, I pushed it on three wheels all the way to the station, cursing the fact that it was the left back wheel, as my left arm is my baby carrying arm and already overworked. Nevertheless, we made it! We found our rooms easily enough, and settled in to wait for the conductor. We had booked two rooms with a connecting door which the conductor had to open. It worked out nicely as each room has two beds, a sink, and plenty of storage space under the bottom bunk. The toilet was a short way down the car, and never busy when we needed it.
We ordered dinner in the restaurant car, which we brought back to the rooms (there were no seats left in the dining car). Little Man had no interest in eating as he was so excited to finally be on this train. He took ages to fall asleep, then apparently woke up Hubster at 4 am to go to the toilet. That was the one time I was actually sleeping, so I missed the whole thing. It was easiest to keep Young Miss on the bed with me as she was waking up every two to three hours. I figured this way, I might be able to squeeze in some amount of sleep. It wasn’t much, but I wasn’t too bleary-eyed when we rolled to a stop in Rovaniemi a little after 7:00 the next morning.
It was chilly and threatening to rain as we figured out where to pick up our rental car. Once we had that sorted, we filled the trunk with all our luggage, installed both car seats, and drove to the city center to get breakfast. Oh, and find new accommodations as our Air BnB reservation had been cancelled. Not exactly how we wanted to start vacation. At least we had breakfast pre planned; we went to the Scandic hotel, where non guests can enjoy the breakfast buffet for 19€ per person (children eat free). Amazingly, as we ate, Hubster messaged with our Air BnB hostess, who said she would be able to host us after all, as long as we arrived no earlier than 5 pm. That solved, we finished breakfast and drove to Santa’s Village to see what that was all about. (I’ll be honest, I was in it for the baby reindeer.)
The petting zoo didn’t open until 11, everything I wanted to do was outside, and the weather was 100% against me. It was pouring down rain by the time we parked. Have you ever had one of those vacations where everything just tanks and you feel like you would’ve been better off staying home? That’s how this felt. If this was how the weekend was starting, it did not bode well.
Luckily, having a car opened possibilities we don’t normally have. We drove back to the city center (only 15 minutes by car!), and paid a visit to the forestry museum. The reviews said it was good for kids (it is!), and at only 7€ per adult, well worth a stop. As is typical with Little Man, I didn’t get to spend much time learning about any of the exhibits, but he had fun exploring everything, from the huge tractors you can climb in, to the wooden train tracks, and the dark woods. It was a nice way to escape the rain for an hour, and Hubster fixed the jammed wheel on the stroller! That made the rest of the trip much more enjoyable.
After the museum, we decided it was a good time for lunch. Having located a promising-looking coffee shop, we drove the short distance there and quickly figured out street parking (you can download one of three apps to pay; the one we used let you check in and check out, so you only pay for the actual amount of time you parked). Once there, Little Man enjoyed some chocolate cake, Young Miss had a squeezy pouch, and Hubster and I refueled with hot drinks and a light snack. I don’t know about you, but I always feel better after a cappuccino. By the time we’d finished, the rain had let up and the sky had cleared, so we decided to venture back to Santa’s Village.
This time was much more successful. I had a list of all the touristy things I wanted to do there, so we set about checking them off. First up was the Arctic Circle crossing. We didn’t bother getting the certificate (I can only be so touristy), happily settling for a photo instead.
That done, we continued walking toward the petting zoo. Little Man was showing signs of an impending meltdown, and saying that he did not want to see reindeer. We happened to come upon a nice-looking play ground and Hubster offered to stay there with LM while Young Miss and I went in search of the baby reindeer.
So, with YM asleep in the stroller, I kept walking, and we soon came to Elf’s Farmyard, the petting zoo with the baby reindeer. This also had a 7€ entrance fee, which I thought was very reasonable. Aside from reindeer, there were alpacas, rabbits, ducks, guinea hens, and a few other animals. Mostly, I just wanted to see the baby reindeer. He was born in August which is quite rare; reindeer calves are typically born in May, so this little guy was quite the surprise!
I enjoyed these beautiful creatures for a while, before walking around the rest of the farmyard. When Young Miss woke up, I took it as our cue to return to the playground.
Reunited, we made our way back to the car, stopping briefly so I could take a look at the Roosevelt cottage. This was constructed in less than two weeks in 1950 for the arrival of Eleanor Roosevelt, who wanted to cross the Arctic Circle.
Having crossed everything off my list for Santa’s Village, we stopped for a late lunch, picked up a few groceries for dinner, then headed to our Air BnB. I love having a homey place to return to at the end of the day, where we can all relax. Little Man always enjoys exploring his new residence, and it was nice to let Young Miss move around after being in a car so much. Not to mention, it was beautiful.
We had a relaxed evening, finally getting both kids to sleep a bit later than usual. According to the forecast, this would be the night we were most likely to see the Northern Lights, so, once it was well and truly dark, I went outside to see if I could see anything. I came back inside, jittery with glee, as I told Hubster they were happening. We both grabbed our cameras and headed back outside.
We stood out in the cold, taking turns with the tripod, completely in awe of the dancing lights. It was breathtaking to watch them move and shift across the sky.
They varied depending on where we looked, lighting up the sky and dimming the stars. That being said, it was so dark that the stars were incredibly bright. Hubster even got an amazing shot over our cottage with the big dipper in it.
It was such a fantastic end to what started out as a pretty awful day. It felt like Rovaniemi was saying, “see? I really am wonderful. You should stick around.” I couldn’t agree more.
Adventures Abroad 
Amazing! I’ve always wanted to see the Northern lights. Lucky you.
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It was spectacular.
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