Arctic Expedition- DAY 2

DAY 2: FUN!

Expedition Glossary

• Fleece tröja (fleece jacket),
• Frusen (frozen),
• Handvärmare (handwarmers),
• Hjälm (helmet),
• Hundspann (dog sled),
• Järngruva (ironmine)
• Norrsken (Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis)
• Polcirkeln (Arctic Circle),
• Pensionärer (retirees),
• Pälsmössa med öronlappar (furry earflap hat),
• Rensoppa (reindeer stew),
• Snöskoter (snowmobile),
• Snöskulpturer (snowsculptures),
• Stativ (tripod),
• Underställ (long underwear).

We awake to sunshine and clear skies. And the most beautiful pinkish light I think I’ve ever seen. Looks like a perfect day for exploring the country on snöskoter. The tour will take us over frusen lakes and rivers, through snowy woods, to the ICEHotel.


After taking a bit of time to sort out varma kläder (warm clothing) for the group, we get going! Varma kläder for me meant the following: high-tech wool underställ, jeans, fleece jacket, scarf, long down coat, wool glove liners, handvärmare, ski mittens, wool socks, fleece socks, snöskoter boots, snow overalls (like what little kids wear), knit cap, and hjälm. I never in my life felt or looked so much like the Michelin Man. Our fellow tour members, all from Hong Kong, especially seemed to enjoy the experience before we even mounted up.

The countryside was breathtaking. And since I was not too cold, I could actually enjoy it and revel in the beauty. Moreover, that beautiful pinkish-peach colored light stayed with us the entire day. It was that type of soft, pastel light one would think of for dawn or dusk. I went to Kiruna on a mission to see norrsken, but I experienced an entirely different light that was just as exhilarating.

The ICEHotel lived up to its reputation. I did keep thinking it reminded me of a very large, very sophisticated, snöslott (snow fort), though. Anders and I were very impressed by the level of detail in some of the rooms. We were both, however, very glad not to be staying there. The idea of being cold all day and then crawling into an ice bed, albeit in a warm sleeping bag, just was not that enticing for us. Had we not arrived already chilled after 1.5 hours on a snowmobile, perhaps we could have been more excited by the prospect of an overnight stay.

On the way back, we stopped beside the river and warmed up with rensoppa in a Sami-style tält (tent). The Samis are the native people of the area.

We traded pinkish daylight for greenish norrsken that night. Since we were on a hundspann, though, there was no time to fiddle with the stativ to attempt to capture the sight with the camera. (not to mention trying to see in the dark to play with the camera settings). But now that we’re ‘experienced,’ we are already talking about going back next year to do just that. The hundspann was a once in a lifetime adventure. Our team of Alaskan Huskies were in a frenzied state of excitement before they were even connected to the sled. Amazing how all the barking, whining, and howling were instantly snuffed out by the simple command, Hike! Absolute silence afterwards, save for the ‘shush’ of the sled gliding on the snow. A magical moment under a super starry sky.

More than anything, I think this trip showed us the importance of exploring our ‘backyard’. It’s such a shame that so few Swedes (not even my husband) had been that far north. Our tour guides seemed more interested in him as a Swedish tourist than in those from faraway lands. I guess it’s no different from a New Yorker who’s never been to the Empire State Building or to the Statue of Liberty. When something is seemingly so close, I guess it loses its exoticism. There are plenty of people from the UK, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Spain, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, and the US, among others who could tell the Swedish people about what they’re missing.


I am very happy to have checked Kiruna off my travel bucket list, but I am just as happy to return for Arctic Expedition#2. Who's with me?