The ScandiTrip: Day 6
Oulu to Rovaniemi with a detour in Haparanda, Sweden (approx. 469km/291.4 mi traveled)
We started the morning with a light and relaxing breakfast, and I took the opportunity to use the in-house sauna one last time. (My stepmom hates saunas; I love them!) Bonus Mom decided to finish the last of a vodka-cocktail-in-a-bottle she bought in Estonia. Hey, why not? It’s five o’ clock somewhere, right?
Our final destination was Rovaniemi, a town located at the Arctic Circle and well-known for the (quite touristy) Santa Claus village. We were only stopping in Rovaniemi for an overnight, but are planning to stop on the way back and spend a little more time in town.
But first … Sweden!
The small town of Haparanda, Sweden is about a 90-minute drive from Oulu and is also not that far from Rovaniemi. We figured, why not see what’s going on there and spend a day? We had no idea where we were going, so we just drove to what we thought was the center of town, parked at the town hall, and walked around aimlessly until we ended up at a riverbank.
On our way, we were stopped by a proselytizer who attempted - and failed - to speak to us in English; saw a pop-up mini-Pride festival; and, when nature called, fortunately found a riverside compost outhouse that my stepmom really didn’t want to use. (It wasn’t bad at all! It was spotless.) We caught some sun on some large chairs and dipped our toes in the Torne (Tornio) River. We should’ve gone swimming … it was actually HOT outside! Who knew it got that hot near the Arctic Circle?
While sitting on the riverbank, we heard an even larger commotion in the distance. On the other side of the river, it seemed like there was something “big” going on. Despite the hot weather, and my Bonus Mom not really wanting to walk that far, we took our time strolling across a little border bridge to discover a large international street festival! Before heading to the festival, we took a break by taking goofy pictures at the border. As much as I’ve traveled, I’m always entertained by border crossings.
The street festival was quite packed with people, and we had a laugh at the “American” food stalls which served donuts and hamburgers, and featured Elvis and Marilyn Monroe statues. See, it’s things like those stalls that make me want to open a soul food restaurant overseas so people stop believing all Americans eat is hamburgers and hot dogs … sigh.
Soon, it was time for us to take that long walk back to our car, since we had already “strayed” far from where we parked. On the way, we took time to stop for some more fun photos, especially around the border.
After our little foray into Sweden, we headed back to our Finland and to our Airbnb in Rovaniemi. We found a cute little restaurant for dinner, and shared a little Lappish smorgasbord. It was our first time trying Lappish food, and it did not disappoint!
The other funny thing about visiting regions so far north in August is that it’s always somewhat light outside, so we didn’t feel uncomfortable walking around in the evening. After settling into our rental, I took a “night” walk just to have the experience.
We closed out the evening with a canned long drink (also known as a lonkero) that we found in a downtown supermarket. The long drink originated in 1952 during the summer Olympics, when the country was still under a semi-strict alcohol control policy in the aftermath of a period of prohibition. To accommodate the demand of international visitors, the government allowed for the production of a diluted, lower-alcohol mixed drink, and the lonkero was born. It’s Finland’s national drink, and it’s even made its way to the States. If you’re curious about it and have a chance to go to a Total Wine, see if you can find it. You won’t be disappointed!
I am also amazed at how lovely, visually appealing, and NEAT all of your HANDWRITTEN and HAND DRAWN entries are!
At the new gym Reggie and Kevin will open in town, we should put in for a sauna on premises. 😉