The ScandiTrip: The Final Push
Inari to Rovaniemi + Rovaniemi to Helsinki (approximately 1,153km / 716.6mi traveled)
Our epic Scandinavian road trip is coming to an end. Today we made our way back to Rovaniemi for a final night in Northern Finland. On the way, Bonus Mom wanted to stop at the (dreadfully kitschy but still cute) Santa Claus Village. We ended up just getting in some steps and using the place as a lunch stop - since it was August, there wasn’t that much to see. Kinda hard to have a North Pole vibe when it’s summertime!
We did get to see Santa (well, a guy dressed up in a fake beard and red outfit)! Fortunately, because the place was almost empty, we didn’t even have to stand in line to catch a glimpse of him.
I found it hilarious how they gatekeep Santa like an A-list celeb - they won’t let you take a picture of him; staff watch you to make sure you don’t attempt to discretely get a picture with your phone. Probably because they charge exorbitant prices for “official” pictures. Bonus Mom did buy a few postcards and have them sent to her niece and grandson, though! I thought that was definitely worth paying for. Imagine the kids’ joy when they get a postcard from Santa … “Seriously, Mom, it’s signed by Santa himself, and it came from the North Pole!”
After eating our packed lunch (which turned out to be a money saver, of course, since the food on site was not exactly inexpensive), we got some touristy pics and headed to our Airbnb, a small apartment not far from the city center.
For our last dinner in Lapland, we went to a Lappish restaurant called Nili, where I ate what might be the absolute best meat I’ve ever tasted: shredded bear stewed in a bear bouillon. I did NOT expect bear to taste as good as it did; it was a special limited time item on the menu, so of course I had to try it! I rate it an “infinity out of 10” on taste. Richer and heavier than beef, the meat was savory, hearty, with a slight gamey flavor that was not too overpowering.
For dessert, we took the cheap option by heading to the downtown grocery store for ice cream bars. I finally found salmiakki (salty licorice) ice cream, a treat I had been eager to try.
Well, my eagerness was wasted. It didn’t even taste like licorice! I had to throw it out, and wash away the disappointment with a Finnish long drink. (I had a video of my initial reaction of the ice cream, but I accidentally deleted it. Oops.)
The following day was our last full day in Finland. We started out by packing up the car and driving to Rovaniemi Airport, where we dropped off the rental car. Not gonna lie, it was kind of bittersweet to say goodbye to our little Opel. Our car had done a really great job, run smoothly, and got us off (way off) the beaten track.
One of my favorite things about Finland is how quiet people are. Between the passengers and the airport staff, there must have been at least 150 people in the waiting area for our flight back to Helsinki - yet you could almost hear a pin drop! I couldn’t believe a crowded airport could be that quiet. Don’t believe me? Watch this quick clip:
We arrived in Helsinki that night and stayed in the Hilton hotel, located on the airport grounds. After dropping off our bags in our room, we found the hotel restaurant and enjoyed quite the last dinner of the trip. I had a large steak medallion with mushrooms, and a glass of red wine. Bonus Mom ordered vodka for us to toast our last night of our trip.
Not ready for the night to end, Bonus Mom and I went to the hotel bar for nightcaps. As fancy as the bar was, the cocktails were disappointing! It was kind of a bummer that our last drink in Finland didn’t taste that great. I couldn’t finish mine, but we did end up having a pleasant conversation with a Finnish businessman at the bar. It wasn’t very Finn-like of him to strike up a conversation with strangers, but I noticed when there’s a drink or two involved, people come out of their shell.
All was not lost, though. We found the hotel sauna, and while it probably wasn’t the best idea (since I had a cocktail about half an hour beforehand), I did try it for a while. It was HOT - over 250°F (125°C)!
By the time we got back to our rooms, it was already around 2 in the morning - but we didn’t care. It had been an epic adventure, and we wanted to enjoy every last minute. We can sleep on the plane.
Farewell, Finland! I hope to see you again.