The main purpose of our trip was to stay at Andrew's work's cottage for a week. He got use of the summer cottage in Ruka for 5 days so we had decided to make a trip of it and drive up, stopping along the way.
In Vuokatti, we visited the world's largest Angry Birds Activity Park, which worked out really well because it was one of our only rainy days of the whole trip. It was a giant indoor playpark (picture a McDonald's Playland but WAY bigger!) but also included a skateboard/scooter park, a golf course, a hockey area, gymnastics area, soccer, basketball, field hockey, cannonball shooting, arcade, etc. The kids had a fantastic day and Andrew and I were exhausted!!!!!
On our drive to Kuusamo, we stopped at the "Silent People", an oddity of Highway 5. It is a giant field of scarecrows, in a way, almost 1000 of them. They were made using peat from the fields and dressed with donated clothing. Reminds me of a field of zombies, it is kinda creepy but fun at the same time. It was just off the highway in the middle of nowhere but had fresh fire-made pancakes and we bought little stuffed reindeer toys for the kids in their gift shop.
Getting closer to Kuusamo, we knew we were approaching Lapland, as we finally spotted some reindeer on the side of the road (or in the middle of the road). While it is still exciting for us to see them, I believe the locals hate them, as the reindeer are constantly on the roads with no apparent hurry to get off.
In Ruka, we found our nice summer cottage and it was a pleasant change of scenery from the tents and tiny cabins. It was nice to have our own shower, bathroom, kitchen, a fridge, and beds. The kids had their own room too. We did a lot of hiking during our 5 days in Ruka, particularly in the Oulanka National Park. One day we did a 7km hike and Maddy did awesome!
Ruka is basically a ski town, with the town centre being the shops at the bottom of the ski hill. There is not much going on in the summer time, but they do run a summer sled track down the side of the mountain and the ski lifts bring you to the top for some nice views of the area. It was cool to ride up the lift and see all the reindeer on the side of the hills. Maddy loved the sled track, her and heran their sled much faster than Charlie and I!
We had one rainy day in Ruka and we decided to take Maddy bowling for the first time. It was a nice time, as the bowling hall was really dark and had fluorescent lighting everywhere. The kids thought it was pretty neat.
The hiking was really nice and the bugs weren't too bad as long as you bathed yourself in mosquito spray!!! Charlie did well on the hikes, I think he grew to like the hiking backpack a little bit. His favourite parts were stopping along the water and throwing rocks in. His favourite thing to do now whenever we see water.
Our final stop on our trip was Oulu. It was a couple of hours drive away and it was where the train left to take us back to Helsinki. As opposed to driving all the way back, we decided to maximize our trip by seeing more things and then taking an overnight train back. The car can go on one of their vehicle cars and we get a room on the train with two beds and sleep overnight. I think the train ride was about 9.5 hours but it was through the night.
Oulu was nice to walk around, it was on the water and had a lot of bridges and gardens. They had a market square where we bought some nice oil paintings of the Lapland landscape. We also found some football jerseys of the Netherlands soccer team for the kids. They liked having matching shirts.
Other than getting off at the wrong train stop in Helsinki (ie a different stop than where the car was dropped off....), the train ride wasn't bad and the kids enjoyed the adventure. It was nice to be back home though in our own beds. I started one of my classes the following day. Maddy still had the remainder of July off from school, so we still got to enjoy lots of beaches and parks and outdoor activities before going back in the first week of August.
We have done two trips to Lapland now. Both have been really nice. I'm glad the kids don't mind the hiking and they seem to have a taste for adventure. Only I'm hoping our next "adventure" doesn't include a tent....
Never a shortage of lakes in Finland...
My Superman!
Testing out her golf skills in the Angry Birds Activity Centre
Building blocks
The wrecking crane
One of our hikes.
The Silent People field. See, kinda creepy huh?
Can you find the Conleys??
From atop the Ruka Ski Hill
Loving the views from the top
Finnish sunset. Only two hours before sunrise :) Finnish summers are awesome!!
One of the lakes in Oulanka National park
The Oulanka Canyon
Some flora. Or fauna? I don't know the difference.
Still looking adorable after hiking 5km
The Oulanka River
The bridge crossing the river.
A really cool shot
His favourite new pastime. Throwing rocks in the water.
A beautiful hike.
Family pic in front of the rapids
Bowling! Her first shot ever was a STRIKE! (beginner's luck though).
One of the many reindeer we saw in Lapland.
The policeman statue in the Oulu Market Square. The kids in their new jerseys.
A new outdoor toy
A summer beach in Lapland. Empty. Too cold!
A really neat shot of a halo around the sun. Andrew gave me the scientific explanation of what
was going on, but I think I stopped listening...
My girl hiking.
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