Have you ever been in a real Tale? I have not! When I was a child my favorite fairy tale was "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. I holily believed in Snow Queen and dreamed to be as Gerda or Kay, but even that time I never thought the magic places are existing and it is very easy to be there.
THE ROAD TO LAPLAND
Before the New Year me and my friends were in totally scare due to the weather broadcasting. There was no snow anywhere! And when we successfully crossed the border between Russia and Finland on 30th December, to the north of the Polar circle, we felt the apogee of our despondency. Where we are? There is no snow at all, only bleak forest and the endless caravan of modest and traditionally red, Finnish houses along. Gray road, slightly strewn by snow, was disappearing under the wheels of our car as a conveyor tape. Even now I remember this long way: monotonous, soft and rocking to sleep.
We crossed the border in Salla for 2 hours, that is not very fast, but without any problems. We did the first point of our New Year"s program loaded by quality alcohol in local duty-free shop.
Later we guessed that it was not so "good" because we couldn"t be at least a bit tipsy. We decided that the main reason is the Finnish fresh air. And may be it is the Snow Queen has bewitched us and besot us by frosty air, lovely people and kind holiday!?
It was 10 in the morning when the road run more and more on northwest and I suddenly began to feel the panic in my mind: is it always so dark and never starts to dawn? For one moment it seemed to me that all of us are under the cap in the strange environment on the edge of Earth. But then Nature won and there were light already in 11! We warmed up!
Near Sodankyla at 3 p.m. it was getting dark again. But it didn"t play any role for us already. We saw a lot of snow! And it was a day, short, only 4 hours but real day! From Kittila (the nearest international airport) it was only 14 km till Levi ski-center. For the first time during our 6 hours road in Suomi we saw civilization: real ski village with a sea of illumination and we were absolutely happy because we had a yen for a grand holiday!
Levi built by hi-end Alpine type. Indeed the name of the village is Sirkka and Levi is a beautiful Lapland fell near this village. In Levi everything is very cute and compact with high service level.
There are excellent restaurants, SPA complex, very good rent service of ski and snowboard equipment and certainly slopes. I really can"t understand how it is possible to prepare 45 picturesque slopes on one fell! The only in Suomi Gandola lift is also here. And it is not dark at all! At night there are many illumination, although if to go deep in the forest you can see the dark is not total. In Lapland it is always light sky and the shine, reflected from snow, creates more friendly decorations. We were lucky in weather also. All week it was not frosty than -7C and always fresh powder.
KOTA SUMA
Kota means house in Finnish. And also it means a small house in forest, where Sami people like to cook for their guests the different testy things. We had our "kota" very comfortable, cute and not very far from Levi center (just 10 minutes by foot).
My friend, living in Finland, told me about our cottage that we have "ordinary tourist cabin". Ok, then what is the real excellent house if our cottage had everything and even more!?
On the first floor we had living room with leather furniture, TV and CD-player, bedroom and kitchen with the warmed up floors, completely packed by the equipment: electric stove with ceramic covering, microwave oven, one big fridge-freezer, toaster, coffee maker, dishwasher, kettle, big fireplace with oven in which my friend cooked lamb in one of our magic evenings. There were also washroom, electric sauna, shower, WC, washing machine, drying cupboard for clothes. Upstairs it was two sleeping alcoves with two beds in each. Our cottage had electric heating and it was really very comfortable even in cold weather.
We were amazing how many small things for living we had: candles, New Year's toys, thread with needles, notebooks and handles, washing-up liquids, kitchen towels, food foil, barbecue, full shed of fire wood, sled, and even drill. We had everything! So, we were 5 persons in our cottage and we were ready to celebrate the New Year.
KIITOS LEVI!
Kiitos is the only word I studied in Finnish in this trip. It means thanks. Kiitos, kiitos, kiitos from morning till evening and very friendly smile in reply. Levi is fine resort where people mostly speak in English.
Slopes are in good conditions. Week is enough to ride and don"t be bored. A couple of black slopes and a lot of red, very picturesque blue and green for traverse between slopes. Constantly varying landscape adds more exquisiteness to your impressions.
It is fog and wind on the top and suddenly it is quietly and clearly below. The morning gray and blue sky can easy changes into orange on all horizon. And in the evening it"s frozen and many stars in clear sky. If you are lucky you will see Aurora. We didn"t see but I am very hope to see it next time.
Most of all we liked evening riding in dark under the projector"s light. On the lift you can see around and enjoy the beauty of surrounding forest. Only in Lapland I saw such trees which completely have been wrapped up by snow in incredible forms. All this sparkle in the rays of light pulled out from the darkness. It"s unreal landscape.
There is a free ski-bus in Levi goes through all village and between slopes.
In New Year"s week bus has short intervals, that is very good for those people who come without car. Moreover we had a bus stop right in 100 m from our cottage.
For extreme riding there is also fine possibilities. You can ride on closed slopes (out of services but with cosmic landscape!) and also in the forest.
In first days we were surprised by menu in cafes near lifts because mostly it has fast food, drinks and different donuts. Russians prefer a bit another food. So, later we opened for themselves a very good food as f.e. in café Sivakka we bought a soup with reindeer meat. Self-service and no limit in bread, butter and soup. That is completely enough to be full.
In Lapland trip I decided to go without my board and to test rental equipment. I was a bit worry if they have good rental boards but in vain! I got not expensive, standard and universal Nitro Vandal with the same brand for bindings. Service man very quickly changed the bindings for my stand and I rode it all time without any problems. I didn"t feel that it"s new board for me. It was like I was riding on this board several years.
Another pluses in Levi I noticed: ski school, 2 snowboard parks and big half-pipe, children"s slopes and lifts in their separate zone.
Minuses: very often not well visibility and wind on top of fell, ice on black slopes, checks in Finnish (impossible to understand) and poor apre-ski if to say about night clubs and dancing.
In New Year"s night it was impossible to enter any night club.
Nevertheless we spent great New Year party with sauna, evening restaurant, walking around and talking with a lot of people on the street all night and of course seeing the firework in front of the slope! There was a sensation that all 20000 inhabitants and tourists arrived by cars and came by foot in the center of small village to get pleasure from the magnificent show of fireworkers. We drunk champagne and loudly shouted "happy New Year"!
I had interesting and informative experience with money bill in Finnish. I paid for snowboard set for 1 week and took into account that my bill was more then usual price. I got reply that it"s ok because of snowboard. Then I was riding all week and in the end of the holiday, when I back equipment, my friend, speaking Finnish very well, took my bill and asked me why I paid for snowboard boots if I had my own? Who knows what I paid if the bill was in Finnish! It was small misunderstanding and I got my money back for weekly rent of boots. Nevertheless keep attention.
What about I would like also to notice with pleasure it is banking cards acquiring service. Come to Finland with any cards and forget about cash money. Finland is a most card acquired country I know.
And about relax. In Levi there is only one SPA in hotel LEVITUNTURI and it"s not very big. It has Finnish and Turkey sauna, swimming pool, jacuzzi with warm water +33C, many hydromassage. A bit tight inside, but after all day of riding it is enough to relax. Moreover there is a sauna in every cottage or hotel. So, you can relax anyway.
REINDEER SAFARI
Usually we woke up at 10 or 11 in the morning because of vacation, polar night, long dream...But that day we were ready for trip already at 8 a.m. and after the quick breakfast we run to the Levitunturi hotel to take a taxi till Lappi village with reindeer safari. When we were near hotel there were no one taxi outside. Then I went in a hotel and asked the reception to call a taxi for us. In 2 minutes we were already in a taxi. Very fast and good service! I like Finnish people for this very much.
Most of deers were young and gentle. Our guide was stately Finnish man about 40 years old. As I remember his name was Jomo. He was very kind and always kissed his small deers. I was with him in the first sled and we could talk a bit about his life in Lapland. He has single life in Salla living in his own house near Russian border. So, I asked him why is he alone, is it interesting to live alone? And he answered that he has a very nice life here. Well, who knows. Anyway Jomo looked absolutely happy in our safari.
Safari lasted 3 hours with 30 min stop in a forest in sami house. Jomo cooked for us sausages on grill, preliminary made fire and heated all our frozen company.
Then we had tea and hot chocolate with sugar doughnuts. After such warm hospitality our way back was faster and cheerful. During safari for the first time in this trip I deeply liked the beauty of Lapland. A little bit gloomy but the majestic polar nature, quietly squeaking snow under the runners of sledge, warm and fresh breath of deer, which went the second after us, and all time tried to touch my neck by her nice muzzle. Jomo told me the deer liked me. And as for her fresh breath, it is because the animals in Lapland have a very nature food.
DEER'S BLOOD, CLOUDBERRIES, KAAMOS...
Frankly speaking "Deer"s blood" is a name of aperitif in one of the best Levi restaurants - Steak House from the nice hotel Hullu Poro (Wild deer). We came there by the advice of our friends and were totally enthused! We ordered full dinner and got gentle reindeer steak served with seasons vegetables, fish and sea delicacies from ice buffet and white chocolate mousse with berries as dessert. It was a crazy holiday for our stomachs but we were fully enjoy!
Cloudberries is a queen of berries here. Liquors, aperitives, yoghurts, juices. Everything is very tasty and healthy.
Another very nice place I can advise for sure, not expensive and with quality food, is Panino restaurant right in the Levi center near Market. They offer their own beer and a wide choose of meat and fish dishes.
You also can cook at home. I mean in a cottage. And I promise you will get a big pleasure from the process even if you are not well cook, because a cottage has everything for cooking. It is easy to buy all necessary food in the nearest supermarket, but if you want real Lapland food, go to the next town Kittila, because, as local people say, Levi is a theater for the tourist. May be I can agree with this point of view. Nevertheless when you come here like a tourist and you want relax and show, let"s it be the theater!
Our transfer to home started in the evening in polar gray-blue twilight - kaamos in Finnish. And 2 hours before our departure we got a fortune sign: the sun, the first true sun illuminated in pink-gold color the forest at the top of fell. We were pleased as children: first sun for a week! And I understood for the thousandth time how really little we need for happiness.
Our budget was 1000 euro per person per New Year"s week:
250 euro cottage per week including final cleaning
70 euro train Moscow - Kandalaksha - Moscow
160 euro transfer Kandalaksha - Levi - Kandalaksha (500 km) by minibus