A different kind of travel vlog for me, but one that I hope inspires you to visit this stunning country out of season – Lapland has so much more to give than Santa and Skiing.
Read my full blog post on this trip for more details:http://www.xameliax.com/when-to-visit-lapland/
Transcript of this video:
00:00:00:00 – 00:00:27:13
Hey, everyone. Me again. Welcome back to xameliax. So, you might be able to see in my glasses but that my camera is balanced precariously on top of a backpack right by a lake, in the middle of Finland. I’m actually in Finland, and I’ve been here for the past four days with Visit Finland, who very kindly invited myself and a group of other journalists over to discover a little bit more about Lapland.
00:00:27:15 – 00:00:49:15
I’m going to take these off. My mum would be telling me that that was rude, but it’s very bright and very cold. So do bear with me.
So, I’ve been in Lapland for the past four days, and for those of you who are subscribe to my channel or have watched my travel vlogs before, you might realize that this is quite a little bit different to what I normally put out there when I travel to a country.
00:00:49:17 – 00:01:02:07
If you are new. Hello, welcome to you. Click that subscribe button. Stick around for a while.
If you watched me before, you know what to do. Grab a cup of tea and let’s explore Finland.
00:01:02:09 – 00:01:30:22
So, the reason why I’m sat here talking to you at the end of my trip. Got a few notes here, just so I remember exactly what I want to say. Is because I feel like Finland has been a different kind of press trip or travel journey for me. I really didn’t know what to expect. It was always somewhere that I’d wanted to explore, but it’s somewhere that I really didn’t actually know that much about.
00:01:30:24 – 00:02:02:14
Obviously, everybody knows that Santa lives in Lapland and they have lots of husky dogs and reindeers. And of course the Northern Lights. But what I’ve discovered over this past weekend has been something incredible about a brand new country, a brand new part of the world. And I really wanted to share it with you in a more personal way, in the hope that my enthusiasm and my awe for this incredible part of the world comes across and inspires you to come and visit.
00:02:02:16 – 00:02:36:06
So, we started, in Ylläs, which is in Lapland, and we got thrown in at the deep end. Nature is a huge thing in Finland, with scenery like I’m looking at right now. It’s obvious why everybody who lives here loves nature, loves getting back to their roots, loves being outside. We did a hike in the national park, had a look around the museum, went berry picking and walked all the way up to the top of the mountain, which was absolutely breathtaking.
00:02:36:12 – 00:03:01:24
And you stood at the top and completely silent, and there was no wind. The sun was shining. It was icy cold, but we were all bundled up warm, and we’d walked all the way up there. It just took my breath away. I’m not a hiker. I hold my hands up and say I don’t hike for fun. I have to even buy some hiking shoes to make sure I was well equipped for this.
00:03:02:01 – 00:03:28:07
But it’s really changed my mind about being outdoors just for the sake of being outdoors. And I have to say that I really feel like moving forward, I’m going to want to do more of that. So, in Finland, they have Everyman’s Right, which is every man or woman’s right to walk anywhere they want, pick any berries that they find, and they have hooks in the forest where you can just go in, start a fire, take your picnic.
00:03:28:09 – 00:03:49:17
We cooked sausages on the fire. The first time I’d ever done anything like that. We had sandwiches out there, fresh salmon. It was incredible. We warmed coffee over the flames. And for a person who’s never been camping or never really done the wilderness stuff, it was so humbling to spend my time that way and to see how everybody was sharing.
00:03:49:23 – 00:04:14:10
So, we’ve been told that the Finns’ pretty much keep themselves to themselves, and while as in a British person, I can completely understand that. It’s very clear that they still look after each other at the same time, which is beautiful to see. We had our little fire in the huts that anybody can use, and other people then just came in after us and asked if they could warm their sausages up and their corn on our fire.
00:04:14:10 – 00:04:37:24
And of course we shared and we all sat around eating together. And it was strange at first for somebody who’s never really done that, but heartwarming at the same time.
00:04:38:01 – 00:04:57:09
So of course, when you think of Lapland, maybe when you even think of Finland, you think of snow. You think of skiing, you think of Santa Claus, reindeer, husky riding, all of that jazz. But we were actually here in September, which is called Ruska.
Changing of the leaves, autumn. And it’s actually an incredible time to come to this country.
00:04:57:14 – 00:05:42:02
Don’t underestimate this time of year. It’s really fresh outside and yeah, you have to bundle up warm, but the sun shines. The days are long. It’s, the weather’s nice enough to still go outside and explore the outdoors without having to trudge through snow. And just the beauty of the forests, the trees, the mountains, the lakes. It’s outstanding. It’s still cold enough to wrap up warm outside and get that chill on your cheeks but then come inside to the lovely warm heat and drink hot chocolate by a roaring fire.
00:05:42:04 – 00:06:08:14
So later on that day, we went canoeing on the lake and that was a first for me. I’d never actually been in a canoe, and I’ll hold my hands up and say I was a little bit scared. But we went two by two and it was a real turning point of the trip for me, because it was silent out there, sitting on a boat in the middle of this huge lake in the forest, with all this beautiful greenery around you.
00:06:08:16 – 00:06:39:23
Looking at the mountain that we hiked up that very morning, just having pure conversation. No Wi-Fi, no hum of cars, or general noise that you find in a city or town or anywhere else for that matter, it’s so quiet here. It really overwhelmed me.
I got talking to Laura, our guide, who was my captain in the boat, and we talked about life, our experiences, love, troubles, heartaches, good times, bad times.
00:06:40:01 – 00:07:08:02
We put the world to rights in that hour and a half we spent in the canoe. And it really gave me a lust for that kind of interaction with people without constantly looking at your phone, without things beeping, without other people bustling around. There’s something about that kind of interaction, that really simple interaction with another human being in such beautiful surroundings that I think we take for granted these days.
00:07:08:04 – 00:07:18:09
That was a really ground breaking part of the trip for me, and that was when I really felt my mindset began to change.
00:07:28:10 – 00:07:53:22
Okay, so it’s not all canoes, sitting on the lake in silence or talking about the world. There’s so much fun to have in Finland. So the second place we went to, you can do river rafting, which looked a little bit scary, especially because the river was so cold but so much fun. There’s husky safaris, there is reindeer riding, there’s hiking, there’s literally everything you could possibly think about doing outside right here.
00:07:54:03 – 00:08:25:16
And if it’s a little bit of luxury you’re looking for, we went to go and visit the Aurora domes, which are stunning. They are an ultimate glamping spot. They’re domes that sit on the edge of the lake, and inside it’s literally like a home décor paradise. There’s a roaring fire in the corner, there’s loads of faux fur throws you can literally see yourself cuddled up on that bed with a cup of hot chocolate, a fantastic book, or at night time, looking out and watching the Northern Lights.
00:08:25:18 – 00:08:47:21
Incredible. If you’re looking for a different place to stay in Finland, I would 100% recommend there. And of course, as always, I’ll leave all the information down below. They also do digital detoxes, which I couldn’t actually think of a better place to do it. So if you’re looking for that 100%, investigate going there, switching off and just enjoying your mind.
00:08:47:23 – 00:08:58:15
The other person you’re with, a good book and nature.
00:08:58:17 – 00:09:19:13
So I’ve also discovered a love for sauna. Now I am an absolute wimp when it comes to saunas in the UK.
We have them at my gym, and I can stand probably about two minutes before I get too hot and have to run out. But sauna in Finland is a rite of passage. Most people have a sauna in their actual house.
00:09:19:15 – 00:09:39:09
It’s something they do with their family, their friends. And apparently, if you really want to bond with a Finn, you go to sauna with them.
So the way it works is you go in, you get changed, you head into the sauna and you put on some löyly. I apologize about my pronunciation. The Finnish language is so difficult to understand and to learn.
00:09:39:09 – 00:09:59:17
So far, I’ve learned Kiitos and Kippis , which is thank you and cheers.
I feel like they’re the most important ones in any language. You head in, you get nice and hot, you talk through your problems, any decisions you have to make. Apparently the most important decisions in Finland are made in a sauna, so I made sure to use my time there very wisely.
00:09:59:19 – 00:10:17:17
And then you head out and you jump in the freezing cold lake, which I did not want to do at first, because let’s be honest, it’s a little bit crazy, but the feeling that you get afterwards is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. The adrenaline rush, my skin was tingling and then you run back in the sauna and you do it all over again.
00:10:17:19 – 00:10:33:06
It’s traditional to have a beer or cider when you go to sauna, and of course you’ve got to make sure to drink lots of water afterwards. And then we normally head out for dinner and everybody is so relaxed. I think it’s a fantastic pastime to have for a country, and I am 100% with the Finns on this one.
00:10:33:11 – 00:10:48:21
If I could build a sauna in my house, I totally would. If you come to Finland, you have to try it.
00:10:48:23 – 00:11:11:14
The food really blew me away. I didn’t know what to expect of Finnish food, and I was a little bit dubious, I guess, about it, because I haven’t really heard much about what they eat, how they cook. But everything was so fresh, fresh smoked salmon, a lot of reindeer meat. Which, sorry guys is actually really tasty. Loads of herbs,
00:11:11:14 – 00:11:36:03
loads of berries. It’s beautiful. Oh, of course, blueberry pie. Oh my goodness!
The food really, really impressed me here in Lapland. And if you’re a foodie, I would 100% put this on your bucket list of places to go. I have never tasted smoked salmon like I have done here, and there is just so many intricate and delicate ways that they put things together.
00:11:36:05 – 00:11:54:00
The food was really impressive. Make sure you head over to my Instagram, see some of the pictures, or head over to my blog. Which I’m going to be writing on Xameliax.com. I can’t believe the food, honestly, I don’t want to leave.
Silly little things like my hair has never been softer, never been shinier because the water’s so good.
00:11:54:04 – 00:12:25:12
The tap water literally tastes like Evian. My skin has never been clearer, never felt so glowy because A, I’ve been outside and B, they officially have the freshest air in the world. Scientific fact it’s been proven, and I’ve just felt so amazing being outside and breathing it in and spending that time in my own head whilst doing things, but still reflecting on the inside, which has been really important for me during this weekend.
00:12:25:14 – 00:12:46:24
We went horse riding, Icelandic pony riding through the forest and that was one of the most amazing things I’ve done in a long, long time. I used to ride as a child. I haven’t been on a horse for so many years, and I was really scared to get back in the saddle. But once I got up there and we were trotting through the forest, having reindeer just walking across in front of us, it was like something I’ve never done before.
00:12:47:00 – 00:13:10:15
Again, I can’t recommend it enough. I’ll leave all the details for the riding school that we went with. You can go on treks for hours. You can even go for treks in the mountains for days. It was incredible. And of course, we can’t talk about Finland without talking about the northern lights. So there are a few places you can see the northern lights in the world, and a lot of people probably, I would say that I’ve spoken to head over normally to Iceland to go and see them.
00:13:10:17 – 00:13:29:11
Please do not discount Finland for a place to see the northern lights. We sold them first of all on our second night. Of course, it’s completely random by chance if you can see them. If the air is clear enough, if the sky is clear enough at night, we saw them on the second night, and my camera probably picked up more than my eyes did.
00:13:29:13 – 00:13:54:18
The sky had a beautiful, almost eerie green wash to it and you could see the lines. And occasionally they moved above us and it was beautiful and it really took my breath away. I couldn’t believe it, but I was a little bit disappointed that my camera caught more than my eyes did, and while it was stunning to see, I felt that there was more.
00:13:54:23 – 00:14:25:23
So last night, yesterday on our last night, we had home today, we went out to see them again. I went out on my own. I came and literally sat here by the lake, pitch black, freezing cold and I waited. It brought me to tears to see what I saw above my head. I can’t explain it, it was like dropping paint into water, greens, pinks, oranges and watching it spread out over the water.
00:14:25:23 – 00:14:47:16
It was like somebody blowing coloured smoke all across the sky, changing like a kaleidoscope. It brought me to tears. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was so beautiful. I’ve kind of always had the northern lights on my bucket list, but I didn’t actually realize quite why they were on my bucket list. I knew I wanted to see them, and I knew they were incredible from what other people had said.
00:14:47:16 – 00:15:31:00
But until you see it, you don’t realize just how incredible it is. So I know this has been a bit of a different vlog to my normal travel vlogs. Let me know down below if you’re still with me if you’ve enjoyed this.
But I really felt like I wanted to sit down and talk to you about the destination rather than take you along with me, because while I have been filming, as I’ve gone along, I’ve been in my own head for most of the time, reflecting, relaxing, and finding myself a little bit in Finland, which is something I’ve never had in any of the country that I visited.
00:15:31:02 – 00:15:54:17
I’ve taken so much more from this trip than just a place to recommend or some crazy adventures. And while the husky puppy cuddling was one of the highlights, the horse riding, the hiking, picking berries, the food, what I found about myself and about being close to nature and being outside. It’s probably one of the best things about this trip.
00:15:54:19 – 00:16:15:13
Of course, you can come in wintertime and go skiing, go husky riding, there are husky safaris which you can go on and you can watch the northern lights out in the wilderness, in the snow. And oh my goodness, those husky puppies are incredible. But you can also see them in Ruska as well. This is the time of year that I think is extra special in Finland.
00:16:15:15 – 00:16:36:10
So, if you’re thinking about heading that, think about Ruska, think about September, think about autumn, think about coming at this time of year, because it has so much more to offer than Santa Claus and skiing. I found a part of myself in Finland that will always stay with me. And for that Finland Lapland, I thank you.
00:16:36:12 – 00:16:52:08
So I’m going to head inside now because our bus is ready to pick us up and take us to the airport. I hope you enjoyed this video guys. If you are new, please click that subscribe button. Check out some of my other travel vlogs. If you are an oldie but a goodie, leave me a comment. Let me know what you think about this and let me know if it’s inspired you.
00:16:52:08 – 00:17:18:01
I hope it’s inspired some people to visit this incredible country. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you again soon. Bye.
xax