Northern Finland - Lapland - is a harsh region, especially in winter. The temperature here often reaches -40°C. The day, in our understanding of the word, from November to January lasts on average two to four hours. The rest of the time is dark. The more north, the less human habitation is found, the easier it is to meet a deer here than a human being. The endless forests sleep under the snow cover...
- For Lapland, a snowmobile is not an expensive toy to envy the neighbors and not a luxury, but a normal means of transportation.
- It is best to travel around these places on a snowmobile.
- After all, it will pass where any car will get stuck, and if you turn off the engine, you can enjoy an amazing silence - it calms your nerves perfectly.
- Finns have found a useful application for strong frosts: they build houses from very cheap material - frozen water. An ice hotel for tourists is being built in Saaresel-Kia. There will be rooms where you can spend the night, a bar and even a chapel.
- The building materials are stored directly on the street without supervision. First of all, there is not a lot of stealing here. Secondly, it is an ordinary ice.
- Many people come to this region in winter to enjoy the magnificent natural show - the northern lights.
- Not far from the ice hotel there is a needle, not made of snow, but glass. There are polar lights with all amenities for guests to see. The huts are only six, and they are rarely empty.
- The Japanese come here especially often. They believe that the couple, who will spend the night in the light of the northern lights, will have a boy.
- Everyone who dares to follow the example of the Japanese will have to forget about modesty. The walls of the house are completely transparent, and from the street, you can see what is going on inside.
- The needle is very small. They contain only the most necessary furniture. But the tenants are quite satisfied...
- Many Japanese couples have been coming for years. Until the desired result is obtained.
- If young couples fall asleep, it is not a problem. When the northern lights begin, they will be woken up by a phone call. This service is available in almost all hotels in Lapland.
- Science cannot predict the northern lights yet. But even if it could, there is still weather.
- South of Saareseelkä, in the town of Sodankylä, a special "house of light" - the "Aurora house" - has been built. Which is in line with the Latin name of the Northern Lights - "Aurora Borealis". Inside there is a showroom where you can see the shine and in bad weather.
- Even here in the Arctic, the northern lights are not always visible. In such cases, Dr. Turunen, who has been studying this phenomenon for 20 years, comes to the rescue. He gives lectures to visitors.
Dr. Esa Turunen:
- When the sky is cloudy, even if it is shining, it is impossible to see it. They make video recordings. For 20 years there has been enough of them. They are stored in the computer's memory. I use a projector and a mirror to show it on the ceiling.
And when the weather is good, the glow is so bright that you can drive without turning on your headlights. Or read a newspaper. Its duration can be different. Heavenly fire can happen to rage for hours. Colds in the sky appear because of the charged particles entering the atmosphere from space.
Lapland's nature is very beautiful, but the winters here are so long that the eyes get tired of the lack of paint. That's why locals wear bright clothes and like to wear amethyst jewelry made of "Lapland stone".
South of Sodankylä, near Luosto, there is the only amethyst mine in Europe. The deposit was discovered 20 years ago.
If the mine had been developed industrially using heavy machinery, the reserves would have been exhausted long ago. But here they arranged something like a museum. Amethyst mining is done in the old-fashioned way, by hand, with a simple tool. Income comes not only from production but also from tourists, who are not left out here. The mine, where amethysts are mined, is quite close.
Tourists have no right to mine stones. This is a privilege for workers and shareholders of the mine. However, anyone can become a shareholder. To do this, it is enough to pay on the spot the amount that is quite affordable for a man of average income. The right to property is confirmed by a certificate.
He gives the right to come here once a year and mine the crystals himself. And also to get them with a discount.
According to the rules, you can take only the stone that fits in the palm of your hand, no more. However, such amethyst can cost several thousand dollars... And, of course, much depends on the size of the hand!
Amethyst is a kind of quartz. A beautifully colored crystal is considered a gemstone. But not the whole thing, but only a small piece, which is hidden somewhere in the depths. To find it, it takes a lot of experience. Experienced grinders work on the stones.
Not always lucky to see the northern lights. On the other hand, one can witness the sunrise, which is no less rare sight, at least for the people of Lapland!