One Scandinavian attraction that caught my interest was Rovaniemi, Finland. It was sold as the real “North Pole” where Santa Claus did his magic. Located on the Arctic Circle in the far north of Finland, I’m thinking why not, and that there had to be more to this country than the letdown of Helsinki. Not to jump on Helsinki, but honestly, it’s not Copenhagen or Bergen.
We boarded an overnight train from Helsinki Central called the “Santa Express”, rented a car in Rovaniemi, then made a beeline for the North Pole. Santa’s Village was about half an hour from the station. As it was the end of winter, we found only a handful of fans hoping to meet the big fella. Sure enough, Santa was greeting guests, and after a few minutes of waiting, we got our chance.
My cynicism melted away after Santa sat and talked with us for over 20 minutes. While only kids believe in Santa, it was clear that the North Pole attraction was an important vacation destination for families from all over Europe and certainly the major employer for the local folk. Santa, after realizing we were Americans, lamented that a recent New York Times article disparaging the North Pole was both misrepresenting and unfair. I told him fuck the NYT, kids will always come here, and don’t take it personally, as President Trump sure wouldn’t. Santa thought that was pretty funny.
The Arctic Circle and northern Finland are beautiful and wild places. I’d take off for hours alone and hike the winter trails, enjoying the isolation. The town of Rovaniemi had its share of great pubs, great folk, and Reindeer steaks, all well below the exorbitant prices of Sweden and Norway. The Ranua Wildlife Park was easily the best zoo I’d ever been to. Of course we saw the Northern lights. We ended up spending over a week up there, truly the end of the world, making Finland unforgettable.
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