I am literally on top of the world, somewhere between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole in Finnish Lapland. Amazingly, I (who get the shivers from ice tea) am not frozen to the core. On the contrary, I have never been this hot.
No, this is not your everyday case of Lappish madness, although it's clear that this addicting land of forests, lakes and endless skies could easily sabotage my travel schedule.I have simply steamed myself to a brilliant Day-Glow pink in the sauna and am desperately in need of an icy plunge.
They call Finland the land of lakes because the countryside is peppered with more than 180,000 of them. But, with one sauna for every four Finns (and more saunas than cars), it might as well be Saunaland. If my hands weren't so sweaty, I would applaud this 200-year-old tradition as the most relaxing pastime yet devised.
Being roasted, toasted and parboiled is great sport, but here it is just the beginning. When folks refer to Finland as Europe's last unspoiled wilderness, they are thinking primarily of its largest and most northerly province - Finnish Lapland.
This province, which lies almost entirely above the Arctic Circle, covers a third of Finland. Sparsely populated (about five people per square mile), the vast region carpeted with pines and spruces, rivers, lakes, peat bogs and treeless tundra exerts a primal pull. We feel privileged to find this portion of the earth in its largely undisturbed primordial state.
A fortunate exception is Rovaniemi, the administrative capital of Finnish Lapland. With 30,000 of the province's 200,000 inhabitants and many appreciated amenities for the traveler, this civilized outpost is but a one-hour flight from Helsinki. Referred to as "the south" by most Lapps, even though it sits squarely on the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi functions as a convenient center from which to explore the surroundings.
We had the choice of a number of outfitters in Rovaniemi who routinely take visitor into the wilds. Summer adventures are, of course, far different than winter options. Rather than biking, hiking or a survival safari on the Arctic Circle, we selected one-day canoe trip on the Raudanjoki day canoe trip on the Raudanjoki River. The next day we joined a jeep excursion to the "Hideaway," where Jouni Paadar, a jovial Sami (as the Lapps prefer to call themselves) in traditional dress, welcomed us and offered a satisfying taste of the ancient Lapp culture.
On the way back to Rovaniemi, we stopped to inspect a reindeer farm complete with a number of outbuildings including an original (and, to us, claustrophobic) smoke sauna. We learned there are about 800 families in Lapland who earn their living herding some 200,000 reindeer. They round the animals up, mark them with a special cut in the ear, count and separate them. Reindeer roundups, the reindeer owner's "harvest festival," usually take place between September and February. After bein cautioned not to touch the antlers since they aere especially sensitive during the summer velvet stage, we were allowed to pet these impressive, thought sometimes elusive, creatures.
The trouble with July in Finland is you never feel like going to bed, no matter how many times you have hurtled down Rovaniemi's summer bobseld run. The sun shines here for an uninterrupted period of 720 hours in midsummer between June 6 and July 7. Being in the Land of the Midnight Sun is handy if you want to read a newspaper outdoors at 2 a.m., but it played havoc with our sleep schedules. (By ocntrast, during December's lightless kaamos period there are only a couple of hours of daylight each day.)
Did you realize the real Santa Claus lives in Finland? We know this is true because we met him at Santa Claus Land north of Rovaniemi in Korvatunturi. It makes sense that he (and his elves) would summer here in Santa Claus' Workshop Village so near the North Pole. You can see Santa's reindeer in a corral next to the Hundred Elf House. Incidentally, the village includes a complex of shops and studios offering a fine selection of handcrafted Finnish toys and gifts.
At Santa Claus Land, you qualify for a "Lapp baptism" commemorating your crossing of the Arctic Circle at a point exactly 66 degrees 33'07" north of the equator and 25 degrees 50'50" east of Greenwich. I won't divulge the details of this little cermeony, but it involves reindeer milk (sweet) and ice cubes (startling!).
After our baptism and return trip to Rovaniemi, we were eager for a sauna. Hotel Phojanhovi offers the quintessential Finnish experience - a log cabin executive sauna for men and another private, though less charming, version for women. Open to one and all are the modern swimming pool, poolside fireplace and spiffy bar. I like the idea of swimming, toasting my toes and sipping a drink without having to dress. No wonder I'm still here going from tepid to torrid to frigid and back again.
Finally, our group declares imminent starvation, and, on sauna-induced rubber legs, we trundle off to dinner. hotal Pohjanhovi's dining room is jumping. Five different wedding parties, several in colorful Lapp costumes, eat, drink, dance and are generally making merry. We are told it's always this way on a Saturday night during midsummer.
After a feast of smoked reindeer and ripe tomatoes, glo-fried salmon (rotisserie-cooked over an open fire for more than three hours), finger potatoes (grown only in Lapland because they need an extraordinary amount of light) and Arctic cloudberries, we dance the night away.
And now, since the sun obviously has no intention of setting, we are heading for the sauna.
The weather in July is usually warm (65-70 degrees). Summer clothes are in order but a raincoat and sweater are suggested.
Send your Santa Claus letters to Santa Claus' Post Office, Santa Claus Land, Arctic Circle, SF-96930 Rovaniemi, Finland.
For information contact the Finnish Tourist Board, 655 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017. (212) 949-2333.