Road Trip – Last Day
The second day of our road trip found us all the way from Ruka, to the Russian-Finnish border, to the amethyst mine, and ending in Rovaniemi. Once we were in Rovaniemi, we were able to walk around a bit, which was nice. Walking was great to get rid of our “car legs,” but also to see a bit of the city. The little bit that we got to see was very pleasant – there was a promenade that spanned at least three blocks, ending at a river. Businesses were all along the street, including pubs, restaurants, and my favorite, H & M. (Sadly, they were closed.)
The hotel we stayed at was just wonderful. Here are just a few differences between US and Finnish hotels, er, or at least the one we stayed at: 1. You can get a room with your own sauna in it. Crazy! Michael’s Uncle collects “points” with the particular chain we stayed at, and got an upgraded room with a sauna. Too fancy. 2. Floors are all hardwood. Perhaps the foyer had carpeting, but I’d be surprised. (My memory didn’t allow for this last detail.) 3. The “master” switch. We had this slightly-larger-than-the-rest light switches in the middle of the headboard, and at first, we couldn’t figure out what it did. After only a few minutes, we realized this is the “master” switch, which will turn off everything except for the television. Aah, just what you need when you’re sleepy and have forgotten to turn off the little entry light.
After leaving the hotel, we were off to meet Santa! Oh Santa! Santa’s village and workshop were just across the river from our hotel in Rovaniemi. Only a few minutes of driving, and we were there! The entire area is very large, with most of the space taken up by an outlet mall of sorts. (We didn’t venture in that direction, as we had a mission to meet Santa.)
Santa’s workshop is an enormous building! (I should have taken a picture of the outside at least, but I think the adrenaline was flowing a bit too much to allow for coherent thought.) Once inside, after the enormous sign that lets you know it’s free to see the big guy, you speak to one of the elves that ask your name and where you are from. With that information plugged into a computer, you’re then given an admittance tag and allowed into the workshop. All four of us started through the heavy wooden door that would begin our trek, and were instantly greeted by a “no pictures” sign. Blah.
Yet once we were inside, I realized why you can’t take pictures. (Well, of course, they want you to come to Rovaniemi and see it for yourself…) More importantly than that, I don’t know that I’d be able to take a proper picture of the workshop. In the heart of the workshop, there are these enormous gears that must be 20-40 feet in diameter. (Yes, I’m not the best at estimating.) Regardless, it looks as though you’re inside an enormous watch, with gears turning and moving all around you. These are all part of the ‘time machine’ Santa uses to be able to deliver presents to all good boys and girls in one evening. Just amazing!
After viewing the time machine, we walked up to Santa’s office. We were then greeted by a cheery elf who would let us in to see Santa after the last “children” had finished with their visit. This elf asked us where we were from, and just after saying Seattle, the elf laughed and smiled. She had just moved back to Rovaniemi from Spokane, where her husband is from. Small world, eh?
When we were allowed into Santa’s office, I was amazed at how large the area was. It was beautifully outfitted with nice furniture and antiques. In the center was Santa! He was sitting in his chair, with his wonderfully white beard reaching his lap. His feet were enormous, or at least his woolen slippers were. We chatted for about five minutes, with Santa also talking to Michael’s Aunt and Uncle in Finnish for a bit. Santa was kind and friendly and his beard was impeccable.
Once out of Santa’s office, we had many options of purchasing reminders of our visit. There were different packages and sizes of pictures, keychains, tee shirts, and the kicker: a memory stick containing a recording of our conversation. Wow! We opted for the pictures, and purchased a little 5 pack. Ben and Bitti were nice enough to buy us a large photograph for us. J
Oh…too much typing for now. I’ll have to write about Sweden and our drive home next time! J
