Finland trip holiday 2023

 Here's a 'mostly' Chat GPT written blog of my Finland trip:

Last week, I went on a holiday to Finland with my girlfriend Karen, and our friends Megan and Yeshveen. We had a packed schedule with lots of fun activities planned. Here's a rundown of what we got up to.

Day 1: We took a flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki and then a connecting flight to Rovenemi. Once we arrived, we went to Nillis restaurant and tried some traditional Finnish food, including bear, reindeer, and salmon. We also had a delicious dessert made with squeaky cheese and cinnamon custard. This experience was outstanding and a welcome change from bitterballen and herring.

Day 2: In a futile attempt to avoid going into debt we purchased some budget cereal and milk for breakfast. We walked around Rovenemi city and stumbled upon a family ice fishing. The encounter was lovely, and I'm happy to say that the stereotype of very unwelcoming, quiet, and direct Finish people is very untrue. They told us that they expected to manually drill about 100 holes in the ice until they found an area with some fish. We then took a bus to Arctic Snow Hotel where we stayed in an ice hotel with engraved ice sculptures, an ice bar, and an ice restaurant. We also fed some reindeer and went sledding. Yeshveen and I enjoyed a sauna in the evening and rolled around in the snow every 20 minutes. 

Day 3: I woke up with my face glued to the ice mattress. After the right-hand side of my body had thawed, I had an all-you-can-eat buffet for breakfast. We then went on a snowshoeing tour. This was a simple and slow-paced march through thick snow. It was a lot of fun going off track and plunging yourself into the white abyss. Halfway through we stopped by a fire to enjoy some Finnish sausages. Later in the day, we went to the ice restaurant and had a gin-based soda called "long drink." It's delicious and is a very popular drink in Finland.  While drinking in the heated bar we also played a game called Connect 4. I developed an unhealthy addiction to the game and got quite competitive. Later in the evening Yesh and I went to the sauna where we socialized with a bunch of other tourists. We spent the evening in the artificial igloos. They had a glass ceiling installed so that you can view the aurora borealis from the comfort of your heated bedroom. Sadly, we didn't see any sign of the North Lights. 

Day 4: After another all-you-can-eat buffet, we took a bus back to Rovenemi city center and went husky sledding with five dogs per sled.  I was amazed at how the same breed of dog can have so much variety in personality. One dog kept digging in the snow at every opportunity. One would always roll in the snow. And one would always sing (howl) at the top of his voice. We also went snowmobiling in the evening and had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was cheaper and we wanted some spice to clear our frozen nostrils

Day 5: We took a morning flight to Helsinki and stayed in a hotel that was once a prison. We explored the city and had some multicultural food at Cafe Bar 9, including stir-fry and pasta. It was so delicious we decided to have pizza for dinner at another restaurant.

Day 6: We took a ferry to Suomenlinna, a military island. This island has a rich history. It was mostly funded by the French, fortified by the Swedish, invaded and conquered by the Russians, and reconquered by the British & French, and finally taken over by the Finish. The island itself was quite boring and unimportant. It featured little more than overgrown tunnels and decaying cannons.  

Day 7: Karen, Yeshveen, and Megan toured the aquarium while I headed south to the seaside restaurant and sauna called Loylys. There were three types of saunas available: a private sauna, and traditional sauna, and a 'smokey sauna'.  The Smokey sauna was a 2-story wooden house that used wood instead of coals which created a nice aroma and gave a pleasant pins and-needles feeling whenever water was added to the logs. The walls had been stained black from overuse and there was plenty of socializing. The demographic was about 60% tourists and 40% locals. It turns out that the etiquette of not talking in the sauna is a blatant lie. The Fins love to talk. Loylys was located right by the ocean so every 20 minutes I would go out and dive into the ice-littered waters to cool down. In the evening we had Indian food. 

Day 8: Megan, Yeshveen, and Karen wanted an easy day today so I ventured out by myself in the snow. I stumbled upon a library that featured 20 chess tables. Anyone can just show up and play. I beat 4 Finnish guys before I got destroyed by the same Russian guy 3 times in a row. It was a really nice experience.

Day 9: We took a flight back to Amsterdam, ending our amazing and expensive trip.

Overall, our trip to Finland was packed with fun activities, delicious food, and unique experiences. We enjoyed trying traditional Finnish food, such as reindeer and squeaky cheese with cinnamon custard, and had a blast sledding, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. The private saunas and Loylys were definitely highlights of the trip. It was a great adventure. The only downside was the cost. Future trips will be made in Eastern Europe :)