The snowflakes being buffeted in the light wind of daybreak looked very picturesque but it was not ideal for driving. Ten centimeters of snow had fallen through the night and all the cars in the carpark looked the same with their white cloaks on. After the second guess, we found our car, swept off all the snow and loaded our luggage...Rovaniemi, here we come!! It took a very uneventful two hours to reach Maria's sister's house and with impeccable timing, Katja h...

It's such a great feeling when you wake up thinking you have been asleep for days, your batteries are recharged and you're ready for anything...it's not so great once you realise you have only been asleep for two hours and it's midnight. Jet lag is a curse for a lot of long haul travellers and there was no exception here - after seven hours, I had counted all the sheep in New Zealand and sleep was no closer, so time to get up and brew some coffee. Lack of sleep c...

It came as a bit of a surprise but we slept through until 6:30am, perhaps the jet lag will hit in a day or two. It was still dark but a little warmer than last night, only minus seven today. Some porridge and strong 'kahvi' (coffee) got the day off to a good start and gave enough motivation to venture outside and test the warmth of the new down jackets. After a quick walk round the neighbourhood to check out the local ice rink and Maria's old primary school, it w...