An ice-cold adventure in Scandinavia

Kristina and Matt Garrett

This year, we decided to spend the holiday season with the Swedish

part of our family, so we took a two-week trip to Sweden.

Our trip began in a Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Stockholm

has been called beauty on water, and water is certainly a theme all

through the city, although, during the winter holidays, most of the

water was frozen over.

The city is located on several islands connected by bridges, each

island with its own personal character. Stockholm has the feel of a

big metropolitan city, but the city is still small enough that you

can get around on foot.

During our stay, we walked almost everywhere. Shopping,

entertainment and museums were all within reach. However, if you are

not up to walking, you can get around by bus, subway or by boat.

We spent one day in the old-town area of Stockholm. All the

streets are paved with cobblestones, and some streets are so narrow,

you can walk only in a single file. While in the old town, after a

walking tour of all the beautiful old buildings, we stopped at a cafe

and tried a traditional Swedish holiday drink called glogg. It tasted

like hot cider spiced with cardamom, almonds and raisins. It was

good.

While in Sweden, we wanted to explore Scandinavia a bit more, so

we decided to visit Finland. We took a 48-hour cruise to Helsinki,

the capital of Finland. Cruises between Stockholm and Helsinki are

popular with Swedes and Finns, and we were lucky to get a good cabin

on the 10th floor on the 12-story cruise ship. The cruise was rocky

because of winter storms, and we could feel the waves crashing onto

the ship. However, the ship offered many activities to make you think

about other things.

If you want to try a Swedish smorgasbord, a cruise is the place to

be. We lined up with our plates ready and tried items such as pickled

herring, Janson’s Temptation and, of course, Swedish meatballs. Don’t

try to cut in line to get a little bit of this and a little bit of

that. At the smorgasbord, you start at the beginning, always.

We left Stockholm at night and arrived in Helsinki by morning.

After a quick bus tour featuring the highlights of the capital, we

could see that Helsinki is a beautiful city, much like Stockholm but

a bit smaller and windier.

Coming from Orange County, Helsinki seemed empty. It’s is so built

up and so modern, yet seemingly deserted. Where did all the people

go? On the other hand, it was nice not having to fight the crowds. If

you like designer furniture, fabric and fashion, Helsinki has a lot

to offer, and you don’t have to wait in line. That night, it was time

for us to go back to Stockholm again.

Back in Swedish capital, we got ready for the big adventure of the

trip, the part that we had been looking forward to with both fear and

excitement -- the trip to the Ice Hotel. We took the night train from

Stockholm and arrived in Jukkasjarvi the next morning. On the way, we

passed a sign that read: “You are now entering the Arctic Circle.” It

was a little bit frightening when it looked as if nothing lived

there. It looked like just a handful of frozen vacation homes all in

traditional farmhouse red and white. The whole train trip took 16

hours. The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi is 200 kilometers above the

Arctic Circle.

We knew it was going to be cold. Luckily, the Ice Hotel had

snowmobile overalls for all their guests to wear while staying there.

In cold weather, you have to think ahead about the cold; frostbite

not uncommon.

Our ice room was an was igloo-like room within the gigantic igloo

hotel. The room was very quiet. All you could here was your own

breath and the snow crunching under your boots. We stayed at the Ice

Hotel on one of the coldest nights of the season; the outdoor

temperature was 23 below zero, and the inside temperature was 24

degrees. Because of the cold weather, we were lucky to see the aurora

borealis, the northern lights, which look like green clouds in the

pitch black sky.

At the Ice Hotel, everything had a magic blue glow, partly because

of the ice and partly because of the daylight. Hours of compressed

daylight and shades of blue can transform your feelings from a

refreshed rebirth to quiet sleepiness.

We had a short stay at the Ice Hotel, and we were both amazed with

the beauty of the hotel and with the breathtaking nature under a

blanket of snow. We made a promise to come back to Stockholm, to

Helsinki and to the Ice Hotel again.

* KRISTINA AND MATT GARRETT are residents of Costa Mesa.