An afternoon in Sweden

Trip Start Sep 02, 2010

Trip End Aug 17, 2011

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Flag of Sweden Pajala, Norrbotten, Sweden
Monday, December 27, 2010

Waking up after the night at the cottage was almost as bad as waking up on Christmas day, and poor Mari was in horrible shape! We lounged around watching bad TV until noon, and headed back to Kolari to take Henni home. The plan all along had been to go to Sweden for the day, but Mari wasn't fit to drive. So, we hung out until Annakasia decided she would borrow her mom’s car so we could still go to Sweden.

The trip to Sweden was not well planned. First, we drove around for a bit to see the town. Annakasia pointed out the second largest sundial in the world. The funny thing about being in the Arctic Circle is the complete lack of daylight. It was ironic to see the sun dial at 3:30pm when there was no sunlight. (But today actually had daytime! The sun was up for 56 minutes!! WHOOHOO!) Then we went to Frasses for burgers. I really wanted to get a Kid’s Barnbox meal, but was told by the kind Swedish man that the Barnbox was only for children ages 12 and younger, and he pointed me in the direction of the "Miniskrov" meal which was basically the same thing for adults

At the cottage

. We sat in the Frasses for a solid 40 minutes eating slowly, and watching Mari come back to life. :)

After burgers, we went to the store to have a look around. I don’t think Annakasia realized how exciting it would be to go to the store with Natasha and I. First, we found Swedish money on the ground outside the store and stood there admiring it. The best thing was the shopping basket. It was an extra-large basket on wheels with a long handle so you could drag it behind you. So funny! Mostly, we found packaging concepts hilarious (jelly in a tube like frozen cookie dough, anyone?), and exclaiming in glee when we recognized brands (Skippy peanut butter) and familiar products. We walked around the store for about an hour, and I left with an extension cord, candy, and chocolate. It was quite exciting.

Then we turned around and headed back to Kolari to enjoy a nice salmon/potato/carrot dinner. I really don’t like fish, but I tried it, and it wasn’t half bad! I just don’t like the texture of seafood. After dinner, we went upstairs to relax, then Mari’s Aunt and Uncle came to visit and we had cloudberries, cheesecake, and coffee for dessert. The rest of the evening was uneventful. We did the sauna thing, hung out, ate more food, and hung out some more.

Tomorrow we are going to Rovaniemi to see Santa. It will be our last day in Finland! :( I’ve had such a good time and I don’t want to leave!

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