Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, November 2021.
It was early in the morning, around 8AM, and all my female hostel roommates are still sound asleep at the female wing of Hostel Koti. I have been prepping and moving silently like a kitten so that I would not wake them up. We all slept so late because we tried to see the Aurora Borealis by some lake, but failed. But I want to see the sunrise this time.
After showering, dressing up, and preparing the green tea that I will bring outside, I decided to eat two of my energy bars for breakfast. At first I was thinking of going back to McDonald’s Rovaniemi, but it was a little far from my location.
Dammit, I don’t think I have concrete plans today. I can look at “things to do in Rovaniemi” at Google Search, but I was afraid the results might just overwhelm me as I have a very limited time there.
I spontaneously looked at Google Maps and saw that there was this Angry Birds Activity Park by the river, so I decided to take a walk and go there. Damn, it was a cold morning.
It was very beautiful to see the golden rays of the sun shine at the white frozen river and snow-covered surroundings. It was very beautiful to see people taking a walk, having runs, walking their dogs, and appreciating nature. I have read a couple of books about Finnish culture and how they are very much into nature, and I find it amazing that they can casually go outside in the cold just exactly how I do it in the Philippines. It was -16 degrees Celsius that day and my whole body was freezing.
I reached the Angry Birds Activity Park and it looked like a life-sized Angry Birds game! I only found out recently that Angry Birds originated from Finland, and the Finnish people must be so proud of it becoming a worldwide hit when it first came out as a mobile application/game. I took silly selfies around the corner. Then I got an Instagram DM.
It was the guy from last night, one of my hostelmates who went to try to see the Aurora Borealis with us. He was asking about my plans for the day (I am planning to see the Arctic Museum), and he asked if he can join me.
I sent him the link to my location, the Angry Birds Activity Park, and we went to the museum together.
Rovaniemi is so beautiful, it’s a magical place, and I still can’t believe I made it to Finland. I see myself going back here on another winter and doing more activities.