Nordic Skies and Skis

[Captain Halliday]

Really enjoying the report so far and hoping you see the Aurora (although seems unlikely). The husky ride sounds great. How old is MissH? I am wondering if this is something we could do with MasterC next year when he would be almost 7.

Perfect age. Go for it.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Good luck tonight. Otherwise you'll have to find another stash of points somewhere...

 

[Quickstatus]

You seem to have been allocated one of the older A330s, which I last caught around 2016. The two A330s I have been on in the last 2 years have the same basic fitout as the A350 (each row 1-2-1 in J).

The 2 older A330’s tend to ply the HEL-PEK route

 

[Captain Halliday]

Aurora search - final night

If you’ve ever had an overnight or very early morning flight you’ll know that feeling of apprehension that hits before you go to bed.

The fear of missing your flight that has you restless and often unable to go to sleep.

And so it was for me with a forecast of strong aurora activity between 1am and 5am.

When the alarm eventually went off at 1am I woke with the same sense of anticipation that I get when going on a big overseas trip.

We went through the routine of dressing in half a dozen layers of clothes and set off for the viewing spot by the lake.

We arrived to find just one car in the car park and a feeling of disappointment set in.

Surely if the aurora was active the place would be packed.

By the final night we had our plan worked out.

We parked the car facing the lake, clear of trees so we could remain warm.

And we waited.

The final night.

Our last chance.

On this trip at least.

Around 3am the lure of extra sleep was growing strong.

The four people from the other car were out in the cold taking photos on the lake and around the park area.

“How many photos of stars does one family need?” I wondered silently.

Miss H was happily sleeping in the back seat.

Next to me, I could sense Mrs H was ready to give up too.

Neither of us said anything, not wanting to disappoint the other.

But Mrs H cracked first.

“I’m going to ask them if they’ve seen anything. If not, we should go back to bed.”

Mrs H put on her beanie, jacket and gloves and disappeared into the darkness.

She reappeared a minute later knocking on the car window.

“It’s there. They’re look at it.”

“Where?” I asked, hitting my headed as I jumped out of the car without my jacket, gloves or beanie.

The freezing air woke me instantly.

Mrs H pointed to the almost clear night sky.

“Up there”

“Where?” I repeated.

“There. That grey bit.” She replied.

I looked closely.

Then I squinted.

I wondered if I was going mad, or blind.

I could see some very light, whispy, grey coloured cloud.

The stars shone brightly.

“That’s just some light cloud cover.” I said dismissively.

“Nope. That’s it.” Mrs H said as she dragged me over to the four Japanese tourists.

We watched on as two of them posed for a photo in front of the light grey cloud.

<Click>

After an exposure that was at least ten seconds long, the screen on the back of the camera lit up in bright green.

I was excited, frustrated and outraged all at once.

Technically we’d seen the Aurora. That was exciting.

But it was frustrating to think that the light cloud cover we’d seen on nights one and two may also have been the Aurora.

And I was outraged at allowing myself to be misled by the marketing hype.

I had honestly thought that the sky would come alive with bright green and blue colours.

I’d been told by tourism types that the aurora would play across the sky like a fluorescent representation of the wind.

Let’s face it, who would travel half way around the world if they were told: “‘you’ll almost die of hypothermia, will probably get frostbite and all you’ll see is some light grey cloud.”

So it is with great delight that I can say I saw the aurora and I have my iPhone photo to prove it:



It was a major disappointment.

But I would still highly recommend the experience.

Just be realistic about what to expect.

Pick a destination you really want to see, or activities your really want to do - like skiing.

Then at night if you see the aurora, consider it a bonus.

Oh, and if you want the pretty green colours, take a decent camera!

 

[AisleSeat]

Great TR and photos!
I know the pain of Aurora chasing. We went to Tromso right at the height of cycle. Even with the best conditions, it was too cloudy to see anything, over the course of 3 days.

I’m guessing he’s an expat... how else would a bloke from Finland know which Brisbane suburbs are north and south.

Santa would know.

 

[cwd]

Great TR and photos!
I know the pain of Aurora chasing. We went to Tromso right at the height of cycle. Even with the best conditions, it was too cloudy to see anything, over the course of 3 days.

Did you do an Aurora tour? The week before we arrived (in Tromso), they'd apparently all been driving 3 hours to FInland to get better conditions. Makes for a long night, but meant they usually saw them. The tour guides were all in Whatsapp group chats reporting what they'd managed to find. On the other hand, we got super lucky and even saw them without walking more than 10m from our hotel the one night we didn't do a tour.

 

[AisleSeat]

Did you do an Aurora tour? The week before we arrived (in Tromso), they'd apparently all been driving 3 hours to FInland to get better conditions. Makes for a long night, but meant they usually saw them. The tour guides were all in Whatsapp group chats reporting what they'd managed to find. On the other hand, we got super lucky and even saw them without walking more than 10m from our hotel the one night we didn't do a tour.

No. I guess chasing was the wrong word to use there. We stayed out here for a few days: EXPERIENCE TROMSO - ARCTIC NORWAY

 

[Captain Halliday]

Helsinki bound

After just a little more sleep we shovelled snow to get to the car.



Then it was off to the airport.

Rovaniemi airport doesn’t have any lounges so it was rigid plastic seats all round.

But watching airport operations in conditions starkly different to Australia was fascinating.

Even at midday the twilight colours of the snow and sky were lovely.





I felt sorry for the ground crew who were working in -14 degrees but expecting -40 or so a week later.



And I saw deicing for the first time (not on YouTube).



Looks the same as on YouTube.

Plenty of deicing required for these aircraft.



I guess private flying is a summer sport in the arctic.

Given how small Rovaneimi airport is, I had assumed we wouldn’t bother with the go to gate game.

In fact, we could see the gate from where we were sitting.

But Mrs H had other ideas.

So we headed downstairs to a very small gate area and spent five minutes fighting to keep other people from invading our personal space.

I resisted the urge to referee as a husband and wife nearby jostled to get to the front of the queue while debating the meaning of “group 4” on their boarding pass.

Instead I claimed another point from Mrs H because the aircraft was not yet boarding.

Captain Halliday: 4
Mrs Halliday: 0

Once airborne I discovered Finnair isn’t always full service.

As a WP I was offered a complimentary drink and politely suggested the same courtesy be extended to Mrs H and Miss H.

It was.

But the small box of chips set us back around AUD8.



Between Rovaniemi and Helsinki there were some amazing views



Including of suburban Helsinki when we were on final.



Then it was off to the hotel

 

[Captain Halliday]

Hilton Helsinki Strand

In Helsinki we stayed at the Hilton Helsinki Strand.

It’s not in the main tourist area or CBD as such, but the bus to/from the airport departs directly across the road, so we found it very convenient.

We had a room on level 5 (of 8) with a view of the water.

Here’s the view at twilight when we checked in.



If staying at this hotel ask for the water view as the other side of the building fronts a 6 lane road.

After a day of travel we ate in the hotel restaurant and the bottle of wine I ordered was unavailable.

I was undecided on my second choice and the waiter offered two suggestions, one of which he raved about.

He then offered a little of each for tasting.

The one he recommended was outstanding.

If you see it anywhere I’d highly recommend trying it.



As usual I was so hungry I tucked in before remembering photos.

You’ll have to take my word that it was delicious, and beautifully presented.

As a parent it was great to find the children’s menu wasn’t full of fried food.

Miss H had grilled salmon, steamed veggies and chips.

By the following morning the colours in the Helsinki sky, as seen from our room, had changed dramatically.



I remembered to get pics of the breakfast offer for AFF’s foodies.





It was fresh and tasty, with a Nordic flavour.

As is typical at a hotel buffet, there were large bottles of orange and apple juice.

But staff were also walking around offering fresh squeezed juice and house made smoothies.

Scrambled, fried and boiled eggs were standard on the buffet, but poached eggs and omelette could be order at no extra cost.







There was also a separate and quite extensive section on the other side of the restaurant for those with specific dietary requirements.

Later in the morning we set off to explore Helsinki and started by heading across the water which gave a good view back to the hotel.



From there it was off to see the sights of Helsinki.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Helsinki sights part 1

We had rugged up for our day in Helsinki, but it sure was cold.

We passed this 106 year old tug boat which was also feeling the chill.





In town we stopped by Senate square for a view of Helsinki Cathedral which the paper tourist map supplied at the hotel said was a Bank Museum.





Virtually across the road is the Helsinki City Museum.

It’s free.

The four storey building has a good mix of content for adults and children.

Miss H surprised me, knowing exactly what to do with this:



From there it was just one block to market square.

The market square was highly recommended by hotel staff, but there were very few stalls and it was underwhelming.

Perhaps visiting on a Thursday was the issue, or that it was January 3rd.





Next it was off to the Helsinki Planetarium.

Its website and brochure said it was open seven days.

Thursday 3 January was not one of the seven.

So we walked on...

 

[craven morehead]

I have seen the market square much fuller with lots of fresh produce and of course the tourist trinkets but it was in September

 

[Captain Halliday]

Helsinki sights part 2

After the planetarium disappointment we were in midway between the city and the coast.

What to do but continue walking...

So we continued South through city park, eventually reaching Kaivopuisto Park which sits on the Southern Finland coast.

There’s a beautiful old jetty, and wonderful views over the Gulf of Finland.

I wondered if I could see Estonia, but I suspect it was Finnish islands.









The views may have soothed the eyes and soul.

But the beauty didn’t help the legs.

We’d walked around 9km by this stage and Miss H was tired and hungry.

According to google, Cafe Carousel was just 700 metres further along the waterfront.

It was agreed we would stop there to eat.

We set off passing a small sailing club, and enjoying the scenery.



As the cafe came into view, the lack of people in the area was not a good sign.

Despite the published hours on the cafe’s website, it was locked up tight.

From there it was off to a bus stop where a compassionate bus driver gave up a free ride the 400 metres to the tram.

Back in the city, still very hungry, we each had a slice of pizza from a hole-in-the-wall type place and continued looking for somewhere to eat something more substantial.

We had pushed Miss H hard.

To her credit she didn’t have a meltdown and was rewarded with the final choice for dinner and again she went the health option. <proud father emoji>.

After our lunch, eaten at dinner time, it was back to the hotel.



Later in the evening the snow started...





And I went to bed hoping the weather the following day would be suitable for a long walk.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Helsinki Head Scratcher

Next morning the snow had stopped.

Around 10 centimetres of snow had fallen.

But I was confronted with a puzzling scene.

Or rather, two puzzling scenes.

Firstly, on the road below the hotel only half the road was covered in snow.

It didn’t look like it had been cleared, it seemed naturally clear of snow.

While scratching my head over how this might happen, a snowplow appeared and pushed the snow from the snow covered lane into the lane that was clear.



Unable to come up with a rational explanation for either scenario, I decided coffee might help, so we headed to breakfast.

The coffee was delicious, but did noting to solve the riddle.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Helsinki sights part 3

Our day out began with a walk around two city lakes.

Technically they’re part of the harbour.

They were mostly iced over but I imagine they’d be very pretty, and busy, in summer.



The two lakes are separated by a rail line or three.



The walk passed the Helsinki Olympic village and as the rain began to fall the theme park across the lake began to look a little spooky in the mist.



The ice fishers cast lonely figures out on the lake.

It’s something I’ve never really understood.

Perhaps it’s the solitude they crave, but the cold and wet is a heavy sacrifice for some peace and quiet.





From there it was off to the Kirkko Helsingissa or rock church.

It’s carved directly into the rock just a little way up hill of the Helsinki CBD.

The cavernous church is mostly below ground or in the rock and the dome like windows above provided a lovely view of the drizzly sky.



Higher still, the ceiling is wood carved, circling all the way to the top.



The shape of the church combined with the rock create terrific acoustic properties and there’s an impressive organ to make the most of it.



Entry was only a few dollars and its worth a look IMHO.

 

[Captain Halliday]

A word on wine

Just like Australia, wine plays a big part in social life in Finland.



Seeing this 15L bottle I wondered if it would be enough for the first round at an AFF gathering...

but sitting on top of that radiator, I figured it would be no good so I left it to fill the shop window.



Followers of AFFs wine discount threads will be in for a shock when it comes to price.

For example, this 2014 Penfolds Kalimna converts to around AUD59.



For about the same price you can pick up a 3 litre cask of Rawson’s Retreat.



And just to prove the Finnish people have a sense of humour, their stores are conveniently named after the clientele they’re trying to attract.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Almost trapped in HEL

For our flight from Helsinki to Oslo we were off to the airport around 3:30am.

Helsinki airport was far less chaotic than our previous visit a week earlier.

After checking in we had breakfast in the Finnair Lounge.

Then I settled back and waited for Mrs H to get twitchy.

As soon as the monitors said go to gate Mrs H was up and on her way.

Arriving at the gate, our flight wasn’t boarding so I took a mental note to update the “go to gate” scoreboard.

Captain Halliday: 5
Mrs Halliday: 0

Then came the announcement that our flight was delayed.

With another 6 hours travel ahead of us I decided time in a confined space with Mrs H would be more enjoyable if I didn’t say “I told you so”.

The delay was only 10 mins but when boarding began our transport did not have wings.

Instead we had been specially selected for a private tour of Helsinki airport

Our sight seeing journey began around the apron... to the right was the catering building...

... then we passed engineering and the de-icing pad before the final part of our tour, a look at the terminal expansion.

After the tour we were offloaded at our remote stand and there were plenty of confused faces.

Everyone held Finnair tickets and the plane was the wrong colour (and the wrong age).

The grey slash down the side of the plane looked like damage from run in with a trolley at a shopping centre car park.

But on closer inspection it was part of the design.



We were assured this was our replacement aircraft.

So we boarded and found that the baby poo coloured engine casing was a perfect match for the colour of the headrests.

Looking across the aisle I hoped the sticky tape used to hold a tray table in place wasn’t also being used to patch up engines or control surfaces.

While I jest (mostly) about the experience, Finnair did have a company rep on board who worked with the charter company crew to acknowledge status passengers and ensure benefits were provided.

My free glass of juice made it all better.

We arrived safely and it was a nice blast from the past riding in a 700 series of the B737.

In Oslo airport our bags were almost last... proving that it’s not just Qantas who can stuff up priority baggage.

But it did give me time to take the pic below and rant about one of my airport pet hates.

<start of rant> Your bags DO NOT come out quicker if you stand closer to the baggage carousel and get in everyone’s way. <end of rant>.



Why can’t all airports do this?

They could also get the fluro-vest wearing drop-off zone wannabe cops to police it.

Or better yet, if there’s priority check-in... what about priority collection?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Accommodation cliffhanger

From Oslo we took the train about 90 mins north to Lillehammer, then switched to a bus for the 15 minute ride to Hafjell.

We’d selected Hafjell because more than 40% of its runs are green.

It’s said to have the third most green runs in the world.

This was perfect with two beginner skiers in our party.

It also left plenty of terrain for me.

We had selected self contained accommodation with ski-in/ ski-out access, that was 800 metres from the supermarket.

After being given the keys at an office in town we were asked if we had a car.

“No, we don’t need parking.” I replied.

“How are you going to get to your apartment?” She asked with a half smirk.

“We’ll walk. Your website said it was only 800 metres.”

“You really won’t be able to make it with your suitcases.” She told us before offering to have the housekeeper drive our bags to the apartment.

Pointing an awfully long way up the hill, she briefly described where our apartment was located and I started to worry.

We set of to explore the village and grabbed a few basics like milk, bread, fruit etc.

Loaded up with groceries, we headed towards our apartment which we discovered was 800 metres from the village as the crow flies!

Via the road it was closer to 2km.

And the apartment was perched precariously beside a black run.

If not for the snow it was basically a cliff.

Ski in and ski out was no chance.

Considering our options, we watched people try to walk up and down the slope.

Even those not carrying skis or luggage were having trouble staying upright.

12 nights and 13 days of complaining would not be an enjoyable holiday.

I was in serious marital trouble and needed a solution.

Fast.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

The wait for what comes next is killing me

 

[Captain Halliday]

A snow angle saves the day

Standing half-way up a black run, looking at the village below I reflected on what a spectacular location is was.

Perfect for competent black run skiers, or those with a car.

Neither applied to us.



I considered my options.

I could spend a fortune on taxis to and from the village for 13 days.

Or we could battle the black run either carrying our skis or screaming out of control to get to and from our apartment.

A quick google revealed that hiring a car was not a possibility.

Damn.

I decided the solution would be found in the village.

After starting the day at 3am in Helsinki, the last thing the family wanted to do was walk back down the hill, but I insisted.

We dressed for the cold, put on our boots and set off via the direct route - trying to walk down the black run.

Miss H fell almost immediately and it laughed about it.

Then Mrs H slipped and felt her bad knee twinge.

She didn’t laugh.

We abandoned the black run and cautiously made our way across the mountain to rejoin the road.

After a long and winding walk back to the village I gave Miss H her instructions in three words:

“Cute kid routine!”

She nodded and we walked into reception.

Miss H carried out her part perfectly, walking straight up to the desk, barely getting her chin above the counter.

I stood back slightly.

When she was greeted Miss H said “Do you have any other apartments that aren’t so far up the hill?”

I stepped forward and explained that we had no car and had thought we’d booked an apartment in the village.

It was a long shot.

January 5 was still holiday season for some in Europe.

“Where are you staying?” She asked as she began looking up our file.

Then her eyes widened.

“They put you there? With no car! Oh.” She said

Then she went silent for a bit.

It felt like she was working out how to give us the bad news.

She tapped a few more keys.

Then she excused herself and disappeared out the back.

She returned with a walkie talkie and was chattering with someone about when Apartment 17 would be clean.

Miss H was slowly munching her way through the mints on the counter.

Mrs H was sitting on a couch giving me the “I’m going to kill you” look.

Then the receptionist slapped a map on the counter and pointed at an apartment right next to the kiddy slope.

It was just 100m to the gondola...

Much closer to the village...

And not on deadly slope.

“But,” she said... and my heart sank.

“It’s smaller.”

“That’s fine.” I answered quickly hoping she didn’t have more bad news.

“And then cleaners won’t be done for about an hour.”

“Also fine.” I responded.

It was still only 6pm.

“And finally...”

I knew she was leaving the worst for last.

“It’s an extra 1,400 kroner.”

“Per night?” I asked with serious trepidation.

“No, for the 12 nights.”

I quickly did the maths, that was about AUD230.

“We’ll take it.” I declared triumphantly.

Below the desk, Miss H and I bumped fists.

The receptionist then offered to call us a cab to collect our things from the clifftop hell that we’d managed to avoid.

Here’s where we ended up - literally the closest apartment to the gondola and kids slopes:



It’s a great credit to the Hafjell Resort staff for finding us alternative digs at such short notice.

After thanking the woman enthusiastically, I headed for the bar to find something for Mrs H’s elevated blood pressure.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Hafjell highlights part 1

I mentioned in an earlier post that more than 40% of Hafjell’s runs are green it’s therefore very popular with beginners.

But the mountain is a little different to most.

It’s rounded on top and steeper towards the bottom.

This means you need to take the gondola to the top of the mountain for the green runs.

But it also means the green runs are most exposed to bad weather.

The six-seater chair lift to the very top was closed on six of our 12 days.

Still, on a good day it’s just beautiful.

Here’s the view from top where it’s almost flat.



And the same spot at sunset around 3pm.



For skiers who have progressed to blue slopes you can ski the mountain top to bottom.

The route is via a blue run that is a mountain bike track in the summer.

On the way down there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the view.

You can also see the Lillehammer Olympic symbol on the mountain opposite.

I’m not sure chopping down trees to create a hillside symbol would be acceptable these days.



Another benefit of Hafjell is that it offers night skiing three nights a week for no extra charge.

It’s available on some red and blue runs, along with the beginner slopes.

It was especially pretty when it snowed.

Looking uphill:



Looking downhill:



On the whole we were very fortunate with the weather.

There was snow on several nights that was followed by fine days.

One snowy night we walked home from dinner to find this on the back of a car:



I mentioned just how lucky we were with our revised accommodation.

A benefit we didn’t realise until the second night was the beautiful twilight view from the balcony.

Looking uphill:



Looking across the village:



And just before darkness set it the stars began to shine.