Lapland – Day 2: Ice Beneath, Fire Above
LAPLAND
Day 2: Ice Beneath, Fire Above
December 03, 2024
Overnight, we were relocated to another accommodation – a lakeside lodge with a glass exterior overlooking Lake Äkäslompolo. And, might I add, at no extra charge, given Akash’s connections!
When I woke up, I found myself staring outside the lodge in complete disbelief. The lake was entirely covered in snow and ice, its pale, textured surface marked by faint tracks stretching towards a dark tree line in the distance. Beyond the trees, low fells rose gently, their slopes softened by forests dusted in winter frost.
The most striking part, however, was the sky. It formed the perfect Arctic gradient, fading from soft baby blue overhead into warm blush-pink near the horizon. Even during the polar night, sunlight still managed to illuminate the upper atmosphere and produce several hours of blue and pink twilight. Here, it felt noticeably brighter than the endless darkness we had experienced in Tromsø. And I was all for it!
A World of Possibilities
Having decided to let the rest of the gang take control of the itinerary when planning this holiday, I was a little surprised when they told me that we had absolutely nothing planned here.
I have to admit that, for me, travelling such a long way to somewhere new only to “just chill” is definitely not something I’m into – especially when Lapland is known for all kinds of incredible winter activities. Still, I didn’t complain. Right there in front of me was literally a world of possibilities. Instead of freaking out, I rushed outside the lodge and decided to walk around the now-frozen lake, dragging Rohan, Joshin and Manish along with me.
Right in front of our lodge, families were enjoying a day out on the lake, with children ice-skating, snowshoeing and sledging across the snow. While the girls and Akash embarked on an extensive photoshoot featuring the Ylläs Swing – a wooden lakeside swing set against the gorgeous panorama – the rest of us braved the freezing Arctic weather. And by freezing Arctic weather I mean -26°C, meaning I could literally feel my nose hairs freezing every time I inhaled! It was so, so cold – probably the coldest I had ever felt – but I also felt so, so alive. The same couldn’t quite be said for the others, who wanted me so, so dead.
Our walk took us around the perimeter of the lake and lasted a couple of hours. We trudged slowly across the ice and snow, surrounded by frost-covered trees, the soft pink hues of the sky and the stark white landscape stretching ahead of us.
At certain points near the shoreline, narrow channels of exposed water forced us to pick our way carefully around them, each one reminding us how little we wanted to end up at the bottom of the lake. Walking across a frozen lake might not be on every tourist’s bucket list, but I can definitely say it was one of the highlights of the trip for me!
Celebratory Lights
Part of the reason we had nothing planned for the day was that we were gonna celebrate something special – Priya’s birthday.
As the rest of the group busied themselves decorating the lodge for her other big day, I chose to distance myself once again. My eyes had remained glued to the aurora-hunting app throughout the evening, and when it finally showed the strongest activity so far, I found myself standing on the frozen surface of Lake Äkäslompolo once again. A few other hopeful aurora hunters had already gathered there, all of us staring expectantly into the darkness.
It started as usual – a disappointing, wispy grey cloud that looked far more impressive through my phone camera than it did with the naked eye. Then it began to glow. A vivid green slowly emerged from the darkness, bright enough for me to see without the help of a screen. Then the light began to shift, swirling and dancing across the sky above us. That was the moment I finally felt satisfied with our aurora experience. Perhaps one day, I’d witness the full-blown, blinding light show I had always imagined. For now, however, this was more than enough.
I returned to the lodge to find the dining area fully decorated with balloons and all sorts of party stuff. Queen Priya’s birthday felt bittersweet. There I was, celebrating the special day of my engaged crush while we exchanged the occasional flirty glance – both of us knowing that nothing could ever happen between us. Practising the choreography for our APT reel was a pretty good distraction, though.