{"id":7827,"date":"2022-02-08T06:57:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T06:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/huskies-reindeers-and-the-night-the-northern-lights-came-out-to-play\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:52:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:52:41","slug":"huskies-reindeers-and-the-night-the-northern-lights-came-out-to-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/huskies-reindeers-and-the-night-the-northern-lights-came-out-to-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Huskies, Reindeers And The Northern Lights In Lapland, Finland"},"content":{"rendered":"

The next day was all about animals!<\/p>\n

We started off with a visit to the reindeers (organised by our hotels<\/a> \u2013 you have to pay extra for some activities but typically, your hotels can help you organise them)\u2026<\/p>\n

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\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Reindeers serve all sorts of purposes and have done for the Sami people that live here for years and year so they\u2019re such an essential part of life up here.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Fun as going on a reindeer ride might have been, the highlight of that morning has gotta be those cute baby reindeer!<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

They\u2019re just so adorable and full of personality! You can immediately tell which one is the boisterous one of the group, the trouble-maker, the shy one, the playful one.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just so funny when you realise how different each one can be (perhaps you notice it more because you\u2019re new to them and so the reactions are more noticeable than perhaps they would be with people they\u2019re used to).<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

After playing around with the baby reindeer, we hopped onto a sleigh not unlike the one Santa would use \ud83d\ude09 and went on a quick ride with the reindeer.<\/p>\n

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\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Now although the reindeer are \u2018home\u2019 for winter, in summer, they\u2019re just let loose in the countryside and it\u2019s not uncommon to find reindeer that have decided to wander off even into Norway!<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Thankfully, the farmers are able to identify which ones are theirs quite easily and so the reindeer are free to wander wherever they see fit.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Leaving the reindeer, popped into the Sami tent to warm up with teas and hot berry juices a nice little respite while we chatted away with the Sami family before heading to the nearby restaurant for lunch.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

The restaurant is part of the Star Arctic Hotel<\/a> so it\u2019s pretty easy to organise with them when you\u2019re staying here (everything from our end was booked with Ingham Holidays<\/a> so we didn\u2019t need to do much else after arriving in Finnish Lapland.<\/p>\n

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We started things off the freshest, most delicious tomato soup; which is a big deal coming from me as I\u2019d typically never order tomato soup. I\u2019ve never fully understood the appeal of tomato soup, well until today at least and unsurprisingly, the secret to amazing tomato soup is all to do with how fresh it is and boy, was this fresh! *licks lips<\/em>*<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

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For mains, we had salmon, finished off with a traditional Finnish pastry (can\u2019t quite remember the name), for dessert.<\/p>\n

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Lunch over, we headed back outside to find the huskies \u2013 which are just delightful bundles of energy that almost seem to come with their own sunshine! They\u2019re so playful and such a delight to be around.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

After much cuddling, we hopped onto the dog sleighs and off we went.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

The dogs are super keen to race and have been a part of life here for thousands of years though it is important to pay attention to them. For instance, if you\u2019re going uphill and they\u2019re slowing down, you get out and run with them (I say run, it was more of a slow amble) but at no point should they really be over-exerting themselves (you\u2019ll be all clued up on this before you head out).<\/p>\n

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As we raced, the snow started falling as it just made the already amazing experience of racing around Finnish Lapland even more special.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

My favourite bit though has got to be when we got back and got to play around with the dogs properly.<\/p>\n

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\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

There are so many of them here and they\u2019re all so friendly and playful. I could easily have spent the rest of the afternoon right there.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Back at the hotel, we grabbed some beers and headed down to the spa area where there\u2019s \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 a few saunas and outdoor hot tub! A perfect way to finish off a relaxed, fun day in Lapland.<\/p>\n

Dinner that evening has us at the same restaurant and this time, perhaps inspired by tomato soup earlier, I decided to have something I typically would never order \u2013 the Jerusalem Artichoke soup. It was glorious! Soooooo good!<\/p>\n

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\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Turns out, I don\u2019t like typical regular artichokes but Jerusalem artichokes are nothing quite like that. I just usually give artichokes a wide berth so this was absolutely amazing to know (and to add something new to my personal list of must-have dishes).<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Lloyd went for the Elk rillette to start, swiftly followed by the saut\u00e9ed reindeer for mains.<\/p>\n

Still very much into what I had the night before, I went for the goose again (don\u2019t judge me \u2013 haha! It\u2019s so good!).<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

For dessert, I got the baked apple (again \u2013 I know) while Lloyd went for\u2026 er, I\u2019m not actually sure what Lloyd got again (I think a pear tart, maybe?).<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

But yes, enough about dinner, as delicious as it was, something else entirely took over my memories of this evening and said-thing was \u2013 you probably guessed it by now \u2013 the Northern Lights!<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Yup! That\u2019s right! The Northern Lights finally came out and the skies were clear enough to see them! Fortunate seeing as it was our last night in Finnish Lapland before heading home the next day.<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

I initially tried to take photos outside and see them outside which turned out to be the silliest idea ever (don\u2019t ask why I did it when I could be warm inside, I think it just felt like a great idea at the time).<\/p>\n

\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

Freezing cold outside, I headed back inside which is when the most spectacular display of the lights started. I literally sat in bed watching the lights dance across the skies.<\/p>\n

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\"Huskies,<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got a video of it (see below) which I posted on our Instagram<\/a> earlier. This was taken right inside the cabin sat rather comfortably in bed.<\/p>\n

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So this is the reason I barely slept a wink last night! The irony of it is that I was in bed the entire time. \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Hand Luggage Only<\/a> (@handluggageonly) on