Mush! Mush!

I must confess that I was excited, but scared about driving a husky sled. It was 0° F, but we were well bundled up.
Luckily I didn’t have to steer the sled. These Alaskan Huskies are truly running machines. Our team was very fast, but not bright enough to slow down as they come upon a slower team, so my entire job was to stomp on the brake in the middle of the skids at the back of the sled. The funny thing is that the dogs would turn back and bark at me as I stopped them from ramming another sled. It was truly exhilarating yet exhausting as we flew over the packed snow for 2 hours on a 12-mile track. No idea how those Iditarod racers do it. To read more, check out a recent Washington Post article about dog sledding.

A Magical Start to a Magical Day...

After all the clouds of last night, I was thrilled to wake up in the igloo and see the stars shining above. When the girls woke up, we laid in bed in the dark for another 30 minutes to try picking out the constellations. Mars was shining especially bright. It was a great way to start the day.

Our Glass Igloo...

I told the girls that there had been a mix-up and we wouldn’t be able to spend our first night in a cabin. In actuality, I surprised them with a night in a glass igloo. It was quite fun to be nice and warm in this cozy little glass house with a view outside. We got settled in, then changed into our snow clothes and went sledding on the hill beside our igloo. After dinner, we returned to our igloo and played a bunch of games. Unfortunately, it was cloudy all night, so we couldn’t see any stars.

150 Miles Above the Artic Circle...

After flying 945 miles to Helsinki, we flew another 615 miles north to Europe’s most northern airport. It was the first flight I’d ever been on that showed take-off and landing on the TV’s, which was very cool to watch. From the Ivalo Airport, we travelled 30 minutes south to the Kakslauttanen Igloo Village for 4 nights of an Artic adventure. We started with a tour of the snow igloos. While we enjoyed seeing them, it never dawned on me to sleep on a slab of ice. Only a portion of the snow village had actually been completed by the time we arrived since it rained for much of December (global warming perhaps?), but it was cool watching them working on the snow restaurant and chapel.

Helsinki, Finland...

I once again had the desire to travel somewhere over a school break while Jimmy was away and had to decide where to go. I was very torn, but soon it came down to hanging out on a beach sipping Pina Coladas or going in search of the Northern Lights. Somehow it didn’t seem right to go snorkeling without Jimmy, but freezing in the Artic seemed fitting. So, we left on January 2nd for Finland, spending our first two nights in the capital city of Helsinki. We did the usual city things--visited the art museum, the zoo (the bears were hibernating!), the national museum and the cathedrals. The girls especially enjoyed ice skating at the outdoor rink in the center of town, although Ashlynn wasn’t used to the slick Zambonied ice and needed Veronica’s support.

An Afternoon in Brugge...

After we’d had enough ice, we ventured into the center of this quaint historic town. I love the architecture, but not the crowds; this UNESCO World Heritage Site is perhaps too popular and overflowing with horse-drawn carriages and souvenir shops. There was a cute, but small Christmas Market set up in the main square and in a few of the smaller squares. We had a late lunch at an Egyptian restaurant, then wandered back around the city streets to see the festive holiday lights and enjoy a hot Belgian waffle with some hot chocolate before the 2.5 hour drive home.

Ice Fantasy...

While the name Ice Fantasy might conjure all kinds of unique images, the one I’m referring to was the theme of the Snow & Ice Sculpture Festival we went to in Brugge, Belgium with a friend just after Christmas. Forty artists from around the world used 330 tons of ice and 440 tons of snow to build the sculptures, which ranged from a wizard to a hedgehog to a cemetery complete with the Grim Reaper. After 30 minutes in the 21° F, we were too cold to hang out and have a drink at the ice bar.