
Lapland seems to be chock full of snow hotels, and there is none better known than Sweden’s Icehotel. This hotel, built out of some 30,000m2 of snice (a special blend of snow, ice, and water that helps to insulate the hotel) and 1,000 tons of ice, is the 25th iteration of an idea that Yngve…
December 4, 2014 / No Comment / Read More

Hovercrafts. Just the name evokes thoughts of hokey science fiction stories from the 1960s–or maybe, if you grew up in a slightly less sci-fi mad home than I did, it just brings to mind the fast ferries that run between Dover and Calais. In any case, I’m almost certain you won’t think of a hovercraft…
February 19, 2014 / No Comment / Read More

As many of you know, my short trip to Lapland last year was the inspiration for my ‘Texan in Lapland’ tour around Scandinavia this year. On that trip, I stayed in the Porjus Northern Lights Apartments for three nights, hoping that the long nights of January would give me extra time to see the aurora…
March 28, 2013 / No Comment / Read More

I stood behind a heavy wooden door, peeking out at the frozen land beyond. Snow was falling steadily, adding to the piles that were already banked up against the outside of the small wooden building. I looked back at the bench where all of my clothes sat, happily folded up and basking in the warmth…
September 20, 2012 / No Comment / Read More

I am not a cold weather person. If the temperature gets down to 15C in Brisbane, I wear at least jeans and a jumper. In the dead of winter (as if that ever happens in Queensland), I can be found sitting on the couch wrapped in a very thick blanket. I shiver when I have…
July 26, 2012 / No Comment / Read More

I don’t think I would have enjoyed my trip north of the Arctic Circle nearly as much if I hadn’t picked such a great place to stay. The Northern Lights Apartments, located about 500m down the road from the main town of Porjus, were a little oasis in an otherwise rather inhospitable environment. Their owner,…
July 21, 2012 / No Comment / Read More

Catching a bus really isn’t that hard. Turn up at the right time and there’s a reasonable chance that you’ll get on the bus and be on your way to your destination in no time. I managed to catch quite a few buses in my short time in Sweden, but there’s one in particular that…
February 19, 2012 / No Comment / Read More

When I first started planning a trip to the Arctic Circle, my sole plan was to see the northern lights. Luckily, I found quite a few activities to keep me busy during the (few) daylight hours as well; the most interesting of these was the opportunity to go dogsledding in nearby Jokkmokk. I don’t think…
February 7, 2012 / No Comment / Read More
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