The Unique Ice Hotel
The Ice Hotel is open to the public in the day as a museum. A guided tour starts at the warm accomodation (a regular hotel next to the Ice Hotel) where you’re suited up to withstand the cold. Think chunky boots, waterproof jacket and fur-lined leather hat.
It’s amazing to learn that the Ice Hotel is built from scratch every year. Over 100 people are involved in the construction, with artists and designers flown in from all over the world, to start the building process in November.
The hotel is ready in mid-December and lasts until April before it melts away. Over 1,000 tonnes of ice is used and carved into works of art as each room is different and some are even thematic!
Mermaids, dragons and clouds adorn the walls and even the beds are made out of ice blocks! Reindeer skins are laid on top of mattresses and guests are dressed in thermal wear and zipped into a sleeping bag for the night.
It would’ve been rude not to at least sample one of Sweden’s most famous exports, Absolut Vodka. At the ice bar, the glasses are made entirely out of ice and each guest gets a brand new one.
The Exciting Aurora Expedition
That night, we began our adventure in search of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, which is caused by the collision of gaseous particles in Earth’s atmosphere.
The snowmobile tour takes you into the countryside with hopes of catching a glimpse of this phenomenon. With temperatures dropping to -30 degrees Celsius at night, we were first suitably dressed, then given a quick lesson on how to handle a snowmobile. These machines are fast! Imagine going from 0 to 60mph in 2 seconds!
Riding at high-speed in darkness over frozen lakes and a snowy countryside can only be described as exhilarating. After a stop in a log cabin with a fire and sandwiches and tea [Bliss!] we rode for another hour but still had no sight of the auroras. It was time to call it a night.
All of a sudden, the guide pointed to a faint streak of green in the sky. Just when we had given up hope, we were rewarded with a glimpse of nature’s legendary beauty.
ADVERTISEMENTS