Travel With Liz : Postcards from the Arctic Circle

I’m hot off the boat from frosty Finland. As sad as I was to leave a perfect winter wonderland, I am pretty stoked to be back on New Zealand soil soaking up the few remaining days of summer while I can. The nights are already smelling crisp like autumn, I am so excited.

That being said, it doesn’t take much for me to miss Finland, especially the wild north of Lapland and my very first visit inside the Arctic Circle. What a magical place, I have never seen so much snow! Alberta, Canada gave me a taste but it was nothing like this.

Cue giddy schoolgirl moments every hour. I just can’t help myself guys. This was a fairytale come to life. Just look at those snow monsters, I mean snow trees. Come on!

To be honest, I am still reeling a bit from the trip – it was that amazing and memorable. For me it was a trip of firsts and challenges, trying new things and immersing myself in a place I’ve been dreaming of visiting for a long time. And don’t quote me on this but I think it might be my last big solo trip for a while. But more on that soon.

For someone with a brain that never stops and is constantly overwhelmed by just about anything, it’s a lot to process.

So I thought I’d start to organize my feelings here by sharing some of my favorite snaps from the trip with you. You might have seen some on my Instagram or Snapchat but here’s a handful more with a story or two alongside.

So grab a cuppa, sit back, imagine some reindeer bells and enjoy as I try to share my journey around Finnish Lapland through my lens.

I checked into a glass igloo for the night which is probably one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed and I don’t say that lightly. The snow was piled so high it came up towards the windows and sat on the roof like icing, sparkling under the lights.

I had never seen snow like that before. I also want to take a second to mention that March in Finland is the best winter month to visit, the days are long and it’s not that cold, it hovered just below freezing the whole time I was there, I was expecting it to be much colder. But I ramble.

I fell asleep curled up in my favorite winter onesie hoping the clouds would lift and I would catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. The hotel even gives you a cell phone that will text if the aurora is on, but alas, Santa didn’t hear my prayers, which was good because I slept like a log.

@pinmapple