Rovaniemi: First Impressions of the City
Rovaniemi, February 26th, 2018.
My first day in Rovaniemi has been quite relaxed. To be honest, I’ve barely done anything aside from socializing with people at the hostel. I was exhausted and wanted to recharge for the coming days because I wanted to make the most of them.
When I arrived at the bus stop, it was a bit disorienting. I was very tired from the journey, extremely hungry, and feeling a little lost. So, the first thing I did was eat my tortilla sandwich right there at the station and check my phone to figure out how to get to the city center. As I mentioned in my previous post, I headed to the Coffee House since my check-in at the hostel wasn’t until 2:00 PM, and it was only a little past 11:00 AM.
In my opinion, the directions from the bus station to the city center aren’t entirely clear. Even though it’s nearby, it’s not easy to navigate. Thank goodness for Google Maps!
Accommodation: the Wherever Hostel
The hostel where I’ll be staying for the first few days is the Wherever Hostel. It’s located on Kansankatu 10, and at first, I had trouble finding it because the entrance is through an unmarked doorway. So, I wandered around for a while until the hostel staff saw me and opened the door. Thank goodness!
That said, I have to admit that staying here was a great decision—it’s one of the best hostels I’ve ever been to. Normally, since I haven’t traveled alone much, I’ve always stayed in private rooms with my travel companion. I rarely choose shared rooms, but when traveling solo, it’s the best option—both economically and for meeting people.
Wherever Hostel offers both shared and private rooms. The shared ones have three bunk beds (six beds in total). Each room includes a wardrobe, two small tables, hangers, individual lamps, power outlets, and a set of towels for each guest. So far, I’m sharing my room with two French ladies and another girl.
The hostel has a common room with a large sofa, a table and chairs, a desk (equipped with a power strip and printer); a fully stocked kitchen with a fridge, microwave, and cooking utensils; a shower room, and a separate room with two sinks. Everything is beautifully decorated in a vintage style, which I find very cozy. It feels like home, and the atmosphere is both peaceful and lively.
First Encounters
At this hostel, I met someone who has already made my stay in Rovaniemi a lot more enjoyable. His name is Michael, an Australian guy with quite an interesting background. He told me that he spent 10 years in the Australian Navy before leaving everything behind to travel across Europe. Now, his dream is to open his own backpackers’ hostel to meet people from all over the world.
He’s quite a peculiar guy in many ways, but without a doubt, there are moments with him that I’ll always remember—especially his constant rum cocktails and his famous line: “I’m drunk, but I’m not an alcoholic.” Not to mention our northern lights hunt, which I’ll explain later.
First Plan of the Night: Chasing the Northern Lights
This afternoon, I saw that the northern lights forecast for Rovaniemi was 3KP, so I convinced my new travel buddy to go on an expedition. He had been reading the Lapland travel magazine provided at the hostel and found that one of the best spots to see the auroras was by the Kemi River. So, we made plans to have dinner (some reheated lasagna and pasta) and then head out in search of the lights.
We zigzagged our way north through the city from the hostel, passing McDonald’s, the Arktikum Museum, and a bridge before reaching the river. There, we ran into a Japanese guy from our hostel who was also on the same mission. But he wasn’t the only one—surprisingly, the river was packed with people looking for the auroras. Small groups were scattered around—some near the riverbank, others in the middle of the frozen river. Many had cameras and tripods, ready to capture the moment.
We walked further onto the river and spent some time staring toward the north. At first, we saw nothing. The sky was clear, but clouds were rolling in from the south. After about half an hour, we noticed a faint greenish streak across the horizon… It definitely wasn’t a cloud—it was an aurora! We knew it was one (green clouds don’t exist, right?), but we confirmed it when the Japanese guy showed us a picture he had taken with his DSLR. The green hue was clearly visible in the photo.
Yes, we saw an aurora, but honestly, I don’t count it as really seeing the northern lights because it was so faint. I want to see more!!!
A Mandatory Stop at McDonald’s in Rovaniemi
After spending quite some time freezing by the Kemi River, we headed back to the city center. That’s when we realized how bad the food we had earlier was because we were starving again. But there’s one place that never fails in these situations—McDonald’s. No matter what time it is, even if everything else is closed, there’s always a 24-hour McDonald’s. Surprisingly, for the time of night, the restaurant was quite busy (including a very drunk guy who could barely stand).
After our second dinner, we returned to the hostel in downtown Rovaniemi. The ground was incredibly slippery due to the ice, and more than once, I almost fell. I don’t know if my travel buddy will ever read this, but I have to confess… he did slip in the middle of the street. 😂 The worst part? There were people nearby, and there was direct eye contact. That person will never forget “The Great Fall”!
Plans for the Coming Days
I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying in Rovaniemi, but for now, there are two things I must do: a husky safari and a visit to Santa Claus Village. I’ll keep you posted! 🙂
In the meantime, if you haven’t read my previous post about my bus journey to Rovaniemi, here’s the link. It was quite an adventure, but I’m convinced it was worth it!
