Kiruna

Looks like I haven't updated in a while... well, Monday I got back from a 4-day trip to Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost city. The only unfortunate aspect of the trip was the nearly 20-hour train transport each way, the majority of which was in sleeper trains. For some reason Allison is jealous because I was on a sleeper train... Allison, they are NOT comfy and cozy haha, but when you're with 60 of your friends, it's fun.

First day: We arrived to Kiruna over 3 hours late because the sleeper train broke down overnight. That afternoon, I went on a tour of the iron ore and copper mines in Kiruna, which are major sources of income for the city. The tourist office wasn't offering tours that day but recommended that we contact an older, retired tour guide for a private tour. As it turned out, the private tour was actually cheaper and, from what I heard from others who went on the city's tour, much more interesting. He gave us a rundown of the mines' history, how the city was developed around the mines, and explained the process used to dig the tunnels and extract the ore.

Then, we got a little surprise... the tour guide actually grew and sold shii-take mushrooms in the mines. We got to take some back to the hostel for free and cook with them... yummy.

That night, a group of about 30 of us from the hostel climbed to the top of a ski slope in town to catch a glimpse of the northern lights. It was bitter cold outside (the city is WELL north of the Arctic Circle) and a clear night, so we got a very good view. However, they weren't bright enough to be picked up by my camera. I have a couple of pictures of the city from the top of the slope.

Day 2: A group of us decided to walk down to Kiruna Camping and rent snowshoes. The company had a ton of trails in the woods and we caught some great views of the wilderness around Kiruna. Where you may expect just Arctic tundra, given Kiruna's latitude, the city was surrounded by evergreen forests. Reindeer and moose are actually native to these forests, and reindeer is practically a delicacy in Kiruna (I didn't get to try it).

A dinner and a party was organized for the students that night. The dinner was a buffet at a restaurant attached to the hostel, and we went to one of the TWO bars in Kiruna for the party.

Third Day: On the first day of the trip, we tried going to Kiruna Church and, just our stroke of luck, the church was closed. I went back alone on Day 3 and was actually able to get in. It was probably one of the most beautiful buildings I had ever seen. While many of the churches in Sweden are built out of stone, Kiruna's Church was built more recently and was entirely made of wood (and probably some steel for support). Another interesting feature was the bell tower, which was separate from the church and an architectural masterpiece in itself.

Then came the highlight of the trip: DOGSLEDDING!! The company gave us warm weather gear (body suit, hat, mittens, insulated boots, etc.) and grouped us into fours. I can honestly say that I have never seen the night sky like I did once we were a few kilometers into the woods, it was magnificient. We did not get a view of the auroras while on the sled, but just the stars alone were more than worth it. There was a teepee along the trail where we were able to start a fire and warm up with tea, coffee, and snacks.



Later that night we went out for one last view of the northern lights. We went to the same teepee we saw while showshoeing and got a GREAT view. Again, my camera was not able to pick them up, so no pictures here.

Fourth Day: Before leaving Kiruna we visited the Ice Hotel just outside of the city. I have to say it was probably the most interesting structure I have ever seen. Indeed, people can stay in the hotel. Some of the rooms were very simple, just beds inside of a snow room, but some (the expensive ones) contained ice sculptures worked on for weeks by professional ice artists, for lack of a better word, from around the world. The walls and general strcuture were composed of artificial snow, and ice blocks were used as supports and carved for decorations. All of the water used to make the snow and ice blocks is obtained from the nearby Torne River.

The Ice Hotel is not just a hotel. There was a church (of course, made of snow and ice) attached, and the Ice Hotel is actually a fairly popular spot for weddings and honeymoons. The hotel is only open from December to March and, during that time, the church is able to hold the third-most weddings per year of any individual church in Sweden. There were actually three planned for the day that we were there.

There was also an ice bar inside the hotel. Even the glasses were made of ice! You actually have to buy your glass and, to keep it from melting/shattering, you're only allowed 4-5 drinks per glass (though one person once got 22 drinks out of one, a record).