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Its that time of year again when i get a calling
from Mr 'C' that's Santa Claus to you and me..

Started my journey on Tuesday From Manchester.
The Gits ?
Got told to take me shoes off and put them through
the x-ray machine lol... I wasnt the only one.

Boy i wish this was my plane?
As mine was an hour late


As i legged it to the gate when i seen these and had to
stop a take a quick picture.


Massarge Chairs, at £2 a go, but i guess you can just
sit in them for a while in comfort too lol...

At last took off with 15mins to run between aircraft
at Helsinki (Finland) just time to spot some crazy socks
in the que as you do lol....



Eventually landed in lapland and then an 2hr drive in to
nowhere... Luggage as per usual still in Helsinki
but it arrived the very next day (Phew)..

So this is my view at the breakfast table



About 40cm of snow and today - 16c

I decided to go for a little walk after i had been
clearing the snow on the drive,



This is about 12 noon,
looking over the lake and we cant see the sun,
only its reflection in the sky, it wont go
high enough until mid january 2007.
So no direct sunlight for me

So off to the snow castle i go to help out
the english tourists.

And as requested by katie "Can you take a picture
of a Raindeer?"
Here we go hun



Not sure of his name yet as i was in a hurry to get back
to work, as i was being interviewed by the local paper
"An English man in Lapland" lol....
God only knows what it will turn out like.

Pictures arnt the best as there off my phone camera
and its an old phone.
But the glowing bits you see are flames from the candles.



I took some inside pics and they were too dark,
along with the video footage too.

But i took some other video's earlier in the day.
have a peek if you so wish...

Video 1

Video 2

I'm 2hrs in front of you guys so its just gone
Midnight lol...

will catch up when i can

Woot looking good!

Thats somewhere id love to go, but the sun sea and sand usually takes priority.

Keep putting the pics up

do you think mark, that the amount of time you have spent with sant that he has began to develope a slight geordie accent or am i just being a silly tit

Damn i'd love to fook around in all that snow. Great pics mate,like the random ones. U had to have ur shoes X-rayed??? what cud u possibley have in ur shoes?

Yayyyyy thank you mark!!!
Raindears WOOP!!
Good pics there, im really jelous!

Dont forget you promised to bring me back some snow!!


I think you should of warned me before i watched that 2nd video

I used to really want to go there, but then realised Lapland has nothing to do with lapdancing

Bring some Snow back with you Mark - and not the yellow stuff

its looks lovely there Mark, wish i was there. hope u have a good time

Neva noticed webby went away till he posted this up!

great pics, wishin there was some snow over here now.



Prob thought he lookd dodgy na looks like they put on extra security ye neva no these days peeps knows the lil tricks, ye cud stick a shaving blade in ye shoe and if they dnt check then ye no the story. Prob checkin if there are things in ye shoes that sudnt be.

looks amazing out there, looks like your having a great time.

very jealous of you love the veiw from breakfast table

That could be true, but being so close to him,
i just dont notice anymore lol..



I was Shocked too, i didnt think that i heard the woman
right and said "What?" and she said "Keys and Shoes"
So yeh be warned this is part of the new security and
its faily common now. Good job i didnt have holy socks on.


There is a storey to tell but i thought i would give
you a day to react.

1st Raindeer meat is like fillet steak in Finland.
so its very expensive for what it is.

2nd The Dog chewing the bone is the reason the meat
was being sliced up as she had gone into a neighbours
Tee Pee (That's what they look like) and stole a leg
of Raindeer. Which is now costing the missus brother
about £70. It tastes like Strong beef.
Dont worry it took me a few visits before i begun
to loose the Red Nose Picture in my head.


I havent forgot, like i say it may look like an ice cube
by the time i get around to giving it to you lol...

======================================
Today I woke to -20c
Just a little chilly lol....
But it did get colder down to -22c.
Indoors +20c Outside -20c


I just had time to take a picture of the huskies before
we begun to loose the light. (see Video too)

Quick Video of the huskies,
there really happy at -20c its there comfort zone.
They bark and bark as they just want to run all the time.

Video Click Me
(Nothing Nasty Katie)

Then i managed to get some pictures from inside the
Snow Castle, before the Santa Seekers Arrived.
It changes every year as it melts away in the spring.
It always has a temprature of - 5 or -7 regardless
of any lower tempratures outside. So it felt warm today.

Entering the Castle.


Main Room - where you can have a warm drink


Sitting at the Ice Tables


Under the Ice Tables


Random Stuff Now -
Eagle And Salmon Made of Ice







Fireplace Made of Ice


A Bear Cub - But look at its face, there must be
a ghost as its not me.



Living Room


BedRoom


Bathroom - Bath Tub


Wash Baison


And the best of all the BOG


Northern Lights
I tried and i tried to get pics, but all blank screens
even night settings, and video "Nothing"
They were amazing tonight, ive never seen them so
bright and so many in the night sky at once.
I will keep trying, but i know your not going to see
what i see as the camera kind of lies with night shots.

You should be seeing somthing like this.



That's it for now, but i had a great day
Ive got a few busy days ahead of me catching up
with friends and family, and being in the snow
castle, so it may be a day or two for the next update.

Ive started to wish all the santa seekers merry christmas
allready lol...

I went there a few years back at christmas, got myself a little certificate saying i crossed the arctic circle, drove the snow-mobiles, got pulled by dogs and met father christmas, was awesome.

Drank some weird stuff and ate some weird stuff too.

Only -33 today
Its going to be colder tomorrow...

Super Thermal "Y" fronts out the draw lol

u having a gud time mark??
missing ye xx

Aww it looks so amazing, im so jealous lol bring me back one of them dogs lol

If you dont mind me asking (dunno if anyone else has) how much did to cost you? It's something id consider saving up for so i could go in the (far) future lol

I'm havin a screem, the colder it gets the funnier it
gets as those kids freeze.....


There Huskies Izzy


Its cost me about £350 this year for my flights
as i stay with family when over this end.
Those were the cheapest flights i could find for christmas
time, and it was stupid prices either side, its not a direct
flight, as i have to change at Helsinki Airport.
As there is only one company at this time of year
flying to the second nearest airport.
Then its a 2hr drive in the car then i'm in "Hetta"
where santa is.

You can get the one day trips for about £400 per person,
and thats the santa day if you like with direct flights.