NORDIC ESCAPE
The unexplored terrain of the Finnish Arctic beckons
The air’s crisp. The profound silence only broken by the crunch of snow underfoot. There’s a slight breeze. As you step indoors, the distinct aroma of the forest, specifically that of wood, envelopes the senses. Not just any wood, but a kind of pine that lived for hundreds of years growing harder with every short burst of Arctic spring. Offering first, its branches for birds to rest on. Afterwards its wood for the Lappish people to nest in.
I’m in a Lappish nest. But it’s no ordinary nest, mind you. The L7 Luxury Lodge, in the tiny Finnish village of Äkäslompolo, is a rustic-chic, seven-room villa, built of that wood they call kelo. And, it’s built on a parcel of real estate that the indigenous people of Lapland, like the Sami, consider sacred. They believe the land is used by magical creatures like elves and trolls. Creatures that are an integral part of Nordic mythology. “This land was in my family for generations,” says Meeri Qvist, as we sink into plush sofas within scalding distance of the fire place. Meeri and her husband Toivo own L7, and Ylläshumina, a family-run property in the nearby Finnish ski resort of Ylläs. “An ancestor sold it to a bank and the bank decided to build on this land. Sami elders told them not to, but they didn’t yield. The villa was struck and burnt by lightning. It was then rebuilt after appeasing the magical creatures,” she says, most earnestly. Now the land and the villa are back with her. And, since the trolls don’t seem to mind anymore, she’s welcoming guests into L7.
Here, deep in the Finnish Arctic, on the fringes of the Pallas-Ylläs National Park, surrounded by forests of tall pines and snow piled several feet high, it’s easy to believe Nordic legends involving elves and trolls. Also, sacred forests, rivers and lakes. L7 sits on the edge of one such lake, Kukaslompolo, and is about 5km from another. On a sunny day you can hike to the lake. On a snow-bound one like today, you can snowshoe or ski over. In fact, that’s the crux of why you would want to visit. The ability to spend much of your time outdoors and in that proverbial lap of
nature. Or, if one could use the latest fad term, be out ‘forest bathing’. The Fins, of course, have their own way of phrasing it. “Metsä on suomalaisen kirkko”. Loosely, it translates to: “the forest is our church”.
So, ski in and ski out of L7 in winter. Kayak, hike, and forage for herbs, berries and shrooms in spring and summer. Bathe in the aura of the Northern Lights through autumn and winter. (October-November, with the darkest nights, are the best time to see them.) It’s a good thing L7’s tariff includes the use of not just gear such as skis and sleds, but also winter clothing. There’s also an outdoor jacuzzi and a traditional Finnish sauna, inside.
There’s more magic on the plates of food that turn up at every meal. Elk and reindeer, lingonberry and cloudberry, nettle, birch, dandelion and yarrow—all sourced from the forest around—making every meal a festival of the palate. Yes, there is a lot more vegetarian fare on offer than we’ve ever given the Nordic people credit for. Think smoked celery soup with walnuts; a mushroom ravioli in pine butter sauce with parsnip fritters; spruce pannacotta with spruce shoot syrup, meringue and a salted nut crumble.
Go with friends and rent a few rooms or make a family reunion out of it. In the rooms, where Nordic minimalism is on display, they won’t be left wanting for any creature comfort. Unless you count satellite TV and iPod docks among those. No, this lodge is for those who are happy to leave all that behind, even if only for a short while. There is wi-fi, though. And plenty of good coffee, and woollen blankets to keep you warm. The magic of that, the snow and the kirkko outside should keep you happy.