The snowflakes being buffeted in the light wind of daybreak looked very picturesque but it was not ideal for driving. Ten centimeters of snow had fallen through the night and all the cars in the carpark looked the same with their white cloaks on. After the second guess, we found our car, swept off all the snow and loaded our luggage...Rovaniemi, here we come!!

It took a very uneventful two hours to reach Maria's sister's house and with impeccable timing, Katja had the coffee ready, gurgling away in the machine.

It was pre-arranged to have a Lappish evening at Laura & Janne's. Traditional Lappish dinner followed by sauna and palju (a hot tub heated by a wood fire). Janne, being a great hunter, had moose on the menu - made into a stew with beer, it ticked all the boxes. Dessert seemed an unusual combination, leipäjuusto (a type of cheese) cooked in a vanilla cream served with handpicked cloudberries, but was a deliciously tasting surprise.

The remainder of the evening, and a few hours of early Sunday morning, was spent in a continual cycle of sauna, palju and rolling in the snow, all the while tasting a variety of Finnish beers.