All too soon it was time to leave Saariselka. This was one of the hardest things to do. As the daylight came, we walked around the village, just taking it all in. Outside the shops there are dog tie ups and places to park your sleds and skis. The road is constantly driven over by snowploughs, with loaders picking up buckets of snow and moving them into big piles, making new play areas for kids! The signs are iced over, the park benches covered in snow. We hear a whistling noise and turn round to see a husky and sled coming up the frozen footpath, with a lady carrying her supermarket shopping. Some locals are out walking their dogs. Big trucks drive In with supplies. The streetlights light up the falling snow, making it sparkle like glitter. The town is so isolated and has its own rhythms... You adapt very quickly to the way things are. Tears come unashamedly as we say goodbye to this magical area. As the kids collect some souvenirs then watch wild reindeer graze through the bus windows, they keep repeating "I don't want to go, I'm not ready to leave". The sun sets again, and in the darkness we say goodbye, and head into what may be the worlds friendliest airport. I don't recall ever being so deeply affected by a place. The activities we did and experiences we had were amazing, but for me the enchantment was more about the mood: the landscape, the people, the sheer simplicity In the way of life there. Saariselka has taken a piece of my heart, and I don't want it back. I want it to always have that hold over me. Let me come back to the winter wilderness Whose darkness lights a fire inside Let me eat Finnish food And make Finnish friends Let Lappish life surround my soul And Lappish landscapes engulf me Let this one visit be just the start For Saariselka has stolen my heart. Next stop London to see much loved family!