After a long overnight journey from Helsinki to our stay at Kemi, the guides had planned to make an intermediate stop at Oulu as hotel check-in starts only in the afternoon. It was 10 in the morning and the sun hadn’t come out yet. The temperature was -15°C and one could feel the cold creeping in through the multiple layers. My friend and I decided to explore Nallikari Lake and explore the old town centre while heading back. In Finland, one can use the Waltti Mobile app to book tickets. The ride from Oulu centre to Nallikari takes around 30 mins and since we had only 2 hours to spend in Oulu, we had time constraints too.
The view completely blew our minds out. We were welcomed by a long stretch of beach covered in snow and water frozen thick. I could see some tourists walking on the frozen water. We were able to capture the first light of the day and it was just beautiful with a white sheet of snow covering the whole place.
Sights in Oulu
After walking the long stretch for an hour, it was time to head back to the city to explore the market hall and old town. The thought of the frozen beach was still running through my mind. We started exploring the town of Oulu. The temperature slowly started to drop down as the sun set within 3 hours. In front of the market hall was the Toripolisi statue or the famous fat policeman statue. It’s a bronze statue standing tall at 2.2 meters. It has been the symbol of Oulu since it was inaugurated.
The market hall was filled with tourists and locals alike. There were meat and bakeries that attracted most of the crowd. After taking a walk, we decided to head to the nearest coffee shop to grab a light breakfast before heading to the bus. It was time for us to head to the hotel in Tornio where we would be staying for the next two days. We had around 8 hours to take some rest and get ready for the first northern lights chase in Kemi. I was checking the Aurora forecast and weather on my phone now and then to be sure of Aurora’s activity. Heavy snow and ice coverage takes a heavy toll on bus drivers and messes up the GPS as the diversions are not updated and most of the roads are shortened to avoid vehicles slipping over the edge. Our drivers lost track of the route and we were circling the area.
After 1 hour the other bus along with the guide came to our rescue. We were getting closer to the location and everyone was eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of the northern lights. Once we reached there, I could see people with campfires and mobile flashes enjoying the night sky. I quickly set up my tripod and camera and took a shot of the starry sky to get accustomed to the correct setting and the darkness.
Suddenly at one corner of the frozen lake nature decided to throw us a party with dancing green aurora lights. I quickly took some photos and then started to enjoy the view just like Sean Penn mentioned in the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” –
If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.
Though we missed an hour because of the weather, we were lucky to get some intense Auroras which could be seen with the naked eye and also captured via mobile cameras.
Though my hands were freezing, I just ignored them as this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Time flew and we got on the bus to return to our hotels. To our amazement, the aurora started shining with more intensity. We asked the guide to ask the driver to stop the vehicle and all three buses stopped and everyone was outside again enjoying nature’s little dance. This time, the sky was lit green and near the border of the aurora, it was slightly red as well.
After a few minutes, everyone was asked to get on the bus so that we could make our journey back to the hotel. Magical Lapland awaits us for the next two days.
Conclusion
One of the best nights of the trip, thanks to Northern Lights for showing up after many hiccups on the way. The frozen lake will definitely be a new experience for anyone.
