Today was the day we could finally relax. No early appointments and some free time to roam around. We decided to visit the lake that shares it’s name with the town: Äkäslompolo. Like everything else the lake is completely frozen. It is a lovely -24°C outside, so we put on enough warm clothes and head out for a nice walk.

The lake is a beautiful open area. With the fresh snow and the sun shining we’re enjoying the walk a lot. There were hardly any other people around so we had the lake all to ourselves. We spotted a watchtower on the far side so we cross the lake straight through. The watchtower gives a great view over the lake, hill and the town.

The coloured sky above the snowy landscape. The mountain with the ski-resort on the left.

All relaxed we did some grocery shopping, so we didn’t have to do anything after our next activity. Because we were going to dive into the ultimate Finnish tradition. We’ll be doing a sauna ritual in a classic Finnish sauna. The sauna is in a small wooded lodge right next to the lake. Classically heated by wood and the water is directly pumped from the lake. And to make it complete there is a small pier from the cabin to a hole in the ice. Kept open using pumps to keep the water from freezing up. After a short introduction form the owners the hut and sauna is ours to enjoy.

I forgot to take a picture of the little sauna hut

Outside it is still -25°C but the hut is kept at a nice room-temperature. We undress to our bathing suits and enter the sauna. Adding some wood to the furnace and adding water to get it up to 90°C. And, as we heat up and need to cool down, we walk outside over the peer. The temperature outside is still freezing, but it is hardly noticeable. One by one we take the stairs into the water. The coldness grips your body, and it feels like it stings all over. I was reminded of the dip I took last year. First dip I only went in half, the cold was too much. After this first dip we rush back inside. Careful to not freeze to the door handle. Warming up a bit in the dressing area before going back to the sauna. We get the sauna hot again and after a while we take another dip. This time going all the way up to my neck. The contrast between the heat and cold is extreme but really relaxing. We repeat this a few times until it is time to head home.

One of us had stayed home and already prepared most of the dinner while we were away, so we could just eat and relax the rest of the evening. Only thing left to do was packing because sadly we were going to travel back home over the next two days.