Rovaniemi

My host was so kind enough to lend me his bike so I could discover the city and a nearby city where a couple of small people and a fat man with a beard live.
But on my way there, I stopped by on an island on the river that goes through Rovaniemi. There some student wildlife organization or something had layed out a wooden path for tourists to have a look around on the almost swamp like island. It included a tower for bird watching. With the sun shining it was really nice to see.
After that and a stop at a huge supermarket in the middle of nowhere to get some food, I went on to greet Santa, who by the way talks very good German. Sadly I forgot to put on my kilt which would have given it a nice touch, but then again it would have been difficult for cycling. It was also nice to cross the Arctic circle, just for the thought that I have been really high up north. This also meant that the night was extremely short with darkness not even being an hour long.
On my way home I pushed my bike up a hill with a watch tower from where I had a great view across Rovaniemi and the endless coniferous forest. I wanted to go downhill on the other side but the way ended after 20m, so I pushed my bike down a stone slope and through some bushes to reach a small road that led me back to the main road. Luckily in Finland as in other Scandinavian countries there is a public right for roaming around freely.
My host and I had a lot of fun together, because we both love British comedy, and watched the whole Blackadder goes Forth series as well as some parts from his ¨Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl¨ DVD. He also let me use his Finnish sauna, which was great.