Grey Skies and Happy Sighs...: 20th December 2024, Arctic Trip Day One, Heathrow to Kiruna.

Hello again my lovelies! As promised, here are some of the photos and videos from the first day of our recent trip to Sweden and Norway. As I mentioned in my previous post, on Thursday 19th December we drove down to London to see my brother before heading to Heathrow Airport. We parked at one of the Long Stay car parks, and got the shuttle bus to Terminal Two, where we camped out for the night. This was actually my third time camping at Heathrow, haha! Sometimes the flight is so early that you can't get public transport in time to get there in the morning, and it really doesn't make sense to get a hotel room the night before if you're not even going to have time to sleep in it. So, we found a quiet corner of the Terminal, laid our coats down, and slept on the floor for a couple of hours, before getting up, freshening up, and heading through security at 04:00.

Big Smiles. Parked up and heading to Heathrow Airport!

Camping out at Terminal 2. Who says you can't wear sequins when you're sleeping on the floor?

Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Excited!

Sunrise over London.

We caught the 06:40 SAS flight from Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda airport, and managed to sleep a little on the plane. It was a very comfortable flight, and the smoothest landing I've ever experienced! I was in the window seat (as always) and if I hadn't been watching, I wouldn't have known we hit the tarmac. Well done to that pilot! Arlanda airport was beautiful, which isn't an adjective I've ever used to describe an airport before! We had some time to explore a little before our next flight, and everything was so neat and clean and attractive. Even the restaurants and all the food on display looked so, so good. There was lots of fresh seafood on offer, and everything was a far cry from the dirty, littered, fast food places you see in so many airports.

Pilot's Glory, Atmospheric Phenomenon.

We caught our second flight at 11:45 to Kiruna, and that was another smooth journey. It was interesting to watch the daylight fade away behind us, despite the fact it was so early. We were flying into the Arctic Circle, which at this time of year experiences Polar Night, so it was our last proper glimpse of the sun for a week. Once we descended through the clouds again we were able to see the snow covered landscape below us, and started to get really excited. We were well and truly in the Arctic now, and had a week of adventures ahead of us.

Stockholm Arlanda to Kiruna Airports. Beyond excited!

Our last glimpse of the sun for a week as we headed into the Arctic Circle and Polar Night.

We landed safely in Kiruna by 13:20, where we had to leave the plane and walk across the tarmac to the terminal in the snow. It was -11°C with fresh snow falling, and felt like a perfect welcome! We were picked up by a taxi and driven to Camp Ripan, our home for the next two days. I had actually stayed here for a couple of nights back in (I think?) March 2004, before staying at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi for a night, so it was nice to be back. (More information on the Ice Hotel can be found HERE.) Things had definitely changed around the camp, and although I remember it being great then, it is even more wonderful now, after two decades of improvements. We checked in at the reception in the main building, and then made our way to our private cabin nearby.

Welcomed to Kiruna with fresh snow!

As you can probably imagine, it was very cold being in the Arctic during midwinter, and we had packed accordingly with many layers and lots of thermals. Outside, you definitely needed all the proper gear. Inside, however? Well, every single place we visited was so well built and insulated, that we felt too warm more often than not. In fact, quite a lot of time was taken up during our trip by dressing for the outdoors, and then undressing for the indoors, haha! It just shows you how well made everything is there. Obviously they're used to the harsh winters, and they build accordingly, but it was interesting to see what can be achieved when you try.

Camp Ripan Restaurant.

Whitefish Roe Amuse Bouche.

Shiitake mushroom soup with grated reindeer heart.

Living my best life.

We were very tired after all our travels and it felt good to be in our own space, so we took a shower and a nap, and recharged for a while, before getting ready for our evening plans. I remembered the restaurant at Camp Ripan being incredible the last time I was there, with a lot of focus on local produce and sustainable practices, and I'm happy to tell you that they have only improved since then. We both had the tasting menu, which was PHENOMENAL, and as you can see from the photos, the portions were more than generous! The wait staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive, and they made sure we could take our time during each course, so we were able to savour every bite. It was truly one of the most delicious and memorable meals I've ever eaten, and a wonderful way to start our holiday off right!