Metsä as in Forest.

When it all gets too much and sorry kids to be the one to break the news, but it will keep on doing that now and then. Life will keep on throwing you lemons and mess up that perky selfie of your’s. Over and over again. The sooner you accept that the better. To ease the pain, head North for the ultimate silence and into-the-sticks experience.

 

I am not the biggest fan of snow. As a kid,when my family used to travel to Lapland for skiing, I refused to leave the cabin. Being alone in the warmth of the cottage easily won over that wet wool mitten smell and cold-air-hurting-my-ears phenomenon. So, exactly now is the time to go to Lapland. No snow, no mosquitoes. Just peace, crisp air and maybe a light-cocktail of Aurora Borealis, the colourful hurricane of the north.

Don’t be fooled. I’m not going to be the one camping or even glamping (this time) although I was in the girl scouts and did do all kinds of earthy things. I want comfort and warmth as side dishes to the fresh air and forest zen main course. And somebody please bring me stuff when I call on WhatsApp and do pick me up in a nice car at the airport and take me around to feed reindeer and other exotic experiences before bringing me back to safety in my nest.

For a bit of wild luxury with and a stylish architectual touch, try The Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland. You can find the modern wooden cubicles nests , designed by Studio Puisto, in the middle of the forest by the arctic circle.

The architecture was inspired by a very basic and traditional children’s homemade toy ‘käpylehmä’, a no-nonsence want-something-to-do-kid?….well, go-out-and-make-yourself-a- toy out of a pine cone, just add some mini sticks for legs. Simple as that, pine cone cow.

When you get tired of room service and staring at the trees through your window, put on those rubber boots (check out these hard core ones called Koli from Nokia Footwear. A perfect match with your, and mine, classy Barbour-jacket)  and step out into the wilderness. You might meet a reindeer or, if you’re lucky, that guy with the long white beard and a red outfit. Ho-ho…

You can also skip the wilderness moment and have somebody pick you up and take you a couple of hundred metres to the restaurant Rakas (my lovely) and order som Scandi fresh food.

 

What you need to do though is hurry up…snow usually arrives mid October. So, just go!

Some useful buddhist advice on how to handle the journey called life here. For more info and to book your stay at The Arctic TreeHouse Hotel go here. Escape the escape? More to do in the North on Visit Rovaniemi’s Site.