Christmas Break Itinerary 行程大綱
Uppsala →(by train) → Kiruna →(by train) → Abisqo →(by train) → Narviq →(by bus, but CS host came to pick us up) → Tromso → (Flight back to Uppsala)
基律納，瑞典在北極圈內的城市，過去以鐵礦聞名，而對於觀光客來說，近年的冰旅館(Ice Hotel)則是不能錯過的景點。從南部上來的話通常都得搭隔夜火車，我當時造訪適逢聖誕假期，火車坐得滿滿的。然而瑞典國鐵(SJ)在冬天特別容易延遲，當時我們就是因為積雪，整個列車大改道，本來要換車變成不用，但是卻在某個地方枯等了好幾個小時。就這樣，我們的行程大幅耽擱。一翻折騰，終於抵達我們的目的Kiruna，-16度，還好，比想像中暖一些。
Kiruna, a city in the Arctic circle, used to prosper because of its iron mine. For visitors, it is the Ice Hotel that makes this city so special. If you come to Kiruna from a southern city in Sweden, mostly you will come by an overnight train. When we visited Kiruna, it was during the Christmas break so the train was packed with passengers. The Swedish railroad (SJ) often delays in winter due to heavy snow. Our train was delayed for couple of hours. Because of the delay, our travel plans had to be changed. The journey to Kiruna was exhausting but we finally made it there. It was -16 degrees, warmer than what we had thought.
Kiruna Itinerary
Ice Hotel Tour → Dog Sledding Tour
Skiing Lesson →
LKAB (iron mine) Tour
因為是聖誕節假期，雖然觀光業理論上還是會營業，但各種交通工具和店家非常有可能不開門。第一天是平安夜，由於我們第一站是要去冰旅館，事先也問過到那邊的
巴士當天的班次，然而到了巴士站乾等發現根本沒有公車。幾番確認之後，才驚覺當天根本不會有公車到那！雖然內心憤怒，但還是只能緊急應變。我們先回到市中心，想著為了晚上的Dog Sled Tour要領點現金，到了ATM卻發現難不成連ATM都放假？很多台ATM都故障了，我們無可奈何之下到超市採買了一些食物順便Cash Back，幸好可行，接著便準備找餐廳吃午餐。前面提過，因為當天是聖誕節，因此很多餐廳沒開，我們在天寒地凍中找了好久，最後決定回到超市，卻發現超市居然關門了！唉，怪我們剛剛急著領錢太大意，超市今天只開到中午。最後在這種沒錢沒食物零下氣溫快斷糧的狀態下，我們好不容易找到間開張的Kebab店果腹。
Because it is Christmas break, people in the tourism industry should be still working. This is Sweden, however, so all transportation or shops could be closed. The first day we arrived was Christmas eve and the first stop we were going was the Ice Hotel. We inquired the bus company in advance and they told us that the bus should be operating on a weekend schedule, but we found out at last that the bus would not come that day. We were furious, but we could only go back to the city center first and get some cash for our dog sled tour at night while figuring our what to do. The ATM, however, seemed to be also on vacation. We tried many and they didn't work. We had no other means but to go to the supermarket and get cash back while getting some food. We were lucky enough to buy some food in the supermarket and find a kebab restaurant for our starving stomachs.
沒有公車到Ice Hotel，我們只能自己想辦法，而當時唯一的辦法就是搭計程車。就這樣，在這個物價比台灣貴五倍的國度，我第一次搭了計程車。不太久，我們到了冰旅館。在冰旅館的導覽開始前，我們先走到附近的一間木造老教堂Jukkasjärvi kyrka，當時以夜幕低垂，教堂關閉，只能在微微的燈光中想像木造教堂的風采。在寒夜裡，我們離開木教堂，回到冰旅館。我第一次聽到冰旅館，是在暑假的瑞典文課。當時的老師說，他每個瑞典朋友都沒去過，他的每個學生都去過了。冰旅館是個每年都長的不一樣的旅館，沒錯，因為她每年冬天建成，春天就付諸流水，待隔年冬天又是另一番風貌。旅館該有的她一應俱全，從房間、酒吧到教堂冰旅館都有，而且幾乎都是冰製成，沒有其他建材輔助。所有的顏色都是冰後打燈而非染色，因為那裏的冰來自附近純淨的河水，而沒有必要為了建造旅館汙染河川。客人晚上就是睡在冰屋裡，每個房間獨一無二，下午開放參觀晚上休息用。而人就睡在冰上，不過你有個睡袋，而那個睡袋據睡過的人說出乎意料的保暖。不過我實在對於-5度以下的旅館沒太大興趣，況且住一晚不便宜，因此拍照留念即可。而讓我們頭痛的交通問題，則是在連絡Dog Sled Tour之後由Tour的人來接送解決。
Since there were no buses to the Ice Hotel so the only way we could get there is by taxi. That was how I first ever got on a taxi in Sweden, a country which price levels is five times more expensive than mine. We got there in 30 minutes and we decided to sign up for a tour in the Ice hotel. There was some time left before the tour started, so we decided to visit a wooden church called Jukkasjärvi kyrka. It was already evening when we arrived, so the church was closed, and we could only see it from the dim light in the darkness. We walked back to the Ice Hotel in the chilly winter wind. The first time I heard about the Ice Hotel is in the Swedish class in summer. My Swedish teacher said none of his Swedish friend has ever visited the Ice Hotel but all of his students have been there. The Ice Hotel looks different every year because it is built from the winter ice and it melts into the river in spring. Everything in the hotel is made of ice, including the rooms, the bar and the chapel. The colors are lights because they do not want to pollute the water with chemical colors. Guests in the hotel live in rooms, like igloos, and every room is unique in design. They sleep on ice beds, but they get a cozy sleeping bag, which made them feel warmer than they originally imagined. Still, I was not interested in staying in a -5 degrees hotel, so taking a tour was enough. After our visit, we contacted the dog sled tour to pick us up.
Dog Sled Tour分為早上和晚上，我們選擇晚上是因為可能可以看到極光，但是不幸沒有遇到。晚上氣溫真的非常非常的低。當時除了包緊，幾乎沒有別的選擇，而且包緊還是覺得寒風刺骨。但是狗可不這麼覺得。牠們像嗑藥般亢奮，吠個不停。當天由負責人拉著狗，帶我們一路狂奔至大雪中的小屋，在小屋中生火吃三明治之後再狂奔回去。
There are dog sled tours both in the day time and at night. We chose to go at night because we might see the northern lights, but sadly we didn't wee them. It was really really cold at night. The only way to keep warm is to wear A LOT. Despite wearing like an Eskimo, I still felt freezing. The dogs, however, were hyper and kept barking. Under the control of our guide, the dogs dragged our sled all the way to a wooden house in the middle of the forest which is covered with snow. We set up fire and ate sandwich and then went back by dog sled.
第二天聖誕節當日，我們早上去報名
初級滑雪課程。第一次，我像是電影或海報上的人一樣，身著重裝，包的緊緊，帥氣的在腳上套上滑雪裝備，準備帥氣的滑雪。但可惜帥氣需要天分加上練習，偏偏我兩者都沒有，只能像是走路般痛苦的練習划行。更別說從山坡上滑下來了！我自然跌倒了，還爬不起來。
The second day was Christmas. In the morning, we took
ski course for beginners. Since I have never skied before, it felt like being in a movie poster. I thought I looked cool until I started to fall down. It was so difficult for me to learn to ski instead of walk with my ski shoes.
中午我們再度展開尋找餐廳大戰，千辛萬苦之後我們找到了間
泰國菜，果然泰國人不過聖誕節，店裡面高朋滿座，懶的在家裡做聖誕大餐的人還不少。我們當時看到泰國餐館除了主餐外還有沙拉吧，我們實在不想活在斷糧的陰影之下，於是決定多點一份主餐外帶，並順便多帶些沙拉吧走。想到自己不文明的行為覺得非常丟臉，但是為了怕斷糧還是偷偷的打包，這時只見泰國店員過來問我們需不需要塑膠袋！當下真的是又羞愧又感動！我們立刻問他們晚上開到幾點，聽到是八點，立刻決定晚上再來吃！
We had to look for another restaurant that is open on Christmas day so that we could get lunch. Luckily, we found this
Thai food restaurant. Since we did not want to run out of food again, we decided to buy some food to-go and secretly bring some salad bar with us. We felt embarrassed to bring salad with us since the salad was meant for dine-ins. Still, the bad experience of not being able to find food in the cold was so vivid that we still tried to put the salad in our to-go box. Surprisingly, when the waitress saw us packing food, she wasn't angry and offered a plastic bag! We were so grateful and asked if the restaurant is open at night. By knowing that the restaurant will be open till eight, we decided to come again for dinner!
晚上在吃飯前，我們造訪了著名的
鐵礦場。比起礦場給人辛苦、勞累、工作環境糟糕的印象，Kiruna的鐵礦廠出奇的現代化。我們搭著乾淨新穎的大巴到地底下的礦場，參觀這礦場的歷史及現況，老實說參觀時完全讓我擺脫對礦工那種悲情的印象，他們的工作場所和所有瑞典辦公室一樣都有可以Fika(下午茶)的地方，簡直比我之前在101辦公的環境還棒。解說員說當地的鐵礦非常好，還邀請我們拿小塊的回去當紀念，他說就把這些紀念品當作退稅吧！
Just before dinner, we visited the iron mine which made Kiruna prosper. Compared to mines which usually leave people the impression of bad working conditions and environment, the iron mine in Kiruna is modern. We took a new bus to the underground where the mine is, and there was a lady introducing to us the history and the news of this mine. There working environment is the same as most Swedish workplaces--they got places to fika! The guide said the quality of the iron in Kiruna is really good and she invited us to take some small pieces back as souvenirs. Actually, she call these souvenirs tax rebates!
最後一天早上要趕火車，我們在去車站的路上順道參觀了
Kiruna自己的木造教堂，這次有進去參觀。就在這樣靜謐莊嚴、散發著聖潔且微微的木頭香的氛圍中，我們告別了北極圈的第一站。
During the last day in Kiruna, we had to catch a train to Abisqo. Before going to the train station, we visited Kiruna kyrka, the wooden church in Kiruna. The church was open, and the interior decoration was simple but solemn. In the fragrance of wood, we had to say goodbye to our first stop in the Arctic circle.
