Ice-tastic!

Ice Adventure!

The things people come up with will never cease to amaze me.  I wonder who was sitting around one day and said "You know what would be cool?  If we made an entire hotel out of ICE!"

One would think this was a crap idea, because who in their right mind would pay (a small fortune) to sleep on a block of ice, in what is basically an ice hut. 

Who indeed.

Like all great ideas that border between genius and madness, this one falls squarely in the genius camp.  Is it miserable?  You bet.  Uncomfortable? Yep. Less than luxurious? Understatement.  But the magnitude of the artistry, and the uniqueness of the experience made it all worth it. 

The IceHotel is in Kiruna, the northernmost town in Sweden.  Note the "We Are Here" visual aid:

We flew into Kiruna and then took a one hour dog sled ride to the IceHotel.  It's so cold they give you those (really flattering) arctic jumpsuits to wear. Georgia made immediate friends: 

These California kids were not accustomed to the cold - they do love each other, but are also huddled together for warmth.

Arriving at the IceHotel, it really doesn't look like much.  Really, my first thought was "Ruh Roh".  As you know, I am not exactly one to rough it. 

But once inside...each room is individually created by a different artist.  The hotel is actually a museum by day, so everyone can come in and see the creations, and then becomes your private room in the evening.  Caroline and I stayed in "Iced Origami":

Augusto and Georgia had "Up On the Roof" 

Our friends the Kiils had "Pole Dancing"

A real favorite - the bed was inside the tube train!

And everyone loved the strobe effects in "It's Alive!"

There's even an IceBar, where you can get drinks in glasses made of ice! They are delicious and taste like they have no alcohol! It must be the extreme cold that causes you to do a full, four person air guitar rendition (with vocals) of "Bohemian Rhapsody" to entertain the other patrons. 

 

I have learned how to drive ALL KINDS of things since being an expat.  In Dubai I learned how to drive a camel and how to not get my wheels stuck in sand whilst parking in the desert.  In England I learned how to drive on the left side of the road, within centimeters of passing cars.  In the Maldives I learned how to drive a jet ski...and to round out my education in Sweden I learned how to drive a snowmobile! Yay me! 

 

We went on a "Moose Safari", in which you drive for HOURS on the snowmobile to really remote frozen plains, and look for moose.  We saw tons!  They are amazing animals

We also stopped on a frozen lake to ice fish - but we didn't end up with dinner.

 Happy New Year everyone!  May 2014 bring you love, laughter and adventures!