Hello all! I'm back to journaling again, hopefully this continues. Good start right... please support. HAHA
It's been a long gap so I've decided to start from writing down my travel journey so I can relive the moments years down the road. If I have time, I'll jot down other stuffs that I've "gapped" during these period.
First up, my honeymoon trip! Awesome 1 month trip!!!! *screams*
My first ever 1 month travelling trip and the furthest away from home.
So where did I go? We went to Finland and Iceland!
I was the one who chose the place because it's my dream to see Santa Claus. hehehe. Yea I know it's fake, but in my heart, this is my childhood belief and till now, it still holds.
Of course the best is during Christmas season, but unfortunately, the decision to go for honeymoon was quite abrupt, and so we just went anyway even though it wasn't December.
The best time to visit Iceland for northern lights was March/April where it was still dark and least cold (comparing to Dec), and the flight was on offer, hence we jumped on it and went for honeymoon in March.
So we booked our SQ flight, SIN-LDN-SIN, treating London as a "base", and we did domestic flights between Finland and Iceland(one way).
A total of 28 DAYS, our route in summary: SIN - LDN (stopover) - ROVANIEMI - HELSINKI - ICELAND - LONDON - SIN
Alrighty, let's start journey to Rovaniemi!
We took SQ morning flight to London Heathrow, a total flight time of 14 hours.
And because the time difference between the 2 countries is 7 hours apart, we actually did not sleep the night before so that we get accustomed to the time in London. This does help so that you won't feel too jetlagged during your holiday.
It was ok because I could finish up my work, and also we watched Harry Potter till our way to airport.
We slept immediately on board which was midnight time in London.
We woke up during "breakfast hours" and was delighted to be served our honeymoon cake! :)
It's been a long gap so I've decided to start from writing down my travel journey so I can relive the moments years down the road. If I have time, I'll jot down other stuffs that I've "gapped" during these period.
First up, my honeymoon trip! Awesome 1 month trip!!!! *screams*
My first ever 1 month travelling trip and the furthest away from home.
So where did I go? We went to Finland and Iceland!
I was the one who chose the place because it's my dream to see Santa Claus. hehehe. Yea I know it's fake, but in my heart, this is my childhood belief and till now, it still holds.
Of course the best is during Christmas season, but unfortunately, the decision to go for honeymoon was quite abrupt, and so we just went anyway even though it wasn't December.
The best time to visit Iceland for northern lights was March/April where it was still dark and least cold (comparing to Dec), and the flight was on offer, hence we jumped on it and went for honeymoon in March.
So we booked our SQ flight, SIN-LDN-SIN, treating London as a "base", and we did domestic flights between Finland and Iceland(one way).
A total of 28 DAYS, our route in summary: SIN - LDN (stopover) - ROVANIEMI - HELSINKI - ICELAND - LONDON - SIN
Alrighty, let's start journey to Rovaniemi!
We took SQ morning flight to London Heathrow, a total flight time of 14 hours.
And because the time difference between the 2 countries is 7 hours apart, we actually did not sleep the night before so that we get accustomed to the time in London. This does help so that you won't feel too jetlagged during your holiday.
It was ok because I could finish up my work, and also we watched Harry Potter till our way to airport.
We slept immediately on board which was midnight time in London.
We woke up during "breakfast hours" and was delighted to be served our honeymoon cake! :)
Once landed, here's our tricky or I would say our very first challenge. Once landed on Heathrow airport, we had to apply London railcard (for our journey later on), make our way to Gatwick airport, change Iceland currency (ISK) and board the flight to Rovaniemi.
My first "challenge" and first experience was staying overnight at the airport - have never done so! Our flight to Rovaniemi was an early flight (0545hrs), so we might as well stay at the airport and save the trouble and cost.
TIPS for those who wanna follow the itinerary:
The railcard has this Two-Together railcard, so 2 must travel together. You will save 1/3 off rail fares. To purchase this personally, you need to get to a staffed ticket office/ national rail agent. There is NO office at Heathrow, so we had to get to Gatwick to purchase. Pre-fill the application form, and bring a passport size photo.
If you are travelling to Iceland through London Gatwick, you can change Icelandic currency (Krona ISK) at Moneycorp. Best way is reserve online and pay upon collection. It's better than just going there to exchange. It has better rates (than on the board) and no commission charged for reserving online. We learnt the hard way - We changed and realised it was more expensive than reserving online, and so we reserved and changed the next morning. Thank goodness we had an overnight allowance. We did not use the lousier exchange rates money and got it refunded upon completion of our Iceland trip. Of course, we lost the commission fees but at least save the exchange rates.
So please, do your homework.
The good thing about moneycorp is that they have a buyback guarantee if you still have unused cash, so you will not be worse off exchanging the money back.
So, camping overnight at the airport was an experience. We had to sleep and yet keep an eye on our luggage. It wasn't a well rested sleep but at least we got some rest and wink. We checked in once available, and went to the lounge using our credit card privileges to freshen up and have breakfast. Krisflyer Ascend and DBS Altitude has such privileges, so do check them out if you have long haul flights/stopovers.
And finally the start of our honeymoon - the fun part!
We landed at Rovaniemi airport! It isn't big, there is only 1 conveyor belt for the luggage! But everything at the airport is so christmasy! SANTA HOME AIRPORT!
So excited while clearing the customs. hahaha.
Next, is prepping ourselves for the weather. We saw the listed weather near the clock... -15.6!!!!!! My first ever winter experience, and I chose the coldest. hahah... We suit up, and went outside for awhile to "test" if we are warmly dressed. Immediately COLD. lol. Cold will be a common word throughout my blog post for this trip. haha.
We made our to Rovaniemi city via the airport shuttle bus, and checked in at Kotimaailma Apartments. The units are not consolidated in a building, but rather it's like Airbnb concept, where those owner probably lease out their units and manage via this name. So, you will not know where exactly your address is, but it's nearby the main check in desk.
Our unit was clean, neat and simple. My favourite was the sauna!!! It's common to have this in the home in Finland. Their evening activity was this (so I've heard). And it became ours too haha... it was shiok, after a cold day outside.
The weird thing here is most units we searched all are twin beds. Amongst all our stays during our honeymoon, there was only one that was a queen bed.
But I kinda like the cozy feel in the houses, wasn't sure if it's because of the weather that's why it feels comfy to be at home. :)
Our lunch was at Café & Bar 21 which served super fresh pasta. Awesome goodness.
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| Gatwick No1 Lounge |
And finally the start of our honeymoon - the fun part!
We landed at Rovaniemi airport! It isn't big, there is only 1 conveyor belt for the luggage! But everything at the airport is so christmasy! SANTA HOME AIRPORT!
So excited while clearing the customs. hahaha.
Next, is prepping ourselves for the weather. We saw the listed weather near the clock... -15.6!!!!!! My first ever winter experience, and I chose the coldest. hahah... We suit up, and went outside for awhile to "test" if we are warmly dressed. Immediately COLD. lol. Cold will be a common word throughout my blog post for this trip. haha.
We made our to Rovaniemi city via the airport shuttle bus, and checked in at Kotimaailma Apartments. The units are not consolidated in a building, but rather it's like Airbnb concept, where those owner probably lease out their units and manage via this name. So, you will not know where exactly your address is, but it's nearby the main check in desk.
Our unit was clean, neat and simple. My favourite was the sauna!!! It's common to have this in the home in Finland. Their evening activity was this (so I've heard). And it became ours too haha... it was shiok, after a cold day outside.
The weird thing here is most units we searched all are twin beds. Amongst all our stays during our honeymoon, there was only one that was a queen bed.
But I kinda like the cozy feel in the houses, wasn't sure if it's because of the weather that's why it feels comfy to be at home. :)
Our lunch was at Café & Bar 21 which served super fresh pasta. Awesome goodness.
We then began our tour around the town, to the angry bird park, which was erm… not what I had expected. It's just an open concept playground. Btw, abit slow but I only realised angry bird creator was from Finland.
Our last stop was Artikum Museum - Tells you the history and experiences of the northern hemisphere, the nature, culture surrounding the Artic. It's worth the visit for someone who lives near the equator.
We had an early night to get used to the weather, and the time difference, oh of course to prepare the next day's exciting trip to Santa Claus Village!
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