Exploring the Baltic Sea on the Polar Explorer, Lapland, Sweden

“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” – Anton Chekhov

Tip #1 - if in the Lapland region of Finland, explore the frozen sea on the Polar Explorer. It’s a little pricey but well worth the experience!

Tip #2 - Dress warm and then add some layers. We were lucky as the weather was about 0 degrees C/32 degrees F on land, but with the extremely high winds over the water, it felt much colder..

OK, so you may think we are crazy for jumping in the Baltic Sea...but we were warmer in these suits in the water, then standing on deck🥶

We took the Polar Explorer — it was amazing how well it broke through the very thick ice. We actually learned how the ship was constructed to break the ice by bouncing on top of it vice just cutting through.

Once out in the sea, we walked on water — well, very solid water—ice! Then, we dawned the survival suits and jumped in the Baltic Sea. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would do something like this - but it was truly exhilarating. We originally booked this trip to see the Aurora Borealis, which we unfortunately did not, but we did so many other amazing things that it made it all worth while.

Sisu

Finish spirit

An untranslatable Finnish word that denotes a specific grit, determination, and bravery in the face of obstacles and challenges.