All Longs, All the time

What I’ve been doing.  Check out my new website http://www.lmlong.net

Sleeping in -5 degrees (celsius), that was the title of the class we were required to attend before our nights stay in the ice hotel. The class was infomative, explaining the mechanics of our sleeping bag, and sleeping insert. We are only supposed to sleep in one layer of clothing so our body heat will reflect off the bag and keep us warm. We need to bring our boots, because walking across the snow to our room in bare feet is not advisable. We aren’t supposed to shower or sauna before sleeping in the Ice room because it will, and I quote, “wash away your layer of protective fat.” I believe something may have been lost in translation there. I didn’t realize everytime I took a shower I was washing away a layer of “fat.” New weight loss technique anyone?
So Diane and I headed to the dressing rooms to pick up our mummy bags and then headed to our cubicle to wait. We were lucky enough to be staying in the most expensive of the rooms and had a cubicle to store our things in, and get changed in. The poor saps staying in the cheaper options are regulated to a hallway with lockers, and a shared closet to change in. Everyone shares a fleet of bathrooms and a lounge to hang out in while you’re waiting to go to bed. There are three different ice rooms you can stay in here, a snow room, which is just that- a room with an ice bed in a snow tunnel. The ice room is slightly nicer with basic furniture carved out of ice, still very simple. Then there are the art rooms which I’ve posted some pictures of. Artists travel from all over the world to come and carve out their particular rooms. Submissions are sent in and approved by the hotel (so there’s not ten bubble suites for example). After our tour Diane and I fell in love with a particular room, and luckily we were able to request that one to sleep in. Pictures are below, it was called “Artikus.” Even cooler, our ice sculpting class was actually taught by the artist Anna Sophia! So we actually got to meet and talk to the artist who scupted the room we slept in. It was so awesome, she told us “Artikus” is the greek word for Artic. Appropriate since we’re above the Artic Circle (or Polar circle as the Swedes call it).

Funny Story, Middle of the night, Diane and I have snuggled in to our Mummy bags on our big ‘ol block of ice. I’m feeling warm and comfortable, sleeping with ten hot hands warming my sleeping bag to a comfortable temperature. I suddenly wake up at midnight and desperately need to pee. I”m completely blocked in (literally) on my side of the bed by Ice, so I have to wake up Diane to get up. Shaking her a little bit I’m like, “I’m SO sorry Diane! I have to pee!” Throw my slipper boots on and leap out over her. Thinking I can just run to the bathroom and back quickly, I don’t pu ton my jacket that was bunched up at my feet in my sleeping bag, Instead I just have on my long underwear and some boots. I go out the door and accidently make a wrong turn. Because the Ice hotel is a labrynth it completely throws me off and I end up making another wrong turn. Compltely freexing by now I finally manage to find the main hallway, make it outside and into the warm lounge and bathrooms. Barging through the doorway into the lounge I run into about 15 people just milling about- remember I am in my UNDERWEAR. SO embarrassed the first three bathrooms I try are completely occupied. I finally find one around the corner- do my business and get the heck out of there.
I found the Ice hotel completely warm and comfortable- I had my mummy bag completely cinched together so no air got through, and was fine all night, toasty warm. Diane couldn’t cinch her’s together all the way and her face was freezing most of the night. She didn’t like the claustrophobic feeling. We both thought it was a fabulous experience though, and I would totally do it again!

This trip has been expensive and money still seems to be flowing out of me. The rooms were about 200+ a night per person, the ice room is 400+ a night per person, meals are roughly 60+ dollars a person, activities run another 200+ dollars a person. It just goes and goes. I assumed I was in for a luxurious experience. I mean you pay this amount of money and your expectations are a little high. When we arrived at the airport on Tuesday we were greeted by a bus. No porter, we threw our own bags in and climbed up. The bus ride alone was more then I normally pay for a taxi ride. When we arrived we again, lugged our own bags through the snow and ice to our own room. The rooms are nicely sized but contain, get this, two TWIN size beds. I can’t remember the last time I slept on a twin bed! One towel each, tiny tv, no real storage. Then breakfast is a buffet service. Now I’m not complaining, because heaven knows I’ve slept in worse, but people who regularly spend this much money on vacation- have they? Don’t they expect more when they pay this kind of money? Then it dawned on me, this is camping for wealthy people! Roughing it for the Rich!
Yesterday we started with a tour of the Ice hotel. While you’re staying here you’re allowed all access to the hotel and can wonder around at will (if you visit you have to stay on a tour). Some pictures of our favorite rooms are at the bottom of the page, I’m going to save the photos of our room for my next post.
Yesterday was also ice carving class. It was surprisingly easy to carve the ice, it just chips away right under the chisel (like butter). The ice comes from the river, and is super clear. Apparantly it’s graded when it’s pulled out, the clear stuff set aside and is the premium. The river is in constant motion which doesn’t allow for much air bubbles, so when it freezes it freezes like glass. The pictures really don’t do the ice justice, it’s exactly like glass when you look into it- trapping the light and bouncing it around.

Pictures of Diane and I carving it- Gary (Dianes boyfriend) told us we shouldn’t go into class ahead of time knowing what to carve, but that the ice would “speak to us.” My ice wasn’t speaking much of anything to me, so after chipping away for a good hour I carved out a face. Diane’s was a little more persistant and told her it wanted to return to the river. She carved a wave. I thought her’s turned out beautiful, especially when we placed it in front of the blue light and it lit up.

Here is us in a couple of different outfits for the day. As the weather turns colder later in the day we add our full snowsuits over all the clothing. I’m wearing, a layer of long underwear, a pair of jeans, an undershirt, a fleece shirt, a fleece jacket, two pairs of socks with my snow boots, a fleece scarf over a balaclava,a beenie, glove liners and snow gloves. There are also hot toes in my boots, a hot hands in my gloves, and a hot hands in my beenie. I wore this to walk into town today, the temperture was a high of 0 degrees (F). I know I keep mentioning this, but it’s still cold- even with all this gear on I can still feel the cold- it’s just not painful. I had to take my glove off yesterday outside and my fingers froze up immediately- when we got back inside they were completely pink and took about an hour to warm up. You do not expose skin to this cold!

Photos from the Ice Hotel.

Before I left my sister said, “Everything under 10 degress feels the same.”  I’m here to refute that statement.  We landed in Kiruna (pronounced Keyr-nuh) and it was a balmy 9 degrees.  Cold, but bundled up, not so terrible.  Let’s just say I could still feel my toes and fingers.  We walked 900 meters to dinner in -15 degrees and I’m not sure how I can quite describe the experience.  Even completely bundled up it was cold.  Like your body knew you were tricking it into being warm.  My eyelashes froze almost immediately.  I had a scarf covering my nose and my boogers still froze.  It was instantly, bone chillingly cold, like nothing I’ve ever been in before.  Anything exposed to the air is immediately frozen.  The Artic Circle is a cold all it’s own.
There are only two restaurants within walking distance of the Ice hotel and one is just slightly less expensive then the other one.  We choose the more “cozy” of the two (the check in agent was trying to find a polite way to say cheaper).  Let me tell you it was NOT cheap.  Diane and I have decided that to vacation at the Ice hotel you must have unlimitless resources at your disposel.  Dinner could have easily run us over 100$ a person, as it was we forgo the appetizer, dessert, and drinks, and still ended up around 60$ a person.  I had a steak and it was just ok- I think I’ll stick to the fish from now on, it seems like it’s always the better option.
The Ice Hotel itself is unbelievable.  There is no way pictures can do justice to how beautiful walking around inside it is.  It looks much smaller in photos then it really is.  It’s actually a labrynth of tunnels in the snow that have rooms carved out in them.  We got lost twice walking around.  Each  art room is completey different, designed by a different artist.  I’ll try and post some of the details from the more elaborate ones here tomorrow ( later today for you guys).  it’s definitely very temple like though, completely silent and white, the artestry amazing.  I can see why people would choose to get married here, it’s like heaven.  We stay in the warm accomodations for two nights, before we do the art ice room on Thursday night.  Tomorrow we have ice sculpting class, a trip into town, and exploring the Sami Village.  I’ll include pictures in my next post, I have to schlep over to the lounge every time I want wifi, and keep forgetting to dump my pictures on here before I go.

I’m in Stockholm! My fabulous friend Diane a few months ago asked if I wanted to join her on a trip to Sweden to see the Ice Hotel, and not one to pass up an opportunity of a lifetime, I accepted. We flew out of San Francisco, in business class to London. It was an unbelievable experiece. I honestly don’t know how I’m ever going to fly coach again. I was in a “pod” with a full size bed. I basically didn’t see anyone else for the entire 12 hours of my flight. The meals were fantastic, I was given a menu and decided to start the trip out right with some nice cold salmon for an appetizer, a wonderful asparagus risotto for dinner and then chocolate cake for dessert. Breakfast was a variety of scones, fruit, smoothie, and a bacon roll. I watched a few movies (I really enjoyed “the Social Network”), and then slept, and slept, and slept- had a nice quilt, fluffy pillow, and then they gave me a little kit when a face mask, slippers, and face products, mouthwash, etc. It only got better when we hit the Lounge in Heathrow, with a full (free) spa (we didn’t have time to have any appointments, maybe on the way back) and full buffet set up for lunch. I basically ate my way through three countries. Really enjoying all the trashy magazines, and newspapers in Europe ( all free in the BA lounge).
We arrived in Stockholm last night and stayed in the Jumbo Stay Hotel right on the airport. It’s a jet that’s been gutted and turned into a hotel, really comfortable and fun. Reminds me very much of a cruise ship type experience, the rooms are realy small- but we just needed a bed to sleep in before we make our way up to Kiruna this afternoon. I would definitly recommend it if you’re ever in Stockholm for the night, just for the experience alone. Something very funny, breakfast was included in our stay, and “breakfast” was an assortment of meats and cheeses with crackers, and a container of yogurt. I’ve posted most of my pictures so far on facebook, and will upload here later today.

Ben to Avery: “Do you want to go on a ride with Daddy?”

Avery: “We take Daddy’s car?”

Ben: “No we take Mommys car.”

Avery: “I wanna take Daddys car!”

Ben: “No, I think we better take Mommys car today, we have to go to home depot.’

Avery: “Daddys Car!”

Ben: “No. . .I think Mommys car.”

They both walk out the door.

Guess which car they took?

I’ve been thinking a lot about death lately.  The grieving process mainly.  One of my dearest friends is moving to Utah today.  Part of me still can’t believe it.  She was a born and bred California girl.  I thought I would have my friend Alisa, “down the street,” for the rest of our Mommy days.  Now she’s leaving. I’ve cried, an embarrassing amount over the last week.  Ugly, crumple my face, mascara running down my cheeks, kind of cry.  It doesn’t matter that we’ll visit, or we’ll talk on the phone, or that she’s a skype away.  It’s the 8pm, “IhavetogetoutofthehousethisinstantorIwilljamascrewdriverinmyeyesocketWillyougotothemallwithme?”  that I’m going to miss.  She’s off on new adventures, meeting new people, seeing new things.  I’ll be doing all the old things, with old familiars, and there will be a hole there now, where her spirit used to be.  I’m happy for her, and so sad for me.  This post is just a little pity party for myself, and an explanation for my absentmindedness, rudeness, and/or general disregard for everyone else this week- except Alisa.

I’ll miss you, more then I think you know.

Love You Always.

Me