Global Tales from Two Young Travelers
Ice Hotel a chilling experience
By Emily Reisch and Jon Minor
We really thought
the Arctic Circle would be colder. Maybe South Dakota winters just prepared
us well for it.
A twenty-two hour train ride took us to Kiruna. It’s a small city
in the far north of Sweden, located within the Arctic Circle. Much of
the north is in Lappland and home to the native Sami people, who traditionally
make a living from herding reindeer. Pre-warned by many Swedes of the
low temperatures in the North, we packed plenty of sweaters and warm clothes.
To our pleasure, the north did not feel so Arctic.
The highlight of our visit was the Ice Hotel, located in Jukkasjärvi,
several kilometers east of Kiruna. It is hard to describe the scale of
this structure and its artistic value. With walls nearly six feet thick,
the Ice Hotel is constructed completely out of ice and snow. Don’t
be mistaken -- this isn’t any ordinary snow fort.
We started our tour in the Ice Chapel. Its arched snow ceiling and ice
pews covered with reindeer skins definitely make this a special place.
Ice stained glass windows, a baptismal fountain made of ice, and an elaborate
pulpit design draws hundreds to be married and baptized here every year.
25 suites and twice as many standard rooms line the hallways of the snow-floored
accommodation. Patrons of the Ice Hotel sleep on a bed of ice covered
with reindeer skins. For around $300 per night you can rent a double room.
If you really want to get the full effect, for around $400 per night you
can stay in a suite. Each of the 25 suites is decorated with a theme.
Artists from all over the world come to Jukkasjärvi every fall to
design a suite with their own personal flare. With ice sculptures and
special lighting, each room is very unique.
No fancy hotel is complete without a grand hall. Solid ice pillars reach
to the ceiling, surrounding an ice chandelier above a large ice dinner
table that seats many. A wonderful ice fountain that was glowing blue
with green water decorated the far end of the corridor.
Of course, a bar is also necessary for any ritzy establishment. Absolut
Vodka is a partner of the Ice Hotel and furnishes the entertainment atmosphere.
From the grand hall you enter the Ice Bar through an entrance shaped like
an Absolut bottle. A large domed roof covers a party area and dance floor
with an ice video screen. Through a solid ice bar, you can see the colorful
bottles of Absolut Vodka. You can get a drink in an ice glass for around
$12. We opted for a cup of hot chocolate instead.
One last stop for us was a full-scale model of Shakespeare’s Globe
Theater. The stadium-like design with an open roof provides cold temperatures
for performers and viewers. Nightly performances were performed in a shortened
version. For around $50 you could see Hamlet in traditional Sami language.
As far as hotels go, the Ice Hotel is Five Star. We should probably call
it Negative Five Star though. The massive snow walls provide excellent
insulation and maintain the interior temperature at a constant –5ºC.
(23 degrees Fahrenheit.)
We also had the opportunity to go dog sledding among other things. We’ll
tell you about that and the rest of Kiruna next time.
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