Actor Gul Panag recounts her trip to Lapland last winter, where she enjoyed the snow, trekked and got adventurous with the food too
It was a dream come true. More so, because actor and adventurer Gul Panag took off on a six-day trip to a place she always wanted to visit. “Scandinavia has always been on my agenda so I was lucky to go there last winter and have fun skiing and doing the things I love,” she starts, adding, “Lapland was absolutely magical in white; pristine and pure.”
Stay in Helsinki
She landed in Helsinki and was to spend two days there before proceeding to Lapland. “Helsinki is the cultural hotspot of Scandinavia. It has such lovely history to it,’ says Gul. Though she admits she isn’t a fan of museums, there was a lot more to see and do. “While we cycled a lot but the best way to see a city is on foot, so walked at least 15-20 kms everyday as I explored around. This is a compact city with little shops and other places and can best be viewed as you walk about.” Her hotel too was bang in the midst of the city’s center. “Bang in the middle of the action – just how I like it,” she laughs, adding, “I was so close to Lincoln Park performing there.”
Moving up north
The latter half of the trip was to be four days in Lapland, up north of the country. Gul spent four days there, enjoying a host of winter activities like driving a snow mobile and skiing. “It’s what I love – the whole feel of being there on the limitless snow, taking the ski lift and then coming down the smooth slopes is such an exciting feeling…the rivers and lakes get frozen and turn into snow mobile tracks,” she enthuses, “but you have to ensure you have your glares on; the snow can also be quite blinding.”
Food and shopping
The fare was mixed but just what pleased her. “I’m a hard core non-vegetarian so I had everything form bear, to elk and reindeer meat. The white fish here made in lemon butter sauce is a lovely delicacy too. And Helsinki has several Michelin-starred restaurants so it would please any foodie.”
She also picked up a few things to take back with her, among which was a reindeer rug that she loved. I use it on my sofa in Delhi,” ends Gul.
