Tuesday, January 17, 2017

LET'S JUST CHILL

Since it is winter and it's cold, and following up on yesterday's theme of cold and snow, I and a friend were recently discussing the Ice Hotel. I have long been fascinated by it, and I am thinking of adding it to my bucket list of trips. Yes, I'm very odd, and never want to go to the " most popular spots" to travel. The ICEHOTEL is a hotel rebuilt each year with snow and ice in the village of Jukkasjärvi, in northern Sweden, and is the world's first ice hotel. After its first opening in 1990, the hotel has been rebuilt each year from December to April. The hotel, including everything from the chairs and beds, is constructed from snow and ice blocks taken from the nearby Torne River. Artists are invited to create different rooms and decorations made by ice. Besides bedrooms, there is a bar, with glasses made of ice and an ice chapel and even a restaurant. The structure remains below freezing, around −5 °C (23 °F), so best to bring a hunk of man and long johns to stay warm in!!!!

The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice, even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Nothing like a very cold gin and tonic, I say! Talk about having a drink "in the rocks".  Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 900 tons of ice and 27,000 tons of snow. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, which are used for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world while the snow is used for building a strong structure for the building. About 900 tons of what is left is used in the construction of the next Icehotel. When completed, the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area, lounge, plus about 100 rooms for guests. The hotel also has an ice restaurant. The furniture is sculpted blocks of ice in the form of chairs, tables, sofas, chandeliers, just about everything. The thick walls, floor and ceiling are made of ice. Even the beds, the fittings and decoration are carved from ice. No two rooms are the same; the rooms are unique works of art.

At the Icehotel the beds are fitted with reindeer furs and guests are given sleep in polar-tested sleeping bags. There is no heating and the bedroom temperatures are constantly around −5 °C (23 °F).  I understand there’s no plumbing at the hotel, but there's a sauna, and spa that is run on the premises of the Icehotel with hot tubs outdoors. The ice suites do not have any bathroom facilities, but bathrooms for guests are found in a warm building close by. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is known to be the biggest hotel of ice and snow in the world,  Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch. Each year, artists submit their ideas for suites, and a jury selects about 50 artists to create the church, Icebar, reception, main hall, lounge and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Icehotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden. The northern hemisphere's aurora borealis can be seen during the winter month in the location. Just how cool would that be to see????
There would be no time to get bored either. They have plenty to see and do beside seeing those stunning northern lights, worth the trip alone in my opinion. One can enjoy the sauna's, fishing, cross country ski, take midnight snow mobile rides, dog sled trips, reindeer sled excursions, a horseback moose safari and even ice sculpting classes.
Now I don't know about you, but I would love to go here and experience this place. I'm ready to grab my gin, my long johns, and my fur chubbies and head there!

As long as the ice bed can support me and one of the hunky locales, I'll be fine. I have also seen what they charge for the trip.

I wonder if they would accept my money made from ice???

39 comments:

  1. mesmerizing place. but there is a fly in your ointment. how do you plan to have relations with a hunky local? remember last time you gave oral to a guy in the cold temps, and your lips stuck to the pole?

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    1. The Mistress I'm sure would find some of the staff very handsome...I know we did!

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    2. Must you tell of ALL my exploits?

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  2. G&T in the rocks - what a concept!

    too cold for me; my asthma would complain. but a fascinating place no doubt!

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    1. Would it help if we give you a heated chubby?

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  3. Do they allow ladies of a 'certain age' who have hot flashes... ;-)

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    1. I have not been, but friends of mine went. GO!!!! They say it was THE must stop if in Sweden. There pictures they showed my were spectacular.

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    2. @ the dogs mother-I have a feeling the hot flashes may help with things.

      @magpie- I can only surmise they were. It looks so amazing to see all this in snow and ice.

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  4. This looks really cool. I mean, I'd love to go there myself.

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  5. That place is awesome!!!! But just looking at it made me cold, I might not see my balls till march.

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  6. Make it a goal to see if you and the hunky local can melt the bed!

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  7. Looks beautiful. Sounds cold. How's about you go there and I'll go get a little place down on St. Bart's and you join me for a thaw after you've finished off the hunky local? I'll have the gin chilled and ready for you.

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    1. Right off the plane? Now that is service!!!

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  8. It's a beautiful place, for sure. But I cannot imagine trying to sleep in a room that cold on a bed where the cold would seep through. Heck, even the heat from doing the hunky local wouldn't be enough to keep me warm!
    What say we join Fearsome Bard instead? Hugs!

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    1. Make that Fearsome Beard.

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    2. Would you believe it that even an a ice bed it wasn't bad? there is a board placed between the mattress and ice foundation, with the sleeping bag and the reindeer furs it was actually warm. And yes stay covering if having sex!!!!

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    3. See, Asriel is on to something.....warmth in numbers!

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    4. And if we all go including Jacoby there would be five of us for warmth. But would we get any sleep?????

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  9. Spectacular! I've been watching the TV series Fortitude set on a Norwegian island, and the governor wants to build an ice hotel to promote tourism. So this is what it could have looked like if things hadn't gone tits up for the unlucky town...

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    1. It also sort of reminds me of what the Snow Queens Castle might look like.

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  10. Anonymous1/18/2017

    Long John? Have I met him?
    JP

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    1. Probably... he was right next to BIG Ben.

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  11. This looks absolutely amazing and right up my alley. I'm with you, I never like to go to the "oblivious choices" for travel, like London, Paris, Rome the keys...I also like the way off, or lesser known traveled choices first. I say lets do it!!!

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    1. Should we book it? I bet your beard would keep me warm.

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  12. That place is quite cool, no pun intended. I never heard of it. But if you come to P-town I have all the cold , ice and snow you could want and I wouldn't charge you a quarter of the price.

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  13. If younger I do believe William and I would have checked it out. But now that cold would wreck havoc with Will's arthritis. But I just bet it would be a trip of a lifetime, and how speechless would it be to see the Northern Lights! A true marvel.

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    1. Not only is the hotel itself a marvel, but the Northern Lights would just be a sight to see on to itself.

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  14. Very cool!!! Who knew such places existed! I don't know I could spend the night, but I could sure dress warmly for a few drinks in the Icebar.

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  15. I would need a couple of bears to keep me warm.

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  16. Luxury that is wilderness.....how great is that. I think I would most certainly stay here if given a chance.

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  17. An expensive line to cross off your bucket list for sure. We did a Sweden trip two years ago and it was amazing. Overall the Ice Hotel is a unique experience and should be reviewed as one, as an experience hotel. 24 hours in the hotel is more than enough I would say because there is really not much to do there if you do not arrange any of the activities they offer, and booking the cold room suite was a pro move from my partner's side, as you can check in soon. We had a blast, the service and staff top notch and the Northern Lights was the most stirring and memorable thing I have ever seen on any trip.

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    1. What great feedback!!!!! Thank you for commenting. Nice to hear from someone who has been there.

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  18. That is insane!!!!!! It has a eerie but yet mesmerizing feel to it. I would love to go there...the list of activities listed would be fun to do. Who wouldn't love to snow mobile to see the Northern Lights??????

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  19. Thanks for featuring this...who knew? Talk about being put on ice! Sleeping would be very interesting.

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!