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Have you ever thought about jumping above the Arctic Circle line?
To the North, to the South, or even to put the Arctic Circle line between your legs?
I have though, yeah!
To the North...
to the South...
between my legs
You see? here that's possible.
This is Julián, a tourist in Rovaniemi, in the Finnish Lapland
We come today to the Arctic Circle
to visit Santa Claus, visit Santa Claus Main Office and also Santa Claus Post Office
the official Post Office of Santa Claus
We will visit also some souvenir shops...
Santa Claus Post Office. Let's go inside.
- Hi, hello! - Hello!
- This is Julián, a tourist in Rovaniemi, Arctic Circle.
- I'm Heidi. I'm a post elf in Santa Claus main Post Office.
- Oho! What kind of post office is this?
- Well, this is the Post Office in the Arctic Circle in Santa Claus Village
where you can send all your cards, post packages and... everything you want to send from here...
and you can send them either today or for Christmas... you can choose.
- Ok. And do you know how many... is it also this the office where Santa Claus
the mail that people send from all the countries. - Yes, all the letters and cards to Santa Claus come here
and last Christmas we received over 600 000 letters..
- Not bad. -Not bad at all! - Almost like in my e-mail inbox... yeah!
And then, we open them all during the Christmas and spring time
we try to search for the address and if there is a proper one, and a nice letter
then Santa might send an answer to that.
Yeah! It's a very big job for us, but we love to do it
Here we have another post-elf
And this one it seems that she is in charge of stamping a very nice stamp
which is coming to all the post leaving from this post office in the Arctic Circle.
Can we have a look of one of the stamps?
I go now to a souvenir shop
In here we are going to meet Sisko, which is a professional guide in Rovaniemi
She will tell us a little bit about the different things you can buy in the Arctic Circle shops
- Hi, hello, Sisko - Hi Julián, how are you?
- Fine, thank you! So what can you tell us about the souvenirs the tourist like to buy the most?
Well, there are a lot of things, but I think the most common items
that the visitors, foreigner visitors specially used to buy here in the Arctic Circle
it could be this kind of cup. It's called Kuksa cap.
It's made of birch. And also there are many things which are made of reindeer antlers
like these ones for example or of reindeer leather or skin and of course,
there are so called more ordinary items, also like t-shirts and that kind of things which are sold a lot.
- What about the food and typical gastronomic stuff?
-Ah, yes... that's very interesting. So we can offer here in the north
for example different kind of products made of reindeer meat
like here you can see: smoked reindeer meat, it's our delicacy here in Lapland
and then there is salmon, and also you can buy it as smoked and then there are different kind of
marmalades. Here you can see there are fishes, reindeer meat again, even brown bear meat
SANTA CLAUS OFFICE
- Hello! - Hi, Hello!
- You want to go see Santa Claus? - I would love it!
- Well, I just make you a pass here and you can go in.
Where do you come from? - I'm from Spain, from Madrid.
- And now are you just by yourself? - Yeah, by myself.
Thank you. I will make you a pass, and then you can go in
and there are lots of things to see inside, and in the end you will see Santa Claus
And there is also a chance to take a picture. They'll tell you upstairs the different sizes
there is a big one, a small one... even bigger one. You choose the one you want
And then when you come down you have also the chance to buy a DVD
Ok, perfect. Is it possible also to send from here this kind of greetings from Santa to my children if I wish?
- Yes, that's possible. - How does it work?
There is this paper, the application you can fill up, and then you pay it here (it is 7 EUR)
and we'll send them for Christmas. - Yeah! and they get them in Christmas then.
- Yes - Whenever you send it, or whenever you buy it
the children we'll get the on Christmas - Yes, always for Christmas. - Perfect, thank you!
- Yeaaah! - Hi, welcome! - Hello, hello!
- Hola, hola - Hola, hola, hola!
- Hello, how are you Santa? - Very well, as always.
How are you? this is Julián a tourist in Finland... how are you?
Yes, very well. I'm always well when I have nice guests. Smiling guest everyday coming to me
- Everyday, right? -Everyday... - It seems you are not busy only in Christmas...
No... whole summer, whole winter, whole spring and autumn. Everyday I'm here!
Amazing!
Should you take a picture with me?
Yes! with pleasure. That's my pleasure not my duty
Chico bueno, a bit closer... Papa Noel... happy, happy...
- Very good
You know? I've been waiting 33 years to meet you
Yes, and where did you leave your children?
Oh... my children is at home... but he will come soon with me again
Yes, you come just to check how it is here, and then you know what to tell...
Yeah, just to be sure that is safe enough for the children...
- Ohohoo, me... I’m safe, very safe. - I know, I know
I'm very happy that you come with your child as well. That's very important for them