The Polar Express

"All aboard," the conductor cried out. I ran up to him.
"Well," he said, "are you coming?"
"Where?" I asked.
"Why, to the North Pole of course," was his answer. "This is the Polar Express." I took his outstretched hand and he pulled me aboard.
- Chris Van Allsburg





What a trip! What began with both my boys coming down with croup and a fever 4 hours before our train was due to depart and ending 450 miles north of Helsinki, was a success. I was hesitant at first but I packed a weeks supply of Tylenol and Motrin, a thermometer, and my stethoscope. Not much else you can do for croup without going to the hospital. Knowing we were in a private cabin equipped with a shower also had my mind at ease...in case I needed to put someone in a humid environment. Thank goodness I did not have too.





Despite their diagnosis, the boys were so excited for this trip we have been talking about for weeks. We watched the train pull up to the Central Railway Station in Helsinki and both busted out in the happy dance! We found our cabins, each with 2 beds, shower, sink, and toilet. Before bed we read "The Polar Express." The boys easily drifted off to dreamland...until their fever spiked again at 0300. We arrived into Rovaniemi a little after 0800 ready to explore the Arctic Circle, home of Santa Claus and the midnight sun.