Darkness fell, and Nik Simon's group was stranded on snowmobiles in the middle of a frozen Arctic lake. The lake was so vast it was visible from the moon, and so remote that rescue was hours away if anything went wrong.

The fog, thick as soup, reduced visibility to almost zero. Everything was white. Nik clearly heard the words of Sami Hyypiä, former Liverpool player and the group's leader: "If you see water, floor it, or you're dead," Sami said.

What began as a journey of self-discovery across 270 km of pine forests and remote trails had become menacing and perilous.

Nik (right) takes a photo of Sami (red jacket) during their journey to the Michelin-starred restaurant in the Arctic. Photo: *DM*

"One snowmobile ran out of fuel, the other's axle broke after hitting a pine tree at high speed. Floor it? We could barely move. This must be what the end of the world looks like," Nik thought fearfully.

But Sami remained calm. He instructed everyone to turn off their engines to conserve fuel and tried to get a GPS signal on his phone. Sami's once golden hair, from his days playing alongside Stephen Henchoz, was gone, but he still exuded an aura of invincibility. Tall, rugged, and looking as if he could run a marathon at any moment, Nik observed.

The group had departed from Rovaniemi, a town in the heart of Lapland, Finland. After retiring from football, Sami moved to Finland. He readily agreed when Nik's group proposed the idea of crossing the snow to reach the northernmost Michelin-starred restaurant, but warned them the route was "very rough and arduous".

Their journey began on the Kemijoki River, one of Finland's longest rivers, a haven for fishing boats and yachts in the summer. In winter, the river freezes thick enough for snowmobiles to cross, taking the group deep into the wilderness.

The landscape resembled a scene from Norse mythology, with trees covered in white snow under -2°C temperatures. Sami commented on the tranquility but noted that there was less snow than usual this winter due to climate change.

Sami helps Nik pull his snowmobile out of the snow after he crashed into a tree. Photo: *DM*

After 6 hours, they had only covered a short distance, hours behind schedule. But Sami patiently maintained a slow pace to accommodate the group. Along the way, Nik lost control of his snowmobile and crashed into a tree at 50 km/h. "If it had been a bigger tree, you'd be toast," Sami said, laughing as he helped Nik pull the snowmobile from the deep snow. The vehicle was slightly damaged, but they had no choice but to continue.

For half a day, they didn't encounter another vehicle or person. The surrounding white expanse felt like a fairytale. They traversed trails abandoned for weeks, passed locked summer houses, navigated around tree trunks, got lost in the forest, and wrestled with thigh-deep snow. Silent, stunning, and desolate was how Nik described this Arctic wilderness.

Amidst the white landscape, with no restaurant in sight, Sami Hyypiä pulled out reindeer sausages and a knife, enjoying lunch on the frozen lake. The former Liverpool center-back shared family stories, from his children at university to his dog named Cafu, fostering a sense of camaraderie among the group.

They were joined by Pauli, nicknamed "The Fig", a local friend of Sami's known for his daring feats, including building a hang glider at age 11. As the Arctic light faded in the afternoon, they were forced to call for rescue for the two broken-down snowmobiles. After 8 hours of travel, the group settled in for the night, enjoying a traditional Finnish sauna.

The next morning, Hyypiä woke everyone with the challenge of jumping into the frozen lake. Minutes later, they were all enthusiastically participating in a husky sledding adventure through the snowy forest, before continuing their journey towards the Russian border.

On the final leg, Sami grilled sausages on the snowmobile's exhaust pipe while Pauli hand-fed wild birds. The scenery became more serene and picturesque as they approached the ski resort town of Ruka, where snow blankets the ground all winter and fresh food often takes weeks to arrive. But it was here that they found Tapio – the northernmost Michelin-starred restaurant – their final destination, a worthy reward for their challenging journey.

Tapio restaurant, awarded one Michelin star. Photo: *Ikkunapaikka*

The restaurant's menu impressed the group with fresh quail and truffles, reindeer meat served with forest sorrel, caviar, and hand-dived scallops. Nik described the meal as the purest essence of Finnish cuisine, reflecting the beauty of their 270 km journey through one of the planet's most pristine regions.

Later, the group found themselves in a karaoke bar, singing Paul Simon songs and dancing to Finnish folk tunes, oblivious to the passing time.

The next morning, the familiar knock came again. Sami roused everyone to board his snowmobile for the journey home.

Back in England, Nik received a call from Sami. He boasted about seeing the Northern Lights dancing across the sky and asked Nik to send him the karaoke videos from the previous night.

"Safe travels everyone. I'm very proud to have gotten you all there safely, because it wasn't easy," Sami said over the phone to Nik.

Anh Minh (*DM*)