The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy

A great philosopher once said, "The world is a book,

and those who don't travel read only one page."

Well, I've gotta say,

I've read a few pages and I'm not crazy about the book.

I don't look forward to traveling for a number of reasons.

- When it's too cold... - Whoo.

...I'm not comfortable.

Ice swimming, naked?

- Yes. - Well, that's a terrific invitation.

Whoa.

When it's too warm, guess what? I'm not comfortable.

- I can't move that fast. -

- But I'm 75. - You need some help?

No, I got it.

And maybe it's time to expand my horizons.

Oh, my God.

First time I've had my hand up an elephant's ass.

On the plus side,

I'm staying at some unbelievable hotels.

Oh, my. This is spectacular.

The catch is, I've also agreed to explore what lies outside.

- Watch your step. - No kidding.

- Beautiful mountain. - That's a volcano.

That's a volcano?

A world I've spent my whole life avoiding.

Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Sadie.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Just surviving would be great.

This is the last time I have five vodkas with a Finn.

I'm in the Arctic Circle, and the big question for me is, why?

I'm not a winter person.

I don't ski. I don't skate.

I don't even make snowballs anymore.

I mean, this place is beautiful.

Kinda makes me glad my eyes are frozen open.

For a guy who doesn't love extremes,

this is as extreme as it gets.

The icy wilderness of Finland.

I've heard that people come here

to be dazzled by the wonders of the natural world,

like the sun which never sets in the summer months

and the aurora borealis that light up the winter sky.

But the only thing that's dazzling me right now

is the loss of feeling in my extremities.

- Hey, Eugene. - Hi.

My name is Kaisa. Nice to meet you.

Local guide Kaisa has come to welcome me,

and although we've just met, I sense we're speaking the same language.

- Uh-huh. - So, I said,

"You are warmly welcomed to Finland and to Lapland."

I love the way you say, "You are warmly welcomed."

Finland in northern Europe is half the size of Texas,

but I'm guessing fewer cowboys.

I'm in Lapland, the most northern part of the country,

where temperatures drop to minus 50,

and a snowmobile is apparently the best way to get around.

- Whoo. This is snow only. -

This is one way to travel, isn't it?

Although, possibly not the most comfortable.

Whoo.

- We go this way. This way. -

- You're taking very good... - This is practical information.

- Taking very good care of me. - I taking... Yes. Hmm.

Kaisa, this is about as far north as I have ever been.

I'm sure you'd love it when you find the magic of our nature.

Have you heard about Finnish sisu?

- No. - Sisu is like that we never give up.

So sisu is a...

Is grit and determination?

Hmm, it is.

It would be nice that you really go deep into the Finnish culture

and find your own sisu.

I'll be looking for it.

Whether I ever find it, uh, is... is another story.

Tell you what, Kaisa can look for sisu.

I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for a hotel and a hot bath.

Fortunately, there just happens to be one on the horizon.

They named it the Arctic TreeHouse.

Welcome to the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel. Please.

Local Finn, Katja, is the owner.

Your suite awaits you.

So apparently this place

has incredible views of the northern lights,

and it's designed for people who love new experiences.

But I'm hoping they'll welcome me as well.

All of these suites, they are turned in to the northern sky,

so you have the most probability to see the aurora borealis.

Do you get any kind of refund if the northern lights don't appear?

It is a natural phenomenon. They are a little bit fickle.

- They decide when they arrive. Yeah. - Well, let's take a look.

Yes, of course.

- Look at this. - Hmm.

This tub looks like it's nine feet deep.

Indeed. You can do little bit more modest way

or enjoy the view and be more...

How would I say? Experimental.

You know, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I'll probably go the modest route.

And when I say "probably," I mean "keep the blind closed."

And over here is your very own private sauna.

- I love that. - Yes.

And what us Finns do after the sauna, we roll around the snow.

Wow.

It's very good for your circulation.

I'll try anything once.

Maybe not on this trip, but you know, one day, as they say.

Enjoy yourself.

Thank you.

I'm beginning to feel more enthusiastic,

and I'm beginning to feel my toes again.

I gravitate toward a warmer clime,

but this is kind of a nice change.

We'll see how far my sisu goes on this trip,

but I will definitely give it my best to try and get into things

I normally might not be getting into.

Unfortunately,

that's going to involve stepping back outside...

...into a blizzard.

"Hardy" and "resilient" are two words that have never been used to describe me,

but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'm gonna try one of the Finns' favorite pastimes,

ice fishing.

And here to show me the ropes

are local farmer Allu and his six-year-old son.

Oh, hey! Nice to meet you.

Hi. Nice to meet you. This must be a little Allu.

- Taisto. - Taisto.

He's very anxious to start some fishing.

- Well, I've never fished. - Never?

Never fished. No.

We're gonna test the really old-fashioned rod fishing

and hope to get some perch.

We have to make a hole. You wanna try?

- Yeah. How's that? - Oh, no. Sounds good.

Are you having a good time?

- You're doing well. - Uh-huh.

Don't worry.

I wasn't expecting to manually drill through the ice.

So it takes... You know, it takes a lot if you're not used to it.

- You need some help? - No, I got it.

For, uh, anybody with lesser capabilities,

it might have been a chore but, um, you know,

it was kinda one, two, three for me.

- Yo-ho! We are ready and then up. - Wow.

Quickly. Whoa!

See? Tougher than I look.

Okay, like... like you see.

So you lift up about ten centimeter above the bottom.

When you feel something, just pull it up.

You feel something?

I think I'm feeling a heart attack coming on.

- -

Taisto caught a fish. A small perch.

Wow.

This is clearly a young man's game.

- - Another one.

Oh, my God. What is going on?

Well, he's got the better rod.

- - Oh... ...third one.

Okay. Well, this is... You know what? Now he's just showing off.

Taisto, h-he's completely showing off.

Oh, yeah. Fourth.

I'm not saying he's precocious, but you know,

he kind of just... ...he kind of rubs it in.

He rubs it in a little bit.

- This is all... - Oh! A big one.

Okay. All right. This is like...

"I got another one, Dad."

There's coming more.

"Got another one, Dad."

"Got another one, Dad."

- So easy. - No, it is easy. Not too embarrassed here.

The kid's starting to get to me.

- Up, up. There we go! - There we go!

That's yours. Oh.

No more calls. We have a winner.

- Very good. - Wow. There we go, Taisto.

How do you feel now?

- Uh, I feel like I caught a fish. - Oh, very good.

Well, he did ask.

While the fish Taisto and I caught

will do for the hors d'oeuvres,

Allu's keen to reel in a main course.

Okay, here we go.

Whoa!

Wow!

How many kilos would that be?

- It's only one and a half. - One and a half?

It can be 10 times bigger in this lake.

It's fascinating to watch Allu.

You saw the size of the fish that he caught.

The guy knows... knows what he's doing.

Oh, here we go.

Right?

You know, I mean, I don't think I'll be fishing, you know, again.

But, uh, for those that can do it well,

it... it's an art form to be admired.

By others.

All that exertion has worked up my appetite.

The good news, I can smell dinner.

The not-so-good news, it seems to be coming from a tent.