Elegant Helsinki

Welcome to Helsinki, the elegant snowy capital of Finland. Frozen harbours, Lutheran churches, smart restaurants, hot chocolate, saunas, sausage and salmon, Sibelius, and this lovely snowbird sitting at the waterfront --

Sibelius Landscapes

Monochrome

Snow, you'd think, could be described as 'white-on-white', but snowy landscapes are more black-and-white, with trees, buildings, branches starkly silhouetted against the white drifts. With low light levels the landscape seems monochrome...and what better music with which to view these pictures of Finnish Lapland than that of Sibelius, Finland's classical master. This is his Violin Concerto, Opus 47.

A little taste of Finland

What language is that?

A little taste of Finland in pictures....





And a map to make sure we know where we are...

Map from Google Maps

The Blue Moment

The Blue Moment

From the beginning of December to mid-January is “Kaamos” in Finnish, which is the word to describe the Polar Night.

As you no doubt know, above the Arctic Circle in winter there are very few hours of daylight. However, it's a misconception that these areas endure 24 hours of darkness in the winter. Although at the winter solstice the Poles themselves might experience this, most places above the Arctic Circle (and below the Antarctic Circle) experience various forms of 'Polar Twilight'.

Here's how Wikipedia explains it:

Polar twilight occurs in areas that are located at the inner border of the polar circles, where the sun will be on or below the horizon all day on the winter solstice. There is then no true daylight at the solar culmination, only civil twilight. This means that the sun is below the horizon, but by less than 6°. During civil twilight, there may still be enough light for normal outdoor activities because of light scattering by the upper atmosphere and refraction. Street lamps may remain on and a person looking at a window from within a brightly lit room may see their reflection even at noon, as the level of outdoor illuminance will be below that of many illuminated indoor spaces.

Less scientific perhaps, though more eatherally beautiful, is the so-called 'Blue Moment' - a point where the sun rises to a certain height above the horizon and drapes the snowy landscape in shades of blue --

God bless our dogs

Ready to sled?

So what's a fun thing to do in the depths of winter in northern Europe? How about a trip to Finnish Lapland, 250 kms above the Arctic Circle, to spend some time looking for the Northern Lights (and failing to find them), taking a husky safari, heading out in a reindeer sleigh, and drinking hot chocolate with a slug of something warming in it?

Sure! Great idea...






Here's a great place to stay: Kakslauttanen, a few kilometres out of Ivalo, where there's an airport. Ask for the 'Traditional House', a wonderful wooden farmhouse with a big fireplace - and the obligatory sauna. Or you can stay in a glass igloo if you prefer.

Just make sure to try that hot chocolate....

The Traditional House

Ah, yes...just what you need when the sun sets at 2.30 pm