Finland and Winter Sports

Finland is a country that is buried in a heavy winter for more than half the year therefore it comes as no surprise that winter sports are extremely popular. From skiing to ice climbing, the Finnish people have a hugely diverse range of winter activities.

One of the most popular winter sports is skiing, in particular cross country skiing. There are resorts all around the country, particularly in the north and Finnish Lapland. From large touristy resorts to smaller and more secluded areas there is something for everyone. Many people who live in the south of the country in places such as Helsinki will take the night train up to the north for a few days just to ski. Many people however prefer to stay off the readymade tracks and find their own slopes and paths instead. Even just driving along the road you will see skiers coming through the trees.

During the winter, many of the country’s lakes and waterfalls freeze up creating great opportunities for ice climbing. There are many companies that offer this sport to tourists and the general public and they have varying degrees of difficulty, however it is not a sport for the faint hearted!

Finland is a great sport for winter sports and it is a huge part of the country’s culture. There are many, many opportunities for tourists to partake in these sports and most of them are great for any standard, whether you are a beginner or more advanced.

This photo comes from the website www.travelsinorbit.com

sources:

www.visitfinland.com

Land of the Midnight Sun

 

The Midnight Sun is a natural phenomenon experienced by those in the Arctic Circle. On around the twenty-first of June every year, the sun shines for a full twenty-four hour day, never once dipping below the horizon and it is known as the Midnight Sun. Due to the fact that over 70% of the people who experience the Midnight Sun are in Finland, the country has gained the name "The Land of the Midnight Sun.”

Even though the actual Midnight Sun can only be seen in the Arctic Circle, “white nights” are experienced by those all around the country, even as far down as those in Helsinki on the country’s south coast. This is when the sun dips below the horizon for a couple of ours during the night but it does not get dark.

There is a lot of tradition surrounding the night of the Midnight Sun. A popular story is that if a young woman collects seven flowers and puts them under her pillow on the night of June 21^st then her future husband will appear in her dreams. Midsummers parties are held all around the country and there is also The Midnight Sun Film Festival which is held in Finnish Lapland every year and is known to be a great way of experiencing the Midnight Sun and Finnish culture, all at the same time.

This is a photo of the Midnight Sun which I found on the website www.visitfinland.com

 

 Sources:

http://www.visitfinland.com/article/land-of-the-midnight-sun/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_sun

Finnish Food

Traditionally, Finnish cusine is based around fresh, natural ingredients that vary according to the season. however potatoes, fish and deer are almost considered to be a staple food in Finnish cooking, as is pork. Potatoes are often served with meat and some kind of sauce, as well as  being included in many different types of soups and other dishes. A type of bread called Karelian pie made from potato is also very popular, as are other breads made from things like rye.

Finland is a country with a large coastline and many, many lakes, so fresh fish is very popular and easy to come by. There are markets dedicated solely to fish in a lot of the country's bigger towns and cities and there are fish stands to be found in smaller markets and shopping centres. Smoked fish is also very popular and can be found in places from markets to one-man stands in car parks and supermarkets. Reindeer is a less commonly eaten meat however it is considered to be almost special and is served in the form of steak in many restaurants, particularly around festivals or holidays.

Pulla is one of the most popular dessert foods in Finland. It is a type of sweet bread that is made with crushed cardamon pods and cinnamon and sometimes contains raisins or is sprinkled with almond flakes. It can come in the form of a round bun, a plaited loaf or something resembling a scone. It is often served as a dessert but is probably most commonly eaten with coffee, which also very popular in Finland.

This is a photo of pulla and comes from the website www.flickriver.com

Sources

http://www.visitfinland.com/article/iconic-finnish-foods-of-all-time/

http://finlandinsider.com/food/traditional-finnish-foods/

http://finlandinsider.com/food/



Northern Lights Video

This video comes from the website VisitFinland and shows the Northern Lights over the space of just one night.

Finland and the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, can be seen roughly 200 nights a year in Finnish Lapland. From August to April, most nights are dark enough for the Northern Lights to be visible, however it requires clear nights and a little bit of luck. The further north into Finland you go, the more of a chance you have of seeing them.

The most common ways to go “Aurora spotting” are snowmobile, husky sledding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, which is a sport involving walking over long distances with special shoes made of light metal or plastic strapped onto your feet so that the weight is distributed over a wider area and your foot does not sink into the snow. However, if this is not quite your style there are many other options available for witnessing the spectacular light show that is the Aurora Borealis. Purpose-built igloos area very popular way, as you can stay wrapped up in bed and watch the lights through a glass ceiling.

The Auroras are a very rare sight over a city or populated area where too much light is being produced for them to be seen. So the best advice for trying to see them is to go as far away from populated areas as you can and to stay outside between sunset and sunrise, as sometimes they only appear for a few minutes and then disappear.

Finland is supposedly one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights and is an opportunity not to be missed if you are in the country.

This photo comes from the website www.scandi.travel

Sources:

http://www.visitfinland.com/article/doze-off-under-the-northern-lights/

http://www.visitfinland.com/article/on-the-hunt-for-the-northern-lights/

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital city of Finland and is the most densely populated area in the country. It is a coastal city and is located on the Gulf of Finland which is part of the Baltic Sea.

In 2012, Helsinki was the World Design Capital as chosen by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. The Monocle magazine ranked the city as the most liveable in the world and Helsinki also ranked in the top ten cities of the world in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s August 2015 Liveability survey.

Aside from all of this though, Helsinki is simply a great place to visit in my opinion. There is so much to see and do, from amazing churches and museums to ice-skating in the Icepark in the centre of the city. There are many guided walks and tours around the city or you can take a walk through the Design District of the city and experience it that way. Alongside all of this you can take a boat tour along the coastline of the city or else out to the Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress which dates back to the eighteenth century during the era of the Swedish rule. The city is full of small little side streets with great cafes and shops and the Design District has lots of independent clothing and design shops, many using traditional Finnish design and materials.

Helsinki is well worth a visit and for me it would be the start of any adventure I was to go in in Finland.

This photo comes from the website www.musqot.com

Sources

http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/finland/Helsinki

http://www.visitfinland.com/helsinki/

http://www.hel.fi/www/helsinki/en

Introduction

Hey everybody and welcome to my blog about Finland. Throughout my posts on this blog I'm going to be discussing Finland; its culture, its food and the best things to see and places to go around the country.

The photo I'm using for my background image comes from an amazing website called handluggageonly.co.uk.

Hopefully you'll enjoy reading my blog and find it interesting!