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on the threshold of Winter, Nov 21st 2004

Winter time in Finland

Finland is rather small country and yet the four seasons between northern and southern part are (little) different from each other. Finnish Lapland (in the north part of Finland) is really an exotic place; there are months when the sun never comes up and months when sun never goes down. When we in the south have cold, they have even colder in the north.

The picture here is taken on November. It is not every year when the snow arrives already in November in the south but this year (2004) it did. In my opinion winter begins right after the first snow arrives (last year in November) and lasts until mid March.

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The Helsinki Cathedral

Dark winter days

I would not give you the right picture of Finland if I wouldn't mention the long dark days of winter. Even if the winter is not very cold, it is always dark. But it gets lighter, day by day, minute by minute, after the 21st of December. To be honest the dark period of year is really depressing time for Finns. The dark period begins already in autumn and it continues through winter.

The most beautiful winter days with a lots of sunshine we have in March or already at the end February! This is the period of visiting Winter-Finland!

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People walking on ice of Porvoo river

End of February - March

End of February until the end of March are the very best time of winter to me. The sun shines, days are longer, it is possible to enjoy the joys of winter: cross-country skiing, walking on the ice (or skiing on the ice), ice fishing (everything here releated to ice??). Nope, but really after the long and very dark period we welcome warmly the sun and try to enjoy the sunlight just before the winter turns to spring.

At the photo here there are some people walking their dogs on Porvoo river. At the weekends the ice of river, lakes and sea get crowded as people enjoy cross-country skiing, snow-mobiling, ice-fishing and walking on the ice.

Some winters, when the ice is strong enough, we make a track for cars on the ice. We just need someone with a tractor to remove the snow and make the track. Then we drive our cars on the track and start driving! This is mainly for fun but also for practise. It is not so common habit but people in the country do this.

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Hovercraft

Day in archipelago

We did an excursion to the archipelago outside Porvoo at the very last weekend of February. We were offered a ride with hovercraft.
Here, on the photo, is the hovercraft and the area between the rocks and apart from forest is the sea! Near the shore it was safe to walk on the ice. Actually I was standing on the ice when I took this photo.

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can you see the oil tanker back there?

There is an oil refinery just 20km's from Porvoo. Here, in the background, you can see an oil tanker. So even if the sea is frozen it is kept open for the oil tankers and passenger boats by ice-breakers or if the traffic is heavy, they remain open for the winter.

We saw this tanker heading out and I took a picture as I thought you might like this photo. Again, apart from the rocks and trees, it is the frozen sea.

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Snow between rocks

The nature is beautiful at winter! If you keep your eyes open, you might see the work of art of the Frost, like in the picture here. The frost made this between rocks at the sea. I had to take a close picture of that!
Isn't it beautiful?

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The rocks with the work of art

Here you will have better idea about the previous picture.
I love the way sun plays with the snow making it look like million sparkling diamonds!
The contrast of a blue sky and white snow is breathtaking and when we add -15C to that, we have a Finnish Winter!

At winter I would like to...

head to the North. Kemi is worth visiting because they have a snow castle and one can get onboard of icebreaker! That would be something!
If You fly to Helsinki and will continue to Lapland (Northern Finland) check out airline Blue 1's homepage! . Sometimes they have flights to Oulu (OUL) for 39 Euros!

When you travel to Finland at winter take with you:
- warm winter jacket
- gloves
- woolly cap
- long john's
- warm winter shoes.

Winter to me is
dark, cold daysfrozen lakes and seacandles, brown cookieshot chocolate, woollen socksfire in the open fireplace winter tyres under cars a relaxing Sauna !

What do you actually do in Sauna?