From Finland with love
I had the good fortune of traveling to Finland — land of my ancestors — this month, and it was truly the experience of a lifetime. From the food to the people to the land, it all felt like home to me.
Daylight in Finland is very short at this time of year. In Lapland, the sun rose about 11 a.m. and stayed low on the horizon until disappearing again about 1 p.m. A couple hours of dusk and pink skies followed.
In Lapland, Äkäslompolo was the home base, a two-hour drive north of Rovaniemi. The highlight was a reindeer sledge (sled) ride through the snowy, pined terrain. It was pure magic. These beautiful animals are strong and determined, much like the Sámi people who are native to the northern parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia.
Fun Facts:
🦌 Reindeer outnumber people in Lapland. There are over 200,000 reindeer and 176,000 people in Finland’s northernmost region.
🦌 Almost all of Lapland lies above the Arctic Circle. The only true city that lies on the Arctic Circle is Rovaniemi.
🦌 All reindeer in Lapland are owned by someone! The reindeer move around freely, but all are marked and owned by a reindeer herder (family). Herds range in size from 80-500. The reindeer are gathered twice a year for a reindeer round-up. Inevitably, some of each herd are lost to predators, road accidents, and other natural factors.
🦌 In Finland anyone living within the area of Finnish reindeer husbandry who is a citizen of the European Union has the right to own reindeer, in contrast to the situation in Norway and Sweden, where only Sámi are legally permitted to own reindeer.
In Helsinki, the Christmas Market at Senate Square was in full swing. Glögi (mulled wine) was readily available, garnished with almonds and raisins, and the salmon soup and sandwiches were delicious.
Helsinki is a very clean city, public transportation (and Ubers) are readily available, and the people are helpful and friendly. I appreciated the quiet very much. Finns don’t make a lot of “small talk,” and I found it refreshing. You could be alone with your thoughts and not continually bombarded by chatter.
I was awed by the Helsinki Central Library Oodi and its stunning architecture, a stark contrast to the much older (but equally beautiful) National Library. The white brilliance of the Helsinki Cathedral was striking, as were all the white lights and candles that shown in almost every window in the city.
Tallinn, Estonia, was equally charming. The cobblestoned streets of Old Town were dotted with open squares and ice rinks, cafes and shops, and surrounded by a wall and a series of 15th century towers. With war raging to the south in Ukraine, there seemed to be a heaviness in the air and the gray skies matched the mood.
My two grandfathers were from the towns of Iisalmi and Kuopio, about 300 miles north of Helsinki. My next trip will take me there. For now, my heart is overflowing.