FINLAND THE WORLD’S HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN A WINTER WONDERLAND
W
hen most people think of a winter holiday in the snow, Finland probably isn’t the first destination that springs to mind for most Europeans. And that’s a shame, because Finnish Lapland, or ‘Lappi’ as it is known in Finland, has a lot to offer in terms of polar experiences in the snow, such as: Reindeer, snowmobiling, snowshoes, downhill and cross-country skiing, trees shaped like snow figures, lavish hotel rooms and apartments with complimentary saunas, ice fishing and loads of other activities for children and adults alike. The infrastructure in Finland is well developed and there are numerous daily flights from Helsinki to destinations in Finnish Lapland primarily serviced by Finnair and DAT. The country also enjoys a well-oiled rail network. Finland is about 338,000 km2 in size and Finnish Lapland accounts for about a third of that at around 100,800 km2. In comparison, the size of Denmark is under 43,000 km2.
PHOTO: RONI LUKKARINEN
VUOKATTI The town of Vuokatti near the Arctic Circle in the heart of the Arctic Lakeland is a splendid winter destination choice, as is the area of Salla, located a bit further north. Both areas offer wonderful polar experiences in the endless sub-Arctic wilderness and frozen lakes covered with snow as far as the eye can see. Vuokatti boasts a ski sports centre, sports academy and the Katinkulta resort with the lovely Hotel Aateli, which is situated 50m from the ski lift and offers free access to the slopes. The world’s first ski tunnel was built there in 1998 and allows for year-round cross-country skiing – there are snowboard and snow tubing tunnels as well! Vuokatti has a national Olympic training centre for winter sports like cross-country, biathlon and Nordic combined. About 6,000 people live in Vuokatti. PHOTO: RONI LUKKARINEN
PHOTO: RONI LUKKARINEN
THE LOVABLE HUSKY Dog sledding is a must-try and can be arranged via Vuokatti Safaris, a family-owned company that offers a broad spectrum of activities. You can try to operate the Husky dog sleds while a companion relaxes in the sled. Today, my dog sled driver, ‘or musher’, is Helena Kortelainen, an educated psychiatric nurse and Greg Evans, the safari guide for the day, who left his native Australia for Finnish Lapland. They both love the outdoors and working with the dogs. And that’s perfectly understandable. There is something beautiful and almost zen-like when watching the dogs run across the snow. They are also very trusting dogs and you can pet them. They’re not averse to planting their snouts in your lap in anticipation of more petting.
HAAPALA BREWERY
PHOTO: GITHA SCHULTZ
Another noteworthy attraction in the area is Haapala Brewery, a microbrewery and restaurant situated in old redesigned cow stables in the city of Haapala. The establishment serves fresh fish caught from ice fishing in a nearby lake. Enjoy delicious fish that have lived a happy and healthy life in the lake with a lovely Haapala beer, brewed using nature’s own products harvested outside the front door during the summer months. PHOTO: KRISTOF GÕTTLING
shows why everyone dreams … or should dream … of seeing it at least once in their lifetime. An overwhelming and indescribable experience of green light dancing above us in unpredictable movements as we watch in amazement with reindeer by our side. We consume the Northern Lights and warm up next to a massive fire in the night with hot chocolate prepared over fire and snuggle up to the warmth of exciting stories told by our guides.The reindeer are about as quiet in their body language as the Finns, who are generally not overly animated and speak quietly with serious expressions, while having a comfortable closeness, patience and strength. There are actually more reindeer in Finnish Lapland than there are people – about 200,000 reindeer outnumber the roughly 178,000 Finns. BEAR BURGERS, MOOSE OR REINDEER WITH MASHED POTATOES The following day, we were served reindeer with mashed potato. And while it was tasty, it was a bit difficult to swallow given the fantastic reindeer experience I had enjoyed the previous night. But the Finns are very pragmatic when it comes to the reindeer. They keep warm with it, use it for transport and eat it as well. Aside from fish and reindeer, try out a bear or moose burger, which are quite delicious indeed.
PHOTO: ARCTIC CIRCLE SAFARIS
SNOWSHOES IN THE POWDER In Salla, you can go on a special hike in snowshoes to the highest point in Salla National Park, Iso Pyhätunturi, which is 477 metres in elevation and where the Russian border is visible from the top. It is a spectacular view with the most beautiful nuances during sunrise at about 09:15 and sunset at around 15:00. The snow-covered trees along the road are also a sight to behold. SNOWMOBILING AND ADVENTURE You can also rent a snowmobile from Arctic Circle Safaris and check out the snow figures formed on trees in the darkness. They resemble living snow creatures in a winter wonderland – silent, but full of expression. The snow glistens like diamonds lit up by the snowmobile lights, another indication that the air is 100 percent clean. Finnish Lapland has the cleanest air in the world and it is liberating to inhale. Everything appears razor sharp in the Arctic degrees, by day and night. But you can’t really go to Finland without finding your way to a sauna. In the Holiday Club Apartments hotel complex, every apartment has its own sauna - a must when embracing the Finnish way. Go have a roll in the snow and then get into your very own sauna!
PHOTO: ARCTIC CIRCLE SAFARIS
PHOTO: RONI LUKKARINEN
SALLA AND THE GOOD-NATURED REINDEER A bit further north is the municipality of Salla. A big area just 34km from the Russian border, Salla has just 3,000 residents and is quite a bit colder. Thermo clothing is a must in Finnish Lapland with temperatures dipping to -21 degrees celsius in January. Heidi Ahvenainen, a project manager working to protect the Salla National Park, welcomes us as our tour guide.We check in at Holiday Club Apartments with direct access to ski lifts and slopes and the activities commence with the hope of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights. With Northern Light Reindeer Safari, we embark on a reindeer caravan seated in personal sleighs with our very own good-natured reindeer. We’re all suited up in thermo clothing and head towards a hilltop in the calm of the darkness, only interrupted by the creak of the caravan in the snow. The pitch black sky appears close overhead as millions of stars sparkle like in a dream or a Disney film. And suddenly, like a green shine from a clear black sky, Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights, reveals itself and PHOTO: ULLA-MAIJA ROUHIAINEN
BACK TO HELSINKI Helsinki has many attractions on offer. Ulla-Maija Rouhiainen is a guide here, but she has also authored books about a range of subjects, including sauna culture and history. There are about 2 million saunas in Finland, for a population of 5.3 million. The sauna Löyly is probably the most well known in the Helsinki area.
PHOTO: JUKKA LEPPILAMPI
PHOTO: GITHA SCHULTZ
LAPINLAHDEN LÄHDE AND HOME-BREWED VODKA Something else connected to Finland is vodka and Rouhiainen produces it herself – we are given a taste outside the shuttered Lapinlahden Lähde psychiatric hospital in the lovely old buildings. One of the world’s oldest psychiatric hospitals, Czar Nicholas I of Russia visited in 1840 and met a patient covered in his own feces. He promptly sent one department head into retirement and the other to Saint Petersburg to learn about hygiene and treatment of psychiatric patients. The old buildings have been transformed into a centre for wellness, art and culture. We ate dinner in the
old hospital building, but before that an Italian journalist and I managed to escape from the rest of the group. We suddenly found ourselves in exhibitions about straitjackets and other archaic treatment methods of psychological illness, as well as images of patients infused with art, and the place became a little spooky and overwhelming. Perhaps it was the home-made vodka or maybe we simply lost track of time in the building’s exciting history, but we finally locate an open door and have the most fantastic meal in the beautiful rooms of what was the former mental institution. Absolutely worth the visit.
OODI, THE LIBRARY WITH ROBOTS The Oodi library in Helsinki is a hyper-modern architect-designed three-story library that won the Public Library of the Year award in 2019. With about 40 public libraries in Helsinki, the thought behind is that it is an ‘investment in people’ and the Finns are indeed among the world’s most well-read and well-educated people. In Oodi, robots work to put books back on the shelves and you can borrow a cello or record music in sound studios. There are sewing machines and kitchen equipment, and you can cut metal using a laser, print photos or simply enjoy a cup of coffee in the library cafe. Young and old were asked what they wanted in a library and the result is a ceiling formed like a cloud, floor like rolling hills you can
rest and read on. The massive windows with spectacular views have artificial snowflakes that dim the natural lighting as you read one of the 100,000 books the library has on offer. Around 1627, Bishop Rothovius of Turku said that people couldn't be married if they couldn't read – an interesting thought. The Oodi pearl of knowledge was completed in 2018 for the Finnish people, who were named the world’s happiest people for the fourth year in a row in 2021. The many wonderful winter impressions from mesmerising Finnish Lapland mean it’s not the last time that we'll make Finland a winter destination. In fact, Finnish Lapland is just as wonderful in the summer … but we’ll take that trip next time. By Githa Schultz
PHOTO: GITHA SCHULTZ