Think Finland and what you associate it with depends on the time of day. During office hours, your mind could throw up Nokia, which is one of Finland’s best known products. Whereas if you’re hanging and mellow after hours then maybe a wistful smile will spread on your face as you associate the country with its other best known - and dare I say better loved – product that is Finlandia Vodka.
Whatever you associate to this Scandinavian country sandwiched between Sweden and Russia and flanked by the Baltics, its capital Helsinki will welcome you with opulent grandeur.
Fine restaurants, boutique hotels and some of the best night life in Scandinavia make this city pulse with energy and emanate with a lively vibe. But the city also keeps in touch with its past that is why tram lines are crisscrossed with the coolest European cars and old world cobbled streets are tread on with designer shoes.
Senate Square is the epicentre of Helsinki’s tourist trail. Packed with buskers and food stalls during summer and overlooked by the Tuomiokirkko Lutheran Cathedral and the articulately sculpted statue of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.
Alexander II took steps to increase Finland’s autonomy from Russia and was honoured by this statue in 1894. His grandson Tsar Nicholas II once again ‘Russified’ Finland and the people of Helsinki used to leave flowers at the base of this statue of ‘the good Tsar’ in a sort of quiet protest to the decrees of his grandson. Even today once in a while the stray bouquet turns up.
Besides that there are sights like the Temppeliaukio Church which is cut into granite rock and topped with a skylight roof and the Uspenski Cathedral.
But Finland doesn’t begin and end with Helsinki. In the north of the country is Rovaniemi which is a playground for those who seek adventure and want to have a tete a tete with Santa Claus.
That is right. Santa is here, right here in the heart of Rovaniemi.
Rovaniemi is an hour’s flight north from Helsinki and is the administrative capital of Finland’s Lapland province. Since the Arctic circle line passes through the town you can imagine that winters can go down to -40 degrees C.
While I was in Rovaniemi there yet was snow on the ground and ice on the rivers and lakes, but the locals had a bounce in their step. The sun had popped over the horizon after months of darkness and birds were already singing. Soon spring would give way to summer, the snow would melt, flowers would bloom and the temperature would rise.
But right now we could use the frozen river as a highway.
The next morning it was a beautiful day with the sun shining in a deep blue sky with a few scattered clouds. The Kemijoki River was frozen solid and the landscape was still mostly white. Our guide led us towards our transportation which consisted of spanking new snowmobiles ideal for travelling over snow laden paths and frozen waterways.
Today we were heading towards Santa’s Village to meet jolly old Father Christmas.
Santa’s office is a merry place with kids running around happy after having sat on Santa’s knee. Giant jolly snowmen flanked the entrance of his main office. Next door at Santa’s main post office Santa’s elves were busy at work diligently replying to every letter that Santa received.
And these are a lot because Santa is so popular. And his popularity shows because there are always tourists (mainly children) waiting to meet him. Santa’s inner study is a warm haven with an antique phone, bookshelves with leather bound books and is warm as toast. And of course there is Santa Claus who looks every bit the part.
Children (and even adults) can have their pictures taken with Santa and then buy prints of the same (at a high price of course). You can also have an entire DVD with live footage of your interaction with Father Christmas.
That was all very good, but what set my pulse racing were the snowmobile safaris.
Skidoos, as snowmobiles are affectionately called, are like riding a motorcycle but without having to balance. They are driven from behind and the skis ahead can be steered using the handlebars.
The highlight of my visit to the Arctic Circle were these exploratory rides through the snowed out countryside and over frozen waterways.
On twilight rides bonfires were lit and hot berry juice was drunk during a break and sometimes an Arctic Fox was spotted.
Agreed that the temperature was perpetually hovering near the -10 degree mark and sometimes was even -2- degrees, but it was like a winter wonderland and I was revelling in it.
