Winter’s icy, snowy fingertips have already brushed parts of the Lapland wilderness, but the whole region is still waiting for the thick, lasting blanket of snow to arrive. While thinking about this, I found a story in my memories and photo archives from a trip a few winters ago. That day I got to see […]
As you drive along Nuuksiontie road towards the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, there is a small turn-off on a hillside that leads to a parking area. An HSL bus stop is also about 600 metres away. It would be easy to cruise right past, but that would be a shame, because the parking area gives […]
An October evening stroll in the old ironworks village of Kärkelä took an unexpected turn when a young moose waded into Lake Sikajärvi right before our eyes – and my camera just happened to be rolling already. Kärkelä is a small but lovely old ironworks village on the border of Salo and Lohja. There are […]
The immediate surroundings of Nuuksio National Park are home to several truly wonderful hiking spots and outdoor recreation areas that are every bit as impressive as the national park itself. One of these is the Luukki outdoor recreation area in Espoo. On the shores of Kaitalampi pond, which lies within the area, you’ll find a […]
Autumn is well under way in Finland. In the south, the maples and oaks have already turned yellow, and the ground is covered in birch leaves that the wind and rain have torn from the trees. Rain lashes the windows every now and then, and some parts of Finland have already had their first night […]
Just a short drive from Turku, a tall rock called Vanhalinna (‘Old Castle’) rises on the banks of the Aurajoki river amid rural scenery. Its grey, stony surface is a striking sight in the middle of the fields. This is one of the most significant ancient hillforts in Finland, and it is well worth climbing […]
The Pallas fells are one of Finland’s 27 nationally significant landscapes. The cluster of round-topped, massive fell peaks is a sight that easily leaves onlookers speechless – both first-timers and more experienced visitors to Lapland alike. The Pallas fells can be seen from far away and admired from many different directions. Here’s a list of […]
This morning, pulling on a pair of wool socks, I realized autumn has unmistakably arrived. So I sat down and made a list of some genuinely traditional Finnish signs of the season — things that hold true all across Finland, even though the practical details of getting ready for autumn vary somewhat depending on what […]
The mid-morning sun is already shining at full strength, but the thermometer reads only about ten degrees of crisp warmth. The air drifting over the bog smells of autumn. The forest floor around us is blanketed in blueberry and bog bilberry shrubs turned red, and the pale lichen coat covering the rocks is cold and […]
I had been waiting for quite a while for a day when all of the following elements would line up at once: fine weather, a weekday, good company, a reason to be in Turku, and a free schedule. When such a day finally arrived, I knew exactly what to do: I would walk the route […]
