Santa Was Home!

What an amazing day in the Lapland wilderness! 

For starters, we saw the northern lights from our igloo last night! Even before the lights made their magical appearance, the igloo experience was awe-inspiring. With the clear night, I could lie in bed and watch thousands of stars twinkling overhead. I watched the Big Dipper move through the night sky. It was the perfect night to spend in the igloo! 

Just after midnight, we started to notice a glow forming on the horizon. At first, I wasn't sure if it was clouds moving in or the lights or what. One of our tour mates came and banged on our door to make sure that we were awake. The light rose up, just over the horizon. It was not the bright spectacle of colors that you see in movies and pictures, but it clearly radiated in the night sky - mostly in white. For about twenty minutes, we could clearly see it, and then it began to fade. Later we could still see a light band a little higher in the sky. I do not have any pictures because they did not show up on our phones.

This morning, we could see the beauty of a winter morning as we made our way through the resort. The trees are covered with light snow with more snow cover on the ground and roads. After breakfast, we were greeted by a very joyful elf who led us to visit Santa and his reindeer. It was great fun to have Santa come out of his home to see us and then to invite us in for a visit. We each had an opportunity to tell Santa our wishes and have a picture taken. I made sure to tell him how good you all have been this year!

This is Aurora, the eld leading us to Santa's home.
Her basket is filled with food for the reindeer!

This is the view from the bridge leading up to Santa's.

This is the home of the elves, across the bridge from Santa.

Approaching Santa's Home

A warm welcome from Santa. He was waving from the window as we approached.

Next, we went to meet the reindeer. We were able to enter their pen and feed them. It was really cool to stand right next to them. Tonight we are going for a reindeer sleigh ride to see the wilderness at night and search for the northern lights.

It is bitter cold up here today. Currently, it is 11℉ with a Feels Like temp of only 1℉. Brrr! I might need to wear everything in my suitcase for our adventure tonight!

We also went up into the observation tower. All you can see are forests stretching into the distance. It's beautiful. There was a little glimpse of the sunrise/sunset which happens almost simultaneously as the sun does not come over the horizon.

We moved from our igloo to a log cabin. I feel a bit like Laura Ingalls in the cabin in the Big Woods. It is so cozy! Outside, it is pitch black already at 4:00!

The cabin has a sauna, so I did use that to warm up a bit. I did not follow it with a roll in the snow or anything. I can't say that I have embraced the sauna experience yet, but it is nice to have the option to use it.

Soon we will head to dinner. It may be a late night chasing the auroras in our reindeer sleigh!

Welcome to Lapland!

Wow! You will not believe where I am now! We made it to Lapland. Lapland is the northernmost province in Finland and also the name for the northern areas in Sweden, Norway, and part of Russia that is home to the Sami people. The flight from Helsinki was about an hour and a half, but the destination is worlds away. We are about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

When we arrived at the airport in Ivalo, the sun was setting...at 1:15 PM! Actually, it does not really rise at this time of the year. The sun does not come up over the horizon. They have a few hours of light that resembles dusk, I guess. We'll see tomorrow.

There were mischievous elves loose in the airport!

Tonight we are sleeping in a glass igloo. It's entertaining to see Chris enter the igloo. It's like he is entering a hobbit door or something. He said it's like the Keebler Elf's resort home. The little igloo basically consists of a bed with a glass dome over it (not sure what they are going for with the decor...zebra print bedding and red shag carpet does not exactly say Lappish design). The night is clear tonight with an inky, black sky filled with stars. We are all hoping to see the northern lights while we are here, but apparently, they are very elusive, so we just have to wait and see.

It was this dark by 5:00!

Tonight we had a Lappish dinner of salmon soup, reindeer with mashed potatoes, and Lappish cheese for dessert. 

Lappish cheese (leipäjuusto) dessert. It was served warm with cream and sugar and berries.  The cheese is squeaky and chewy - like cheese curds.

Tomorrow we get to visit Santa and the reindeer!

Happy Birthday, Chris!

We started our day with a guided bus tour of Helsinki. We saw many sights that Chris and I had already found but added some that we hadn't visited yet. It was helpful to receive the tour guide's insights into all of the locations. We were able to get off the bus and explore a few sights too.

Inside the Helsinki Cathedral. This is the large cathedral in Senate Square. It is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral, the official religion of Finland.

At the Sibelius Monument. This monument was erected in 1967 in honor of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

These pictures are inside the 

Temppeliaukio Rock Church.

This church was carved directly into the rock and is located in the heart of Helsinki. You can even see the water that runs from the walls in places. The ceiling is copper. The acoustics make it a popular place for concerts. While we were there, a man was playing piano. 

Later, we visited BrewDog at Chris's birthday request. He has watched the television program and found out that they had a location that was close to our hotel. 

Notice the moose on the wall.

 A birthday game of Star Wars pinball.

Slow Day

Not much to report today. We trekked our bags across town to move from the apartment to the Hotel Lilla Roberts. It was a dreary, wet day today, but much warmer than yesterday. Soup for lunch at the market. Then we just took it easy until it was time to meet our tour group for a brief meeting and dinner.

Our tour director is Micke. He is Swedish but enjoys visiting Lapland. There are only eleven participants on our tour after four canceled this morning. I think it will be nice to travel with such a small group. Tomorrow I will try to learn everyone's names and see if I can get some pictures. We will do an official tour of Helsinki in the morning and then have time to ourselves in the afternoon. 

For dinner tonight, we went to Olo. This restaurant was not in the league that Chris and I usually explore. The starter was beef tartar. I'm sure it was a delicacy, but I will not be adding it to my personal favorite foods list. The entree was lamb, which was very tasty. For dessert, we had a lemon creme. It had yogurt and honey and was topped with something that made it look like we were being served a bowl of snow. It tasted very good - cold and creamy, but with a sourness from the lemon. (Yeah. I know. They are not going to hire me as a judge on Chopped with the way that I describe food.)

I'm sure tomorrow will be fun, but I am excited to head north to Lapland. The temperature up there is supposed to be cold. Hopefully, we will have some clear nights to be able to see the Northern Lights (maybe night doesn't really matter since I am not sure that the sun rises at all at this time of year. We'll see.) 

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrr. Today felt like the coldest day we have encountered, and we are not in the Arctic yet. The weather said that it was 31℉, but the Feels Like temperature was 15℉ and it sure felt like it. Of course, it could have been the amount of time that we were outside too.

We walked down to the marina area of Helsinki and Market Square. We completed a couple of tourist activities...the Flying Cinema tour of Helsinki and the SkyWheel. The movie provided a quick tour of the sites of Helsinki while the theater moved. It even sprayed a little water when you abruptly landed in the sea. Aside from the motion-induced queasiness of the jerking motions, it was a cool way to take a quick tour.

Next, we headed for the SkyWheel. This Ferris wheel has fully-enclosed, heated gondolas and provides a great view of the city. They even have a sauna gondola and a VIP gondola. You'll notice that, despite being the largest city in Finland and the capital, Helsinki does not have skyscrapers.

View from the Skywheel

Adjacent to the Skywheel is one of the public sauna experiences in Helsinki. We did not partake in this today, but even on Monday morning, it was a busy place. People would come out from the sauna and make their way to the bay for a plunge in the chilly waters. Most come out in just a swimsuit. And then they go back in and repeat the whole process. Yikes! They claim it is a refreshing, indescribable feeling.

Notice the apparel of the lifeguard and the ice on the deck!

In addition to the sauna, there was an outdoor swimming pool where a number of people were swimming. I'm thinking the water may have been heated based on the steam rising from it, but still. Maybe an indoor pool could be an option at this time of the year?

Picture of the pool from the SkyWheel

Next, we made our way over to the Market Square building. This beautiful, old martketplace included vendors selling meats, cheeses, pastries, and more. Anyone need canned bear meat or reindeer meat for the holidays? (Can you serve reindeer on Christmas? Somehow, that doesn't seem appropriate, does it?) Chris greatly enjoyed his seafood soup for lunch. I had a meat pastry that was also delicious.

After lunch, we wandered back to the Christmas Market in Senate Square. It was much quieter today. Since there wasn't a long line, I was able to take my turn on the carousel. The boat-like seat I was in even rocked back and forth. It was so much fun! You are never too old to enjoy a carousel ride!

We climbed the many steps to the Cathedral above the square to take in the view from above.

I'm sure that tree looked straight when it was out in the forest!

The cold weather called for some hot chocolate before the walk back. Yum! Yes, I ordered it with all of the available toppings...mini marshmallows, meringue, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles! How is a girl supposed to choose from those options?!

We found a cozy, little place to sit under a heat lamp.

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style...

It's a little bit hard to see, but the children on the platform are all wearing
yellow vests over their snowsuits. They are on a field trip looking at the
decorated windows of the Stockmann Department Store. We saw several
school groups out today. They always wear the reflective vests when they
are out. At the daycare I visited, they even wore them out for recess.

Tomorrow, we will leave our apartment and move to the Hotel Lilla Roberts and meet our tour group for the third leg of our trip.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Walking through the streets of Helsinki today, the anticipation of Christmas is evident. This is the season of pikkujoulu or "Little Christmas", the days in December leading up to Christmas. Christmas lights are strung over the streets and windows are decorated and carols are playing. The streets are bustling with people. I love seeing the little children all bundled up in their snowsuits.

We visited the Christmas Market in Senate Square. This is the oldest and largest market in Helsinki with a carousel in the center and over 100 booths. There were all kinds of things for sale, but an abundance of glögi and knit hats, socks, and mittens. You need to keep warm here! 

We also visited a smaller international Christmas market closer to where we are staying. We enjoyed pastries, including a delicious Hungarian one!

Tonight we attended the FORK So...This is Christmas? concert. FORK is a Finnish a capella ensemble that is not your typical a capella group. I greatly enjoyed the show! 

This is the Aleksanterin Theatre where we saw the show.

For a little taste of FORK, here is a link to one of their songs. https://youtu.be/g8AXlM8yHRc

Last Day of Study Tour and Hockey Night in Tampere

For the last day of our study tour, we visited the Tampere University of Applied Sciences. In much the same way that secondary school is divided into two options (general and vocational), there are several distint university choices. The University of Tampere offers students a traditional, liberal arts style of education with bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Most students will complete both degrees. The University of Applied Sciences provides a more hands-on, practical style of education leading to a bachelor's degree. Students enter the workforce following the bachelor's degree, but some may return for master's degrees.

We initially visited ProAkatemia. This specialized program is for students interested in entrepreneurism. The students are assigned to teams of up to 20 students. Within their teams, they develop and run businesses and projects. Their courses are very non-traditional with one teacher/coach overseeing their work. The students read books and attend discussion sessions, but most of their learning is based on the projects.

This is a team discussion group. The students set the agenda for the dialogues.

Work area at ProAkademia.

This image captures the values of the program.
I really like the steps in the process. I think
they apply to learning at all levels.

After ProAkademia, we visited the main campus of Tampere University of Applied Sciences. We visited a class of teachers from Brazil who are participating in a program to learn Finnish educational methods. I must admit I was tempted by some of the programs that they offer for foreign teachers! We also visited the business area where students were actively working on managing virtual businesses and the science labs. 

After our visits, we were treated to a delicious lunch at Henrik's restaurant. We started a glass of glögi, a traditional hot Christmas drink. The meal included carrot soup and meatballs with pasta, followed by lemon cake. We enjoyed discussing what we had learned and planned to take back with us. 

glögi

In the evening, Chris and I attended the Tampere Ilves (lynx) hockey game with a couple from Michigan. The fans were spirited, and we had a great time despite the Ilves loss.

Today we returned to Helsinki by train and made our way to our apartment for the next leg of our adventure.