Regular readers may have noticed my slight penchant for dishing out some stick to Finland for various reasons (for further information, see most of my posts) although I'd like to put that on the back burner in order to let rip with some gushing praise.
Last weekend witnessed a delightful long-weekend visit from my mother and, rather than staying here in Helsinki in the slush and greyness, we dragged her out to Koli National Park in Eastern Finland. It's a wilderness with lakes and forests (much like the rest of the country in fact) so it's hard to see why this particular area of lakes and trees was set out for national park status. There are wolves and lynxes and bears hanging around there although we didn't get to see any. Given that bears have a tendency of hibernating in pits around this time of year, I'd venture a guess that this was probably a good thing. Wandering around in show-shoes was fun, as was watching the absurd fashion sense of the Russian tourists who were wondering around in the forest with glaring fluorescent tracksuits and enormous designer label handbags. The countryside is definitely Finland's best feature in my opinion, and in Koli there are rare appearances from hills which you can climb up and enjoy the spectacular view across (guess what ?) lakes and trees. All of this covered in snow in a scene you would struggle to find anywhere else. The only problem with a Finnish winter is that it gets light rather late and gets dark very early, meaning that you don't really have much time to admire this natural beauty. But once the sun goes down, you can return to the cabin in the forest, listen to the sound of absolute silence, cover your ears from the -30 degree temperatures and wander off to check if the sauna has heated enough yet for people to go in. On the way back to the cabin you can see more stars than in most places on the planet and, once you've got back in, stick some sausages on a stick and grill them in the fire which is nearly always lit.
It's not the kind of life I'd like to live permanently I suppose, but it's a great break. I suppose you can see the difference in that doing nothing in Helsinki is boring, but doing nothing out in the forest is great.
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For those who are mystified by the use of the word chèche. It's one of these.
I'd like to thank Marvin Gaye for allowing me (by not stating any particular objection in writing) to shamelessly use a name of his song in my title. In the pages below, I will rant in an incoherent, sometimes enlightening, and more often unenlightening way, about a variety of topics, some of which I have a vague knowledge of, and some of which I assume I do. This is all written in preparation of the Africa project for 2009.
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- It's hard to tell sometimes. I grew up between two cultures, living in a third and now live in a fourth. On a personal level I am a normal person with abnormal dreams, wanting life to be one long rollercoaster ride, and willing to do anything to get there..
When You've Read and Learnt Everything From Me, Go Here.
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For those who are mystified by the use of the word chèche. It's one of these.