I've been back to Finland twice after I immigrated in 2009. First time was for Christmas 2009, and second time July 2011. Both seasons are good for visiting, because in December you will (usually) have snow, Little Xmas parties, and then the real Christmas. In July you'll have lakes and midnight sun. (Or four weeks of rain like this year.)
The worst time to go to Finland is November, because if there's no snow yet, it's just reallyreally dark. And now I'm going there for 24 days, all in November. I'm actually a little worried how I will handle the darkness. I joked with my colleagues about headlights, until I saw a posting on my friend's Facebook page: one outdoor equipment company in Finland is hosting a "light-night", so people can compare different lights. "Headlamps for climbing, trail running, sailing, fishing..." says Petzl, which is one of the light-providers in the event. They should add ".. and Finnish November" to their sales pitch.
People in Ottawa complain about the darkness here, but to me, this is all sunshine. First of all, the sun rises before 8 am even in the darkest time of the year - both sides of the winter solstice which is just before Christmas. Second, you can actually see the sun in Ottawa. Not so in Finland. My mom just said that it's been overcast for six weeks in a row, and when there was one day of sunshine everyone was ecstatic. Some years ago, the capital of Finland, Helsinki, had 12 HOURS of sunlight in the WHOLE MONTH of December. Imagine that. You better catch the sun when it's out. And keep your headlight on for the rest of the time.
No wonder the Finnish equivalent word to beach holiday is "aurinkoloma" - sun holiday. Who cares about the beaches, as long as you can see the sun!
Oh well, I know it's not going to be that disasterous. Even if it would be dark and overcast for the whole month of November, I will have great time with my family and friends, sitting in sauna every other night and eating real rye bread.
Well, I loved the background colour so much and the fact that you promote napping !!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so acculturated; wrote an entire blog about weather :) Interesting though!
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI bought a little light called Litebook and it's great. In the dark fall weather I tend to fall asleep early because of the darkness. Instead, this Litebook makes your brain think it's sunny around 5 or 6 p.m. and I have lots more energy in the evening.
Thanks Maria and Leah for your comments. Glad to hear you liked the colours Maria - I was inpired by autumn trees and Mad Men retro scenes :) Leah, I will check the Litebook out, it sounds interesting. Also my sisters (who live in Finland) gave me feedback after reading my post. One said "it's not that bad" and the other one reminded that "In November you can enjoy red wine, chocolate, mulled wine, gingerbread cookies and cheese as much as you want, just because it's November. And don't forget the candles and Xmas lights either!" Very true. I look forward to November in Finland!
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