Latitude: 60° north
Weather: -4 to -13, snowing Sunrise: 09:20 Sunset: 15:30
It was always going to be hard to leave behind the magical north. My heart was definitely still there as we headed south. Anywhere following on from such special places was inevitably going have its work cut out to win us over.
It’s safe to say that Kuopio, our overnight stop, didn’t manage that. A city in the Finnish Lakes, surrounded by nature and a haven for water sports in the summer. On a Monday night in January, mainly closed.
We walked in deeper snow than we’ve seen since Narvik, soft and powdery here, along the side of the frozen lake, more snow falling in the darkness, swirling gently in front of the street lights. A lovely stone church, several pleasant parks – but also closed bars and restaurants, gated walkways, large public buildings shuttered and unlit. Kuopio didn’t want to give away too many of its secrets on an overnight visit. Instead, we enjoyed pizza and wine in our room and an early night with an episode of Traitors. Also a win, on a long trip.
We left as the city was still sleeping the next morning. On our 30-minute walk to the station (we must be getting fitter, doing this with the rucksacks, right?) we saw one other person and about 3 cars. Kuopio: resolutely closed to any investigation of its charms. Maybe we’ll come back in the summer.
We headed south in darkness. Gradually shapes emerged with the day. Trees. So many beautiful trees. A warm and gentle sunrise, light moving through blue and into a pale, delicate daylight. Spruce gradually shaking off their heavy icing, just a dusting of snow picking out their contours. Beech were frosty, the ground still white with snow. The landscapes became more open for a while. White fields, small farm buildings. Then back to forests and the ever-shifting view of Finnish trees that kept us company over 9 hours of train travel. Finnish trains have been a joy (warm, quiet, clean) and will be hard to beat.
Helsinki. On first sight: grey and slushy. Warmer on paper than the north, but with a brutal wind whipping in off the Baltic. Light fading and snow clouds gathering. People, traffic, trams. Definitely a shock after the magic of Lapland. Can we get back on the train?
Luckily, Helsinki is a city we already know and love. This means that I already know that the city rewards exploration, and is actually warm, buzzy and effortlessly cool (I definitely can’t match up to that in my thermals). It’s a city of contrasts -grand, dignified, wide streets of classical architecture only blocks away from small covers and wrap-around seashore. Beautiful, sleek modern buildings set in large, well-built public spaces – and a raft of small, cosy cafes and bars. Parks, green space, walking tracks. Cyclists on snowy shared-use paths and pedestrians taking the short cut home across frozen lakes. Helsinki has been under both Russian and Swedish rule, and you can feel the pull of both East and West at work as you walk through the city.
Within 30 minutes of arriving, we’d dropped the rucksacks in our tiny, cute studio and were sitting in a brick-walled warehouse by the (partially frozen) harbour. Squishy leather sofas, the grind of a coffee machine and a happy hum of gentle chatter. Good coffee, warm lighting, and the snow starting to fall outside. A good place to plan a couple of days of city treats.
A visit to Helsinki has to start with the cathedral. It’s simply stunning, in all weathers and lights. Bold, imposing, and looked stark and austere against the ominous snow-filled sky.
Next up, art. Kiasma is the modern art gallery in Helsinki: fun, thought-provoking, full of colour and variety. I really enjoyed the exhibition of works by Essi Kuokkanen – bright, vibrant, dream-like art which felt emotionally alive. The painting below is called ‘Dazzling joy’.
One floor down, the ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ exhibition showcased modern Finnish art – including ‘The Wonderful World of Abstraction’ by Jacob Dahlgren. From a distance it looks like a painting. Up close, it’s a 3D cube of suspended coloured ribbons, cleverly hung to have no edges, which you can walk into to surround yourself with colour. Inventive and enjoyable.
One art gallery and one bar later, night was falling over the city and we were in a different world. Now I remembered why I love Helsinki. I’ve never visited a city with so many beautiful lights in the winter months. Everywhere you look are lanterns, fairy lights, street decorations, candles – the city glows and sparkles, and when the snow falls and blurs in front of it, the very air seems to twinkle. Full cosy winter mode. There was a taste of excitement in the air and small crowds were forming on the streets, out to enjoy the launch of Lux, a festival of light/art in the city.
Lux is a festival with over 30 light installations across the city for the next six days. Projected onto public buildings, built into parks and street corners, hosted in galleries. Each with a story to tell, designed to be at once art and entertainment in the dark nights of January. We joined a gallery opening and then followed the crowds to a square where an animated light display, set to dramatic music, was wrapping and distorting the front of a grand public building. From here, we walked to a small park, trees lit in the deepest blue, families pulling children on sledges to play in the colours. The snow was falling hard in front of the blue light and the world felt both magical and surreal.
We walked down the central esplanade in the snow, under the Christmas lights and towards the port. The snow was thick underfoot here (it turns out the slush was just a feature of the main roads) and the Christmas market still open. We drank a (truly terrible) mulled wine sitting on reindeer skins under a wooden shelter and then started heading for home.
Back past the cathedral, enjoying the lights and watching the trams, for a cosy night in our tiny studio apartment. Helsinki had worked its spell and I was so happy to be here.
With one full day in the city, we wanted to make the most of it. Up and out early, in the dark, to a city with a deep coating of fresh snow, still falling first thing. A visit to the Allas sauna and pool as a morning wake-up treat. Sauna is just as important in the city in Finland as it is in the woods, and Helsinki is full of options. Allas is a beautiful, modern building right on the harbour, with a pool and three saunas floating on a pontoon on the water, as well as two ‘indoor’ saunas with beautiful views out to sea. It was quiet and atmospheric so early in the day. Mainly locals in to enjoy their pre-work sauna and swim. We soaked up the heat and views from the large panoramic sauna and then braved the snow in our swimwear to walk down to the (heated pool). Swimming in the pre-dawn light, snow falling, steam rising, watching the boats cutting through the thin ice into the harbour. Heaven.
Helsinki is a beautiful city for a walk, and filled with lovely coffee and food stops to warm up, so that’s how we spent the bulk of the day. The snow was soft, powdery and deep – a joy to walk in. We walked round the harbour, stopped for salmon soup in the ornate market hall, walked the lit shopping streets. I then headed to the library to write this blog. The Oodi library is simply stunning. Architecturally beautiful – light-filled, calm, great views over the city. Beautiful in concept too – a library for everyone in the city, with work spaces, childern’s areas, craft and design rooms, a cafe and more. A lovely and indulgent place to sit and write for an hour or so.
Under blue skies (sunshine! Not seen forever!), we walked through the parks, past frozen lakes and white trees, and out to the coast. The Sibelius monument is a compulsory stop off – a stunning, abstract sculpture which sits on the edge of a snowy park and is full of a sense of movement and place. The other compulsory stop is Cafe Regatta, a Helsinki (and Instagram) institution by the sea. Cute and warm for a hot berry juice.
We decided to end our time in Helsinki by doing something new to us, so booked tickets for the ice hockey. Helsinki at home to Kalpa. It was fast, furious and exciting. I had NO idea what was happening most of the time, but loved the energy and atmosphere in the stadium. A fun, and fittingly frosty, end to our time in Helsinki.
And so our Nordic stage of the adventure draws to a close. Although I’m excited for the next stage, I’m also so sad to leave behind the intense beauty of the places we have seen. The arctic light and landscapes have been so perfect, so delicately beautiful, so entirely magical. Already the memory of the brutal cold has faded, and my mind is just holding onto the joys of the white, white trees, the half-light sunrises, the silence of newly-fallen snow. How lucky we’ve been.
