Rovaniemi

Climate change is a reality folks! I went Rovaniemi, the capital city of Lapland where it was 0 degrees! It had been raining for a few days, melting snow. Not what I was expecting!! I took the train north from Helsinki. It took about 8 hours and the train went about 140-180 km/hr. What a beautiful trip! I am now on the train, going back south to Helsinki.

I arrived on Tuesday--Happy Birthday Linda!--and stayed at the "Wherever Boutique Hostel". This was the first time I stayed in a "dorm" type room in a hostel. It was very, very quiet there even though I shared a room with 6 other people!
I met Anna, a Dutch nurse full of fun, at the hostel. We went to Santa's Village together on Wednesday. When we arrived, a gentle snow had begun making it feel very Christmassy. We met Santa Claus, who speaks many languages, and I loved the way he dressed, in Laplander fashion. They took a picture of us with him but we didn't want to pay 40 euros for the keepsake! Our highlight was when we went to watch the people going for a dogsled ride. We didn't take a ride but we met some of the huskies and were invited into the yurt for hot berry juice and a ginger cookie. The woman we spoke to in the yurt has been raising huskies for 20 years and she was happy to tell us all about them, showing us pictures and we talked about the different roles that dogs play in human lives. She said that the dogs were very hot after their run because it was only -1. Their ideal temperature is -15. Anna and I both enjoyed this visit in particular, an unexpected pleasure.

 

There were no sightings of the Aurora Borealis because the sky was cloudy each night, but I did a "homework" assignment for my forest therapy course and went on a night walk. It gets dark about 4 pm so I didn't have to stay out too late! It also doesn't get very dark. The sky was always quite bright and the snow makes it easy to see where you're going. Eliisa, the hostel host found me a great trail. It was so beautiful.

At the hostel, I also met Christian and Merima, newlywed psychiatric nurses from Berlin who had come to see the Aurora and were a little disappointed! They gave me their pass to the museums since they weren't going to use it, and I took great pleasure in spending the day at these three places.

Arktikum Science Centre and Museum had wonderful displays, George-worthy, that explained the history of Lapland, particularly in regards to WW1 and WWII which greatly impacted Finland, particularly Rovaniemi. There were logging displays and displays of Arctic animals. There was a room dedicated to the Aurora, with legends from Finland and Greenland to explain them and then the science. I enjoyed Arktikum very much.

Science Centre Pilke was a wonderful place for kids! Good thing I'm a kid at heart!

There was a moose hunting game which I tried, using a rifle. I was alarmed to be such a great shot. I killed a lot of moose. I felt bad for all those moose afterward.

This science centre is devoted to trees and forest.

Many of the activities for kids and displays are about conservation. Did you know that pulp from paper can be recycled and reused 7 times! There was a display of toilet paper, showing the different degrees away from "the tree" each type of paper was, showing the value of buying paper made from recycled materials. There wasn't any mention of vacuuming the forest.

Korundi House of Culture

There was a wonderful exhibit called "Blue and Red". Two artists, Finnish artist Nanna Susi and Chinese artist Canal Cheong Jagerroos collaborated on a project where they spent time together in both countries, looking for connection. They both used textiles within their paintings which I loved. There was a short video to show their travels together. Korundi House is the last exhibit after it has been to many galleries and museums in China and Finland. I was glad I caught it!

While I was at Korundi, I saw an advertisement for a concert by the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. So I bought a ticket! That evening, I went to a beautiful 40 minute programme. 300 or so Rovaniemiens filled the concert hall. It was so wonderful! Five musicians performed just one piece: Beethoven's Op. 29 String quintet in C major "Storm"(String quartet with extra viola--quintet)  The Op. 29 is Beethoven's only full-scale, original composition in the string quartet genre. I looked this up because I couldn't read the program!! We are celebrating Beethoven's anniversary of  250 years (since his birth) this year. Here's the gorgeous second movement, "Adagio molto expressivo":

This morning at 5:30, I took a taxi to the train station. I told the taxi driver that I really enjoyed my time in Rovaniemi. She commented on the weather "not being good" because it was too warm. Then I told her how much I enjoyed the museums, the art exhibit of the two artists, and the concert last night. She said that there are many artistic Laplanders. "I think it's the nature. Nature makes people want to be creative. That's why there are so many artistic people here. It's the nature here." She was talking to me, but she didn't know that she was really speaking to me. What a wonderful thought to start the day and my trip back to Helsinki!

Rovaniemi

City in Finland

Description

Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, in northern Finland. Almost totally destroyed during World War II, today it’s a modern city known for being the "official" home town of Santa Claus, and for viewing the Northern Lights. It’s home to Arktikum, a museum and science center exploring the Arctic region and the history of Finnish Lapland. The Science Centre Pilke features interactive exhibits on northern forests.