In winter many tourists prefer to go to hot countries and spend their holidays on the beach, lying on the beach and sipping cocktails from exotic fruits. Fans of outdoor activities prefer to spend their holidays at ski resorts. And those who want to plunge into the fairy tale and have fun during the winter holidays, go to Finland.
Finland is a country of real white snow. Despite the fact that the temperature in winter can often drop below -20 degrees, the climate here is mild, and being outdoors at this time of year is quite comfortable. Over the polar circle in the summer, the sun does not drop for 73 days, and in the winter polar night lasts 51 days. All this time you can admire the spectacular spectacle of the northern lights for hours.Fans of all unusual and non-standard can live in the Ice Palace of the Snow Queen. When traveling with family or in a friendly company, you can stay in a cozy cottage. After a fascinating safari on snowmobiles it's best to warm yourself by the fireplace and taste soup with dumplings.
Traditional dishes of Finns
The Finnish cuisine will be to the liking of those who love all kinds of fish dishes. Delicacies from trout, herring and salmon can be found in every cafe or restaurant. From meat Finns prefer venison or elk. Each dish is accompanied by a berry sauce made from cranberry or lingonberry. Traditional Finnish soups are the ear (kalakeutto) and soup with dumplings (climipsoppa).
Dishes of Finnish cuisine can often combine several kinds of meat, for example, pork and beef, which is not typical for other world cuisines. In addition, in one dish can be at once meat and fish. Finnish cuisine will be appreciated not only by inveterate gourmets.
Magic Lapland
Wonderland, the birthplace of Santa Claus, the land of snow-white silence, the world of children's dreams - all this is about Lapland. Here you can get to the Kingdom of the Snow Queen and make a cherished wish under the beautiful Northern Lights. Lapland is famous for its ski resorts Ylläs, Levi, Saariselka and Ruka.
Nine kilometers from the administrative center of Lapland - Rovaniemi - is the most famous place in Finland called the Village of Santa Claus (Joelupukki Village). Annually hundreds of thousands of children and adults come here who want to fulfill their most cherished dreams. You can get to the village from the Rovaniemi train station. The trip will take about half an hour. The size of the village of Santa is small, but it gives a real sense of magic and miracles.
The very first tourist in these places is Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Roosevelt. She visited the birthplace of Santa Claus in 1950. In her honor, not far from the post office, a hut was built, which has survived to this day.
Most of the tourists come to the Yolupukki Village from Europe, Russia, China, India and Japan. In recent years, this resort has become popular among residents of the United States. However, according to American traditions, Santa Claus lives on the North Pole, and not in Lapland.
In his official residence sits a real Santa. With him you can take pictures (although it is not cheap) and even talk a little. Santa Claus speaks many languages, including Russian.
In the city of Rovaniemi, too, have something to see. Every year there are many thematic fairs. The main attraction of the city is the Arktikum museum, famous for its unusual architecture. It is made like an iceberg - most of it is underground. On the surface of the earth you can see only the main entrance, which has the shape of a crescent and is in the south. In the direction to the north of the building comes a huge 172-meter pipe made of glass. It symbolizes the arrow of the compass indicating the direction to the north.