Lasting Impressions From Around the World

This July I was in Lapland at our summer cottage for a bit over a week. (more…)

Kuhmo, near the eastern border of Finland and Russia.  I visited Kuhmo for the first time at about 8 years ago. I was amazed by the richness of the nature and the amount of different wildlife I saw. 

At winter, Kuhmo is a freezing place, literally. When it’s 40 Centigrades minus, you dont want to go out without a proper clothing. The amount of snow makes it possible to ski, and is (and was) also a useful way to move from a place to other. 

Summers in Kuhmo are very relaxing. Lots of places to swim at, and fishing is possible too, although you might need fishing licenses to fish legally there.  Beautiful hiking places and routes to travel. I’d suggest taking binoculars for spotting animals, but dont go too close. 

Here’s a clip of someone driving around the town of Kuhmo

Visiting Kuhmo is definitely worth it, you’ll see a different site of the urban Finland. Depending at the time of the year you go to Kuhmo, remember to pack your bags according to the weather. If you are a fan, or even like classical music, you should time your visit to the autumn, because thats when the annual chamber music festival is usually organised.

 Links: Kuhmonet

Kuhmo

Last ski holiday I was in Levi and Ruka. Levi is in Lapland and Ruka is in Kuusamo.

It was very cold that time of year and the land was covered with snow. I’ve never been to Lapland so it was a pretty big shock when I saw how much snow there was for the first time. I was so happy because I love snow.

When we got to Levi’s slopes for the first time it was pretty scary. The weather was freezing cold and the wind was blowing very hard. It’s my first time in the fjords.

Up on those slopes it was beautiful. Every tree was covered with snow and the view was awesome. If the day was cloudless, you could see very far.

My holiday wasn’t just skiing. When i wasnät on the slopes I was in the sauna. It was so relaxing. Every singe worry was forgotten and the feeling was laid-back. From the sauna we ran into the snow. It was freshing but very cold. It felt like the snow was litle bit tingling my body.

The nights were unforgettable. They were so beautiful especially when there weren’t any clauds in the sky. The sky was full of stars and sometimes northern lights.

-Pyry Tamminen

Ruka's slope

I was at Koli last summer. It’s pretty located pretty east, near lake Pielinen. It took hours to drive there from Joensuu. Trees everywhere, it makes you feel like you’re in nowhere or in wilderness. No people, no cities, just trees. We arrived there pretty early in morning.  We saw only a few cars so it was good timing.  Standing in parking lot and watching around..*trees trees and more trees* We took a ski lift or something to take us to the top. It was pretty scary to look down. Things looked tiny and I could almost feel like I was flying! At the top we stood on a big rock and watched the view *wow* trees..water..it looked so beautiful, never imagined it would look like that! We climbed stairs up and walked along a road, trees on both sides. It smelled like in a forest, a fresh smell of a forest! Finally we reached the highest point and watched the view again..More trees and water, still so beautiful. It didnt feel like it was high above the ground, trees in horizon. Taking the lift down was even more scary. Watching almost directly down..I didn’t like it.  By Joakim

My summer cottage is in Haapasaari nearby Kotka.

Landscape from Haapasaari By Soili Hahkala

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