Even the high prices do not dampen the traditional celebrations in Finland.

August is the start of the much anticipated crayfish season in Finland. It is not just a case of eating crayfish, the process is a social event entwined with traditions. Friends and family gather at home or at coastal restaurants where the crayfish are served on beautifully decorated tables as guests perform drinking songs (usually accompanies by beer and vodka) and tell funny stories.

The fact that Helsinki restaurants are charging between €5-€9 per crayfish does not seem to deter the locals from enjoying this annual culinary event. The locals are making the most of the warm summer evenings and are flocking to island and summer restaurants close to Helsinki. Many of these restaurants feature special crayfish tasting menus, ideal for first timers.

If you are in Finland over the coming weeks treat yourself to a plate of crayfish and ice cold vodka while taking in the views across the island. Or even better get an invite to join the Finns so you get the whole crayfish eating experience.

To visit Finland to tease your taste buds click here.

Whether it is for an hour or for a week Finnish Lapland is the place to go.

Husky safaris, dog sledding, mushing are names used for the same amazing experience, being in charge of a very fit team of well trained dogs that are pulling a sled across a snow covered landscape. It is the most exhilarating way to travel that also allows you to get close to nature and experience the silence of some of the last unspoilt regions of Europe.

Traditionally mushing would have been with pure Siberian huskies or the larger Alaskan huskies / Malamutes but over the years the people sledding at a competitive level have cross bred their huskies with other breeds for greater speed or endurance. This was very effective but the dogs just don’t have the beauty of the pure huskies. Throughout Lapland you will find quite a combination of dogs although they tend to be going back to using purer Siberian pedigrees.

A visit to Finnish Lapland during winter will give you an opportunity to try a husky safari for your self whether that is for an hour or for a week.  Once you are kitted out with the appropriate outer safari thermal clothing you are ready for the training. A husky guide will explain how to handle the sled, control the break, set the anchor and for longer safaris how to motivate and care for your dogs.

It may be one or two people per sled, one standing and controlling it and the other seated. Which ever you choose it is a ride of a life time. Initially as you approach the teams they are all barking and jumping which is quite intimidating but you soon realise that is only because they are so desperate to get underway. Once you take your foot off the break and they set off and there is total silence which is an absolute contrast to the mayhem of just seconds before.

There is nothing sweeter than crossing a frozen lake or open fell pulled by a husky team at full stretch. Put your foot on the break at this point and you will be repaid with dirty looks from your dog team that will leave you in no doubt as to what they think of your actions! However that is not always the case, if the snow is very deep or the hill steep you have to be prepared to hop off the runners at the back, not letting go of the sled or you can wave goodbye to you team and cargo, and push like a team player.

We have husky safaris throughout Lapland to meet everyone’s needs and time scale. Many start with just an hours drive but always end up wanting more. Many of our clients joining the husky activity weeks are returning to Finnish Lapland for the second or third time having caught the mushing bug!

Short but sweet Husky safaris in Finnish Lapland and Northern Finland.

Husky Safaris lasting from an hour to a day.

Saariselka

Iso Syote

Loma Vietonen

Harriniva

Jeris

Yllas in December

Yllas January – March

Kakslauttanen in December

Kakslauttenen January - March

Luosto

Rovaniemi

Ruka in December

Longer Husky Safaris in Finnish Lapland and Northern Finland for winter 2007 / 2008.

Harriniva husky weekend

Harriniva husky week

Harriniva activity week incl 2 day husky

Finn Jann Multi Activity week incl 3 days husky  

A saving of £260 for a family of two adults and 2 children.   

4 days in Finnish Lapland staying at Hotel Riekonlinna, Saariselka for the weekend. Packed with thrilling activities, a wonderful setting and lots of care and attention. The ideal way to meet Santa in person, not once but twice!

Your holiday includes:

Return flights from London Gatwick to Ivalo, transfers, accommodation, full board, Safaris (Arctic activity day, reindeer ride, husky safari & snowmobile safari), outer thermal safari clothing, Meeting Santa one family at a time in a forest cabin and again at a Christmas dinner, A Christmas gift for everyone, Snowkids club and Emagine guides resident to assist throughout your stay.

Adults £799 and Children £699.

Offer Valid until: 31 August 2007.

Please quote reference 708SR when booking or on your booking form to receive the above discounted price.

To read the full itinerary and to book click here.

For special offer details click here.

As the locals like to call the Espoo Museum of Modern Art.

It is just a short bus ride from Helsinki’s central Kamppi bus station to the neighbouring town of Espoo where you will find Emma - Espoo Museum of Modern Art.

Located in the WeeGee building EMMA’s 5000 square metres of exhibition area make it Finland’s largest museum.

EMMA’s permanent exhibitions will be drawn from two sources; the City of Espoo collection (c. 2,500 works) which concentrates almost entirely on Finnish contemporary art and the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection (more than 1,900 works) combining classical modernism, from the beginning of the 20th century, with Finnish and international contemporary art.

Current exhibitions: Until 26 August 2007.

Current exhibitions include the work of Catalan abstract artist, Antoni Tàpies and the work of several female media artists in moving portraits.

Future Exhibitions:

 Salvador Dalí              3 October – 16 December 2007.

Claude Monet              6 March – 25 May 2008.

This will be the first Claude Monet (1840-1926) exhibition ever to be seen in Finland.

For further details on visiting Helsinki click here.

For further details about EMMA click here.

8 September 2007 in Suomussalmi in Finland.

On 8 September competitors will meet in eastern Finland in the village of Suomussalmi to compete in the berry picking world championships.

Following the free registration competitors are given buckets and transferred to the competition field. They then have an hour to pick as many lingonberries as possible. The berries are weighed and the best three pickers in each class receive cash prizes.

The various classes include teams of adults or children, individual adults using picking tools or using the traditional picking by hand method.

People pick berries throughout Finland during August and September. Some are kept for personal use to make jams, juices or to be used as an accompaniment to certain meats. However many are sold to large organisations for similar uses; jams, juices or to be frozen.

For further details of berry picking in Finland click here.

The latest leg of the Off Road Orienteering Cup.

Competitors will be arriving in Raajärvi, Lapland today to prepare for tomorrows early start of this 24 hour orienteering event. The Old Mining Village in Raajärvi, the best off road centre in Finland, is located approximately 65km from the Lapland capital of Rovaniemi. This is the third Lapland Trophy.

Lapland is still benefiting from the midnight sun making this 24 hour event a little easier for the competitors.

Competitors travel from control point to control point in 4x4 and all terrain vehicles in this orienteering and endurance competition. Upon reaching a control point competitors must take a photo of themselves simultaneously touching their vehicle and the control point number card as proof.

The Lapland Trophy is the second competition of the Finnish Off-Road Orienteering-CUP series this year.

The mention of a snorkel in the recommended equipment list must give competitors cause for concern!

A winch is highly recommended. If the car does not have one, an off road jack and/or manual tackle is strongly recommended as a minimum. Snorkels and other special equipment may be recommended when necessary.

The images are of previous Off Road Orienteering events.

Below are the competition rules in case you want to prepare for next years event.

Common rules for all competition classes:

            • Local traffic regulations MUST be observed when driving on public roads

            • During the competition the speed limit on unpaved roads is max 50 km/h, some roads may have a lower speed limit, indicated by speed limit signs

            • On paved roads the speed limit is max 80 km/h, unless a lower speed limit is indicated by speed limit signs

            • Always wear a seatbelt while driving on the road

            • Control points sign support (tree etc.) must never be used for winching

            • You may cross power lines, but driving along them is forbidden, and power line poles may NEVER be used for winching

            • Phone lines, oil- or gas pipes, railways etc.; same strict restrictions than for power lines

            • If an area is limited by sealing off lines, the winch cable may cross the sealing off line, but the car must NOT cross the sealing off line

            • Any equipment in and on the car must be properly fastened

            • Double wheels, traction chains etc. are forbidden

            • Axes, saws, chainsaws etc. must not be used and must be removed from car

            • Any assistance outside the competition is forbidden

            • Assistance offered or accepted by the organisers and equally available to all competitors is allowed

            • Only the competitors in the team are allowed inside the car, except in emergencies

            • Car maintenance and repairs may be done only by persons registered as competitors or service persons, and service cars must be registered in advance to the competition

            • Assistance from other competitors or their service persons is allowed

            • A competition car may only be towed by another competition car, not by service cars or outsiders

            • Outsiders may not carry competitors, service persons, tools, spare parts etc. for or to the competitors without competition jury permission in advance, except in emergencies

            • Service cars may only drive along roads that are suitable for a normal road car

            • Trailers are not allowed to be used during the competition to move competition cars

For further details of the event and to follow the event click here.

For details on visiting Rovaniemi click here.

When will the Lapp ski resorts commit?

Every year in Finnish Lapland and northern Finland ski areas compete for the honour of getting at least a few of their ski slopes open first. 

This mad race takes place months ahead of anything the ski resorts in the Alps could dream of. If temperatures are right the snow machines are switched on in early October.

The popular ski resort of Ruka in eastern Finland has already published dates for its opening weekend as   26-28 October 2007. The event attracts skiers from all over Finland where they celebrate when not skiing listening to the numerous live bands around the resort. The weekend culminates in the seasons first Suomi Slalom, a giant slalom race, on the Sunday.

Other ski areas: Levi, Yllas, Iso-Syote and Saariselka have yet to commit to opening dates but weather permitting they will be aiming for October or early November. All locations like to mark the opening weekend in a party atmosphere so pack your skis and dancing shoes and head north!

As well as the battle to open the slopes just as important, for the Finns possibly more so, is the race to get the first kilometres of cross country trails open. Cross country ski teams from across the world rush to Lapland to get in that all important pre season training.

To find out more about Lapland ski areas click here.

To visit Ruka for a pre-Christmas Ski break click here.

It just keeps getting better and better.

As the Finns return to Helsinki for the start of new school year and from their long summer vacations their post holiday blues are erased by the start of the two week Helsinki festival.

This exciting festival was established in 1968 and has been growing ever since. The festival incorporates a diverse range of events attracting acts from around the world. Visitors can enjoy music: classical, jazz and modern, sculpture, poerty, art, modern circus, the list is never ending. Events take place throughout the city.

Tickets are already on sale for this years Helsinki festival.

For the full list of events and locations click here.