August temperatures near record levels

The month of August crowned what has been a phenomenally warm summer in Finland. In the southern and western parts of the country as well as in Lapland, August was the warmest month of the whole season.

In a long-term comparison, the August temperatures came very close to the all-time record levels from 2002 and 1937. 
Apart from the very north of Lapland, the summer's mean temperatures in the entire country ranged between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. This is a couple of degrees above the 1971-2000 average.

     
In many areas the number of days when the mercury climbed above +25 Celsius was double the norm. 
The most "officially hot" days, 37 in all, were recorded in the municipality of Suomusjärvi in the province of Western Finland. The summer's highest temperature, +32.1 Celsius was measured in Lammi in Southern Finland.
     

The summer of 2006 was exceptionally dry. Helsinki's Kaisaniemi received only 34 millimetres of precipitation this summer. Comparisons with measurements taken since 1845 reveal that this was the lowest reading ever. The previous record, 47 millimetres, was from 1868. 

The capital area as a whole, as well as the Gulf of Bothnia, the northern arm of the Baltic Sea, received less than 60 millimetres of precipitation, which is less than a fourth of the long-term average. 

The longest spell of fine weather started in Kauhava on July 14th, lasting for four and a half weeks. The Kemi-Tornio Airport's five-and-a-half-week record from 1969 remains the longest-ever streak of clear skies in Finland. 

Helsinki's Kumpula district, as well as the islands of Utö and Valassaaret, received a record-breaking 1,000 odd hours of sunshine this summer.

As reported in Helsinki Sanomat.

To visit Finland click here.

Chester Zoo launched their Frost Fair with an opportunity to win an amazing holiday to meet Santa in Finnish Lapland.

Anyone ordering tickets to Chester Zoos winter Frost Fair by 31 October 2006 will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a holiday of a life to for a family of four to meet Santa to with Lapland specialist Emagine. The four day holiday in December will include reindeer rides, husky sled safari and snowmobile safari. The lucky winners will get to meet Santa in his forest cabin as a family and again at a Christmas party.

The Frost Fair will run from 01 December 2006 – 04 February 2007. It includes an outdoor ice rink on which there will be ice discos, family sport and obstacle sessions, and toddler time. Stalls will be featuring local produce, arts, crafts, food and drink. Daily events will include street entertainers, Winter Tails story time in an Ice cabin, a treasure trail and a chance to create zoo-themed winter crafts that you can take home.

For further details about the frost fair click here

If you want further details of visiting Santa with Emagine click here.

Swedish Authorities find a unique way to test driver observation skills!

Swedish authorities are trying to remind drivers of the dangers that lurk in woods along the country's roads.

This week, papier maché elks will be positioned off the road in several places throughout the country in hopes drivers will realize how easy it would be for an elk to walk out from the woods onto the road.

“They could, for example, be placed about 25 meters to 50 meters from the road so that it appears as real as possible,” said Lars Sävberger, spokesman for the project, according to Dagens Nyheter.

Swedish police, SOS Alarm and the Swedish Road Administration are all involved in the week-long project.

After a meeting with an imitation elk, police will stop many drivers and ask them if they saw the animal. Some 9,000 car travelers were stopped during last year’s campaign.

“There is a tendency for many drivers to not pay attention to that which exists on the side of the road,” said Sävberger. “If you did, you could reduce the number of accidents.”

Some 35,000 elk are hit on Swedish roads each year. The program will last until September 3.

First published in The Local, by Adam Ewing.

Image provided by:Håkan Vargas S. / Swedish Travel & Tourism Council

For further deytails on visiting Sweden Click here.

Finns take almost all medals in mobile phone throwing world championships World record stays in Finnish hands.

Summer in Finland is the time of year when wives are carried, saunas are endured, and mobile phones are thrown with main force as far as possible. We may have missed the wife-carrying (in Sonkajärvi at the beginning of July), and the sauna endurance world championships (in Heinola earlier this month), but the mobile phone tossers will not be denied.
      Unlike the wife-carrying, where Estonians seem to be invincible these days, and sitting in the sauna, where Finnish hegemony has recently been threatened by sweat-meisters from Belarus, the Finns cleaned up in almost every category at Saturday's mobile phone throwing worlds, held in Savonlinna.

     
The men's traditional event was won by Lasse Etelätalo with a throw of 89.00 metres. In the women's traditional competition Eija Laakso not only secured victory but also set a new Finnish and world record mark of 50.83.

The most international category was the freestyle team competition, where the throwing technique was perhaps less important than originality, style, aesthetics, and convincing the panel of judges. 
Victory here went to Team Sweden. The team's Peter Siepen also hurled the mobile nearly 40 metres in the individual men's event, setting a new Swedish record. Even though this distance pales somewhat beside the other throws, it was enough for the national best - mobiles have not previously been thrown in Sweden under strict competition conditions.
     

This was the seventh holding of the championships, and there were around 70 competitors, hailing from Finland, Sweden, Russia, Holland, Belgium, and Canada. The Dutch and Belgian national champions were also represented, but they did not figure on the podium in Savonlinna.
      However much one might have wished at some point to hurl one's own malfunctioning Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, or Samsung, this was not possible in Savonlinna. The organisers provided the official phones, with all kinds of models and brands to choose from.
     

Perhaps the weekend's happiest winner was 6-year-old Paavo Kolari, who took top honours in the individual freestyle event with his heavy-metal outfit, throwing the mobile with vigour and style despite being hampered by a guitar and a long black wig. 
Paavo had charmed spectators a year ago as a phone-throwing Captain Hook, but the 2005 jury had relegated him to the silver medal spot.

Reported in Helsinki Sanomat - International Edition.

If you want to start practising next years event will be held on 25 August 2007 for

further details click here

For further details on visiting Finland click here.

Some phrases and words that you may find useful if planning to visit Finnish Lapland in the coming months…….you never know who you might bump into.

Hauska tavata!   = Nice to meet you!

Hyvää huomenta!  = Good morning!

Hyvää iltaa!   = Good evening!

Hyvää päivää!   = Good afternoon!

Nimeni on ….  = My name is …….

Kyllä kiitos  = Yes, please

Ei kiitos  = No, thank-you.

Kiitos!   = Thank you!

Kippis!   = Cheers!

Kylmä    = Cold

Ulkona on Kylmä  = It is cold.

On todekka Kylmä = It is very cold.

Sataa lunta  = It is snowing.

Lämmin    = Warm

Minulla oli mukavaa.  = I had a nice time.

Hei!    = Hi! 

Hei Hei!   = Bye-bye

Näkemiin!   = Goodbye

Tämä on hyvää!  = This is good!

Poro    = Reindeer

Anteeksi   = Sorry / Excuse me

Joulu   = Christmas

Joulukuusi  = Christmas tree

Joulupukki  = Father Christmas / Santa Claus

Tonttu   = Elf

Revontulet  = Aurora Borealis

Iso tuoppi!   = Could I have a pint of beer, please!

And if all else fails………………………………En puhu suomea.  = I don't speak Finnish

If you want to put your new vocabulary to good use visit Lapland or meet Santa.

Image provided by Loraine Highfield.

Clients love the Stockholm, Viking Line, Helsinki and Tallinn combination.

This spring and summer we were contacted by many people looking for city breaks who following our advice took the opportunity of using the excellent Viking Line services to experience several Baltic capitals in one trip. For many the overnight cruise between Sweden and Finland was a highlight of their trip. We thought you might like to hear a little more about it in their words.

“ I am writing to thank you for your seamless organisation of our Baltic trip.
 We enjoyed our stay on the boat from Stockholm to Helsinki and the hotel in Helsinki was excellent and I would recommend it as convenient for the city and the port.
The Tallinn hotel was also good and altogether it was a very enjoyable break”

Julia Lecky
Neston
South Wirral

Image by Nicho Sodling.

We had done the usual city break locations, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and Barcelona. When we started to look for somewhere new a friend recommended Stockholm. After doing some research it sounded brilliant so we decided to give it a go.
When we called Emagine and started to talk through the various options Loraine suggested that we
might want to combine Stockholm with an overnight sailing through the archipelago on Viking Line to Helsinki and if we had time to do a day visit to Tallinn. Our planned short break had now transformed into a fabulous long weekend all of which you kindly arranged.

We took the morning flight to Stockholm and reached our hotel, Scandic Malmen, just after lunch. The welcome was friendly, location good and room clean and bright. We dropped our bags and headed off on foot to the Old Town. Stockholm is a beautiful city and the weather was very kind. We spent the next 2 days hopping on and off boats, visiting amazing museums, eating picnics in the parks and enjoying the local nightlife. The hotel had quite a few bars and restaurants close by which was perfect.

The next afternoon we boarded the Viking Line ship. We certainly weren’t prepared for something so grand, I guess we just thought it would be like the ferries at home but this was more like a cruise ship. The three of us shared a cabin which was fine for one night. It had its own toilet, sink and shower. After a quick tour of the ship we knew we wouldn’t be spending much time in our cabin. We started the evening with the buffet dinner (thanks for the recommendation Loraine), so much great seafood and wine included. The rest of the evening was a blur of listening to live bands, in the many bars and then rounded off until the small hours in the brilliant nightclub. We did keep popping out onto the deck to take in the views, especially as it remained light nearly all night!

The last day was manic. We packed our bags and left them at the hotel. We then hopped on the hydrofoil to Tallinn with Nordic Jet. The journey was smooth and fast, only 1 ½ hours.  You arrive quite centrally. As we had limited time we did the sightseeing bus tour from the hydrofolil which was a great way of getting to know the city. After this we had a couple of hours to explore the old town and grab a bite to eat before it was back on the hydrofoil. Tallinn was really interesting and had a great buzz about it. We all agreed we would go back for longer, even a full day may have done the trick but we are glad we went. Once in Helsinki it was a taxi to the airport and our flight home…….
Thanks so much from all of us for arranging such a brilliant holiday.  We are now telling all our friends about our adventure and will be in touch to arrange that crazy weekend on Viking Cinderella that you recommended as our next girls get together.
 
L..P. and friends.
Manchester.

For more information about Viking Line and Baltic combinations click here.

Finland’s first Kung Fu film combines Finnish and Chinese Mythologies.

Jade Warrior, inspired by the myth and majesty of the Kalevala, tells the tale of a love-struck hero fighting against the restrictions of modern life and searching for love beyond time and place. In the course of his journey to be reunited with his love, he re-discovers his true origin, his skill as a warrior, and his unique destiny.

Jade Warrior, the first-ever Sino-Finnish co-production, will be the most exciting cross-cultural film adventure of 2006. Based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, the film traverses modern day Finland and ancient China, where the battle against evil is underway.

To link to the Jade Warrior website click here.

The Kalevala is an epic poem which Elias Lönnrot compiled from Finnish folk lore in the 19th century. It is commonly called the Finnish national epic and is traditionally thought of as one of the most significant works of Finnish-language literature. The Kalevala is credited with some of the inspiration for the national awakening that ultimately led to Finland's independence from Russia in 1917.
The name can be interpreted as the "lands of Kaleva" (by the Finnish suffix -la/lä for place). The epic consists of 22,795 verses, divided into fifty cantos or "chapters".

To do it justice everyone should visit at least four times or stay for a year!

I love the fact that Lapland has such defined seasons, even if they vary dramatically in length.
I have been asked on many occasions, often by Finns, which I like best and have struggled to come to a conclusion. When in Lapland I always have a very strong feeling that Mother Nature is in charge and when left to her own devices does very nicely thank you.

Ruska, as they call Autumn in Lapland,

is spectacular. Once the cold nights set in the trees dramatically change colour to a breathtaking array of reds and gold’s. What always amazes me is that the Finns have pretty much managed to keep this secret season to themselves with them flocking north for hiking, mushroom picking and just to sit on top of a fell and take in the spectacle. It can compete with anything the New England has to offer but, yes sadly there is one, it is a short as it is sweet. Lasting just a few short weeks it can start at any point during September. There is nothing nicer than hiking with friends through the forests, stopping to cook sausages over an open fire by a lake and breathing in that cool fresh air.

Winter

The first flakes of snow can fall in early October but winter for real doesn’t kick in until late November. In the far north of Lapland from mid November the sun disappears below the horizon and will not surface again until mid January. This doesn’t mean it is completely dark, for at least 4 hours a day the glow of the sun just below the horizon lights up the sky often with spectacular effect.  Nature as always is kind, on cloudy days it is much warmer but on those cloudless days when temperatures of -30 and below are not unusual you are compensated with skies with a range of colours that do not seem exist anywhere other than the arctic.
The snow is deep enough to start to enjoy the arctic activities such as snowmobiling, husky safaris and reindeer rides. Another treat that are often seen in Lapland are the Northern Lights.

Spring

This is very different to our spring, while we experience the appearance of flowers and blossom, Lapland is still under a deep layer of snow but the days are now drawing out at a dramatic rate. In March and April you are experiencing long sunny days and cold nights. It is the perfect time for taking those long husky or snowmobile safaris, with stops along the way for fireside picnics and over-nighting in wilderness cabins or igloos. This is when the locals sit out on the huge lakes for hours on end ice fishing, take saunas followed by a refreshing dips in ice holes or set off on cross-country skis through the silent forests.

Summer

Nothing ever prepares you for the midnight sun. Although everyone tells you that it is light all the time you never quite believe them until you experience it for yourself. On a sunny day, of which Lapland has its fair share, midnight does look the same as midday. There is nothing nicer staying in lakeside cottage, taking late night saunas, swimming in a lake and then gently in a boat and reading under the midnight sun. Just as the locals do!

To experience it for yourself click here.

National Geographics update on Wolves in Sweden and Norway.

The call of the wild can once again be heard in forests in Sweden and Norway, heralding the recovery of the gray wolf.
The wolf had been driven to extinction during the last century, and the animals' comeback since the 1980s has the elements for a conservation success story.
But the growing presence of wolves in Scandinavia has polarized residents there and put the mammal's long-term future in the region in doubt.
Many rural communities have brought strong opposition to wolf conservation, saying the wild predators kill their livestock and hunting dogs.

Public opinion in Norway, which has a large rural population, has tended to side against the wolf, and in Sweden the carnivore also appears to be losing support.
Increasing numbers of gray wolves are being killed illegally, researchers say. At the same time the population has been isolated and, as a result, weakened by inbreeding.

With the Swedish countryside seen as a key battleground in what's expected to be a close-run general election in September, the wolf debate is at the top of the political agenda.
"All the political parties are now saying you must listen to the people living with the wolves," said wolf researcher Olof Liberg of the Grimsö Wildlife Research Station in Riddarhyttan, Sweden.
According to Stockholm-based ecologist and commentator Petter Hedberg, the wolf in Sweden has become "a symbol for the way the political power in Stockholm dictates the way people live in rural areas, without [the politicians] having to face the consequences of their decision."

Controversial Conviction

Gray wolves were thought to be extinct in Sweden and Norway by the 1960s following centuries of persecution.

 Unexpectedly in the 1980s a single breeding pack was discovered in south-central Sweden.
Studies suggest the pack came to the area naturally from the Finnish-Russian border region more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away

The wolves had been granted government protections since the 1960s in Sweden and the 1970s in Norway that made it illegal to shoot wolves in the wild.

The latest surveys by Swedish and Norwegian researchers with Skandulv (the Scandinavian Wolf Research Project) indicate that the wolf population is currently growing at a rate of about 20 percent annually.
Latest estimates suggest there are around 125 gray wolves living wild in Sweden and about 25 in Norway.
The population's stronghold is the densely forested central southern region of the Scandinavian peninsula but as wolf numbers increase, the animals are moving closer to human territory, and conflicts are on the rise.

Last year a sheep farmer from Dalsland in central Sweden was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for illegally shooting a wolf that he claimed had recently attacked his flock.
The conviction was followed by a successful campaign by the farming and hunting lobby to allow farmers to kill wolves that pose an immediate threat to fenced livestock.
"Before, you had to wait until the wolf had actually put its teeth in the animal," Liberg said.
This month Swedish media reported that rural campaigners are seeking to petition the Swedish Parliament for a further relaxation of wolf protection measures.
Their proposal would allow wolves that attack hunting dogs or livestock outside of fenced areas to be shot.

Maximum Number

Governments already place limits on the number of breeding packs or individuals that can exist within their borders.
Norway, which has around two million free-grazing sheep, wants just three reproducing packs.
The government there has established a wolf zone next to the Swedish border outside of which wolves may be shot.

Sweden has a preliminary population target of 200 wolves. Liberg, coordinator of Skandulv, is now doubtful whether this figure will be increased.
"If you had asked me five years ago, I would certainly have said, Yes," the researcher added. "Now I'm not so sure, because the wolf issue has become hotter politically."
If the Swedish wolf population continues to grow at the current rate, he says, this will probably mean licensed culling.

According to a new Skandulv study yet to be published, fatalities of radio-tagged wolves suggest that up to 20 percent of the Scandinavian population is killed illegally each year.
"That's about 25 to 30 wolves," Liberg added. "It's a very heavy drain on the population."
Wolf researchers are also worried about the health of a population founded by just a few individuals.
Such packs have little genetic diversity and are vulnerable to inbreeding. As result, Skandulv says, litter sizes are decreasing.

And further wolf migrants from the north are being prevented from coming to the rescue, Liberg says.
"The northern third of Sweden [part of Lapland] is a reindeer husbandry area, and the Saami herders say they cannot tolerate any wolves at all," he explained.
Proposals to import new blood from Finland or Russia are seen as too controversial, Liberg adds.
"The politicians are not ready for that," he said.
"In the long run we need new wolves," he added, "Sooner or later the litter sizes will be so small they will not compensate for mortality."

James Owen for National Geographic News 
August 17, 2006

Image by phantom_ace_x1 (flickr)

Lordi continues to catch the attention of the worlds press.

Finland's rock monsters go pop

A cola soft drink has been launched in Finland to honour the hard rock group Lordi, who won the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
Ritva Sinisalo, the head of soft drinks products at the brewer Olvi Group, said Lordi Cola — which will have labels featuring the monster-masked band members — is targeted at all consumers “from babies to grandparents”.
The group ended Finland’s 40 years without a Eurovision success with their tune Hard Rock Hallelujah.

The Times    17 August 2006

The Lionising of Lordi!

BEFORE the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest in May with its anthem Hard Rock Hallelujah, its many critics warned that the latex-wearing monster mutants would embarrass Finland, inspire Satanic worship and scare children by blowing up Barbie dolls on stage.

But after ending Finland's 40-year losing streak at the Eurovision contest, the world's biggest celebration of pop-music kitsch, the quintet has been transformed from national scourges into national heroes - suggesting the winner still takes all, even in self-effacing Finland and even when the winners dress like Gothic trolls.

The lionising of the former outcasts has reached such surreal heights that there are plans in the works for a Lordi postage stamp, Lordi action figures, a Lordi comic book series, Lordi commemorative coins and Lordi the movie - a horror film starring the band members as themselves.
The President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, once lobbied by horrified Finns to withdraw Lordi from Eurovision, recently praised their retractable Satan wings and slasher-film inspired lyrics as "Finnish quality work". Pepsi has begun advertising its drinks in Finland with the slogan "Hard Drink Hallelujah," and Finnish magazines are publishing cut-out Lordi monster masks that children can wear at school.
Town officials in Rovaniemi, the home of Lordi's lead singer, Tomi Putaansuu (aka Mr Lordi), near the Arctic Circle, recently renamed a central square after Lordi and built a wall of fame with the band's handprints.

Previously derided for polluting the morals of Finnish youth, the band's drummer, Kita, has had a youth centre named after him in his home town, Karkkila, in south Finland.
Mantasala, the birthplace of Amen, the band's guitar-playing mummy, has paid homage by erecting an abstract rock sculpture called "Hard Rock" near his old high school.

Finnish observers say the Lordi fever is part of a general sense of cultural assertion as Finland grows into its role as the holder of the revolving presidency of the European Union, basks in its high-technology economy and sheds any complexes it might have about what it means to be Finnish.
Even the Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, is solidifying his heavy metal credentials: he was recently photographed with the band, his pinky, index finger and thumb raised in a rock-music salute.
"We are now seen as the miracle of the north, the land of Nokia and high-tech, one of the most competitive economies in the world, and a country that is rocking and rolling," said Alex Stubb, a Finnish member of the European Parliament.

Putaansuu, also the band's leader, has a theory about Lordi's sudden rehabilitation.
"Being a hero is easy: You just have to win the Eurovision Song Contest, apparently," he said recently. "Until a few weeks ago the whole nation was against us totally - they did not want us to represent Finland. Now all the magazines in Finland are printing Lordi masks for children. There's not much logic going on inside. But let's face it, people are stupid."

The New York Times 15 August 2006

To link to the Lordi official website click here.

Along the west coast of Sweden they really know their oysters.

Oysters from the west coast of Sweden rank among the best in the world, because they grow slowly in cold water. They are exported in small amounts to first-rate restaurants all over the world.
Most Swedish oysters come from Bohuslän, and are hand-picked mainly near Grebbestad, which is also where the oyster safaris leave from.
          
In 2004 the non-profit Oyster Academy was established, for oyster lovers all over Sweden. One of its aims is to realise the huge potential of the exquisite Swedish oysters, and to support and encourage oyster lovers, restaurateurs, fishermen, suppliers and divers.

Start of the Oyster season celebrations.
To celebrate the start of the Oyster season there will be the Oyster Day on 2 September in Grebbestad (approx 2 hrs north of Gothenburg) on the West Coast. All restaurants will have special Oyster menus with Oyster Champagne. At Tanums Gestgifveri (click here for hotel details) , there will be Oyster weekends including a 5 course gourmet dinner in conjunction with the nearby celebrations in Grebbestad. There will be special boat trips to the Oyster banks and tasting of Oysters on the boat , departing from they jetty in Grebbestad.
On 3 September they will be Oyster Golf on the local Golf course.

    
The Västsvensk Mersmak culinary certification body
In Western Sweden, the language of the local cuisine has a particularly powerful resonance, and the inspiration and raw ingredients for this are drawn from nature’s well-stocked pantry of delicacies from the sea, forest, field and lake.
The Västsvensk Mersmak culinary certification body Was launched in 2000 by the Tourist Board of Western Sweden with the aim of further developing the already highly recommended cuisine of the area. It is forging a strong partnership between restaurants and producers of raw ingredients, and it is enriching the gastronomic experience of visitors to the region as well as a detour. As anticipated, this initiative has been a great success from the outset, with restaurants and food producers of the region demonstrating the excellent form they are in.

To date the region boasts 33 accredited restaurants and a large number of committed producers of raw ingredients. All accredited restaurants display our Västsvensk Mersmak plate edged in blue as a mark highest quality and guarantee to you of a gastronomic experience to remember.

For further details of a gourmet tour of the region click here.

Is the long hot dry summer is taking its toll on Laplands berry crop?

The hot dry summer has had an effect on the usually bountiful supply of berries in Finnish Lapland. Forest berries have been part of the Finnish diet for hundreds of years. Everyman´s rights in Finland allow people to walk and pick up wild berries even in forests and swamps that they do not own or without any permission from landowners provided that they don’t damage the environment. During August and September Finns make frequent visits to the forests and fells collecting berries for their own use or to be sold by the kilo / litre to berry traders that take up residence in market places throughout Finland for the berry season.

About 67 % of adult people pick up forest berries in Finland. When the crop is good, people pick up about 50 million kilos of berries. Of these 35 million kilos are for personal home consumption and 15 million kilos are used commercially. Berries collected include lingonberries, cloudberries and bilberries / blue berries.

In recent years berry pickers from Russia, Ukraine and even as far a field as Thailand have arrived in Finland during August and September to collect berries, all being paid by the kilo. In the past they have been able to pick enough to cover their travel, accommodation and food costs and still make a profit.
The drought and dry summer, have resulted in a poor berry crop this season in some areas of Lapland creating problems for the foreign berry-pickers. Many Russian and Ukrainian berry-pickers, who have travelled to Finland with high hopes of earning money by picking wild berries feel cheated and would like to go home, but have no money for a return trip or for food.  They are turning to local authorities for help.

Locals agree it is a poor year but those with a good local knowledge are heading to the “wet” areas where berries can still be found and are finding enough for domestic use. Even more of a worry to the Finnish forest food pickers is the lack of mushrooms, another highlight on the Finnish calender.

For areas traditionally offering good berry and mushroom picking

In Finland click here.

In Sweden click here.

When are the Aurora Borealis most likely to appear in Finnish Lapland?

The particles causing the Northern Lights come from the sun, from which they are catapulted out into space at speeds of up to 1000 km a second on the so-called solar winds. The Northern Lights typically form at a height of 100 km as a result of charged particles (electrons and protons) accelerating in the Earth's magnetic field and colliding with air molecules. These give up part of their surplus energy in the form of light. The phenomenon is rather similar to the formation of an image in a television tube, or to the emission of light by a neon lamp. The usual greenish-yellow, and occasionally reddish, appearance of the aurora is produced by the oxygen in the atmosphere, whereas the blue and violet light is due to nitrogen.

The Finnish name for the lights (revontulet) comes from a Sami, or Lapp, legend whereby the tail of a fox running along snow-covered fells strikes the snow drifts, sending a trail of sparks into the sky. Revontulet literally means "foxfire".

The systematic observation of the Northern Lights began in Finland in the mid -1700’s. From the 1970’s the Finnish Meteorological Institute has operated auroral cameras at several stations allowing them to compile extensive statistics, images and monitor seasonal variations.

Today, the FMI maintains a modern digital all-sky camera system that takes the auroral pictures without film directly to the memory of a computer. At the moment there are five cameras in operation. The pictures are transmitted, principally in real-time, through Internet to be seen everywhere. Due to light nights in Lapland during spring and summer, the auroral cameras have been switched off. The photographing begins again in autumn.

Where and when are the Northern Lights most seen?
Statistics reveal that the most Northern Lights are observed in the Kilpisjärvi region of Lapland. With a clear sky during the dark period of the year on average the auroras is seen there on three nights out of four.  The 100 % (every night) level is only attained in northern Norway, along the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Further north still their occurrence again decreases. As one travels south, the incidence diminishes so that in the Sodankylä region the Northern Lights are seen every second night, and in the Oulu-Kuusamo area every fourth night.  On cloudy nights, of course, it is not possible to see them at all.

 
At 9 pm in the evening, Finnish time, the average probability of occurrence in Lapland exceeds 50 %. It reaches a peak at approx. 11.30 pm, when there is a magnetic midnight and the disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field that the lights depend on are at a maximum. After midnight the incidence of the lights dwindles, so that by 4 am to 5 am the probability of occurrence falls below 50 %.
In North-Finland, north of the Arctic Circle, the best season for seeing auroras is December - January. During the summer, the nights are too bright for observing auroras.

For the best locations to experience the Northern Lights this winter click here.

Good reasons to be in Finland according to the Helsinki Times!

1. Sauna - the Finns have invented it and despite many imitations they're still the best at it.
2. Suomirokki (Finnish rock'n'roll) - "mun mummoni muni mun mammani, mun mammani muni mun": simply ingenious.
3. Juhannus (Midsummer) - a day when the whole country goes to the mökki (summer cottage) to grill sausages, drink beer, fight the mosquitoes, and in a few unlucky cases, drown in the lake. National spirit condensed!
4. Nights - bright, crispy and tempting in the summer; cold, dry and wrapping in the winter.
5. Public transport - irritatingly punctual (although drivers in Helsinki could smile more often).
6. Snow - its shapes have inspired architects like Aalto, its presence continues to amuse thousands of kids (and annoy as many drivers).
7. Wednesday night - the "pikkulauantai" ("Little Saturday") defeats all foreigners who try to go to work early on Thursdays, and makes them understand how superior Finns are at recovering from hangovers.
8. Ferry boats - a perfect way to combine avoiding tax with extreme partying. The boat to nowhere concept (a ferry that wanders in the middle of the sea for 20 hours just to go back to where it started from) is still unequalled in the whole world.
9. Loska (slush) - what would winter in Helsinki be without it? It has the outstanding capacity of forming puddles slightly longer than the average human step (Helsingin Sanomat).
10. Sandals - best when worn at work, especially in combination with black suit and tie.
11. Tuparit (housewarming party) - the Finnish housewarming parties are usually announced to neighbors by a handwritten note hung near the main door of the building. The note usually invites neighbors to join the party if they think it's too noisy!
12. Lapland - a truly wild region, (un)populated by the proud Sami people and by assorted fauna (thousands of reindeers, millions of mosquitoes and the occasional Norwegian seeking for cheap alcohol).
13. Alko - it was born as the retail chain of State monopoly for alcoholic beverages. In times of euro, globalization, and frequent ferries to Estonia the monopoly will soon be a thing of the past, but the Alko managers understood it long ago and created a pleasant environment with an outstanding selection.
14. Hernekeitto (pea and meat soup, usually eaten on Thursdays) and perunalaatikko (potato pudding) - Finnish gastronomy at its best.
15. Pullonpalautus - the biggest queues at Alko shops are not for buying wines, but for returning bottles. And at 10 cents a piece, it's worth the wait.
16. Women - the most beautiful are said to come from Turku, but certain foreign tourists do not seem to be particularly picky about the city.
17. Walking on the frozen sea - never has man felt so powerful (save for those unlucky ones who drown).
18. V and W - a country where these two letters are eqivalent (and names are mixed accordingly in the phonebook) cannot be too normal.
19. Wappu or Vappu (May Day) - the biggest student party in Finland, where the Havis Amanda statue in Helsinki is the first to receive a graduate hat and the only one who can stand up properly the following day.
20. Finnish - a language that counts 15 case endings, has almost no prepositions, no future tense, and where "pencil" is translated as "lyijykynä" (pronounced: lew-you-kew-ner) deserves due respect.
21. Silence - in the countryside, in the sauna, on buses (at daytime), something we Southerners cannot simply conceive.
22. Nokia - was it not what brought us here in the first place?
23. Design - ubiquitous as mobile phones, it's what makes Finns sell mobile phones.
24. Architects - Saarinen and Aalto have been the greatest, every Finnish family man tries to be one when building the mökki.
25. Mökki (summer cottage) - the traditional summer house is built in wood near a lake and has the obligatory sauna. A place where Finns reconciliate with the world during the summer.
26. Jokamiehenoikeus (Everyman's right) - a law allows anyone to walk in any property, even if private, provided that no disturbance or damage is done. What in other countries would cause serious social unrest is here considered perfectly normal.
27. Coffee - Finns are the keenest consumers in the world. And it's not as tasteless as in America!
28. Taxes - don't you also love boasting that you pay the highest taxes of Europe in front of your foreign friends?
29. Noise - during ice hockey matches (moderate), on charter flights to the Canary islands (high), on night buses back from the bars (extreme).
30. Houses - simple, cozy and warm (yes, even in the winter).
31. The Helsinki-Vantaa airport - the best in the world (IATA survey, 1999), and the only one where the baggage almost invariably comes in five minutes - try & see yourself.
32. Lakes - as many as 187 888, according to official counts; sometimes numbers say it all.
33. Trust - Finns trust other people so much that even Italians start to do the same!
34. Queueing for a club - so common that it's almost a way of living, especially in the winter.
35. Järjestysmiehet (bouncers) - the doormen deserve respect for the temperatures in which they have to work and for the customers they often have to face (or, in some cases, drag out).
36. Beer - oh, yes, and lots of it.
37. Taxi drivers - many of them are graduate students, most of them speak English and practically all of them accept credit cards for any amount. The fact that they are ludicrously expensive doesn't matter so much.
38. Mobile phones - nowhere else they are so ubiquitous, yet so discrete.
39. Pussilakana - the bag-like sheet that wraps the blanket is something so ingenious that even we Southern Europeans will copy it one day.
40. The national anthem - one of the few that still makes people cry.
41. Outdoor queueing at the burger kiosk in 20 degrees frost at 4 am after a night out drinking - no other population does it with such a relaxed style.
42. Finns - they have withstood a Russian invasion (November 1939 - March 1940), had the same president for 25 years (Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, from 1956 to 1981), won an ice-hockey world championship (in Sweden, against the home team, 1995) and got rid of the 1 and 2 cent coins (January 2002): an outstanding people!

To find out for yourself first hand click here.

Climate change leads to healthier reindeer and large salmon in Lapland.

SHORTER winters, longer summers and a slight rise in temperature in northernmost Europe are proving a boon for arctic wildlife, agriculture and tourism.
In spite of dire warnings about climate change, the most northerly reaches of Scandinavia are basking in good news: reindeer are growing stronger and the salmon larger. New possibilities are opening up for tourism trade and even for wine-makers.

In Rovaniemi, Father Christmas’s Lapland home in northern Finland, reindeer are putting on weight. Jan-Eric Paadar, a herdsman’s son in the northerly Inari region, said recent shorter winters meant Finland’s 200,000 reindeer had longer to graze on grass and lichen. “It’s easier to find food when the winter comes later and later all the time,” he said.
The same applies to Norway, where the government reindeer department has reported four bumper grazing years. “They are in good condition. Last year there was a very good market for reindeer meat,” said Christian Lindman, a spokesman.

Salmon farmers are also benefiting. At Volden, a family-run salmon and trout producer in the coastal town of Alta, an employee said higher water temperatures made fish eat more and grow faster.
Professor Eystein Jansen, of the Bjerknes centre for climate research in Bergen, said changes in the North Sea ecosystem were among the clearest signs of climate change.
Norwegian fishermen can now net bigger cod and herring catches as both species migrate further north. An increase of 1C had made Norway’s waters the optimal temperature, the professor said.
According to Inger Hansson-Bauer, of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, farming patterns are also changing because of a rise in spring temperatures of 1.5C in the past century.
“There is a very clear tendency for spring to come earlier and autumns to be warmer,” she said. “In some areas there is a positive effect for farming. Where there was just one hay harvest, they can now harvest twice.”

As holidaymakers swelter in the south, northern Europe’s tourist industry is set to gain. Norway’s holiday home market is booming, with good coastal properties fetching £500,000 to £1m each.
Watersports are also drawing more followers. In Finland, there are 10,000 windsurfers and 1,000 more take it up every year. Pasi Rahikka, the manager of the Surf.fi windsurfing company, said climate change was making a difference.
“The summer seems to last a month longer than five or 10 years ago,” he said.

Richard Bisgrove, a plant scientist at the University of Reading and author of a well-regarded report on climate change, agreed that tourism would extend north with the onset of climate change.
“I’m in my early sixties and maybe when I retire I will go further north rather than south,” he said.
Denmark is already nurturing a wine industry. Although still in its infancy, it exported wine to France last year.
“Warm temperatures and long summers are helping us to mature the grapes,” said Jens Michael Gundersen of the Danish Wine Association.

Experts warn that while looking at the advantages of climate change is “refreshing”, the damage will far outweigh the benefits overall. “There will be gainers in this but the cost on a worldwide basis will be astronomical,” said Bisgrove.

NICOLA SMITH, BRUSSELS. THE TIME ONLINE.

To for reindeer activities in Lapland click here.

Santa visits London to check up on Christmas department.

Father Christmas and Debra the Zebra arrive at Harrods department store in central London, Tuesday Aug. 8, 2006. Taking a break from a safari holiday, Father Christmas opened Christmas World, the store's Christmas department on Tuesday.

Have you planned your Chrisitmas yet?  For ideas click here.

A record 1370 athletes - 739 men - 631 women - from 48 countries will compete.

48 is the highest number of countries ever to compete at the event, beating the record set in Munich four years ago by one. Only Armenia and Liechtenstein will not be represented in Gothenburg. 1370 athletes represents over 100 more than competed at the 1998 and 2002 Championships.

The biggest team is Russia with 118 athletes (56 men and 62 women) and Germany (90), Spain (87), France (85), Great Britain (85) and Italy (83) all also have teams numbering over 80 athletes.
The host nation Sweden will have a team of 69 athletes which is their biggest team ever in a European Atletics Championships.

On Sunday 6 August at 8.00pm, Göteborg will treat everyone to a spectacular opening ceremony for the European Athletics Championships 2006 at Götaplatsen in the city centre. This will be the first time that the championships have been officially opened outside the stadium. Ronan Keating and several other popular performers will be entertaining the crowd. The orchestra for the evening is naturally the Göteborg Symphony Orchestra, and Helena Paparizou will be performing the official championship song, “Heroes”.

Alongside the athletics taking place at Ullevi stadium, the city is putting on an impressive programme of entertainment that has something for everyone. The big City Festival stages will transform streets and squares into festival venues. The championships themselves begin at Ullevi on 7 August, but the City Festival kicks off earlier on 4 August and continues until 13 August.

For further details about Gothenburg click here.

The 30th World Gold panning championships takes place in Tankavaara, Finnish Lapland this week.

The event attracts contestants and visitors from around the world. Competitors in various categories are set the task of locating a set number of gold flakes in the fastest time. The winner of last years mens competition Veikko Keranën located the allocated 11 gold flakes in a fraction over a minute!
Visitors to the Tankavaara gold museum can try their hand at gold panning throughout the summer.
The museum is located south of the resort of Saariselka.

For our nearest accommodation to Tankavaara click here

Our visitors to Finland during winter often ask what the huskies get up to during the summer

Having worked so hard during winter whisking people through the forest on exhilarating safaris the huskies spend their summers relaxing and putting their paws up.
At Finn Jann husky farm near Tavalkoski the dogs spend their summer sunbathing, joining guests for leisurely hikes through the surrounding countryside and swimming in the lakes. As Autumn (Ruska) approaches the dogs start to build up their fitness gradually by pulling wheeled sleds along the forest trails.

You can join Timo at Finn-Jann to help with the huskies preseason training and to put the puppies through their paces in November and early December. This is a unique holiday for anyone that loves animals and wants hands on experience at a husky farm.

For further details click here.