Finland is a remote, vast and unknown land, where men have had to learn to live with a nature that is not pleasant, a nature that makes its law very clear.
But it is also Helsinki, the small St Petersburg. At the crossroads between northern Europe and Russia, the capital is remarkable for its neoclassical architecture, which it, like its Russian cousin, owes to Engel architect. It is a rich city of its colorful and lively markets, including the port market on the edge of the Gulf of Finland, its cafés with sun-flooded terraces in summer, its concerts in open air, its parks bordering the sea. Historic sites are also the occasion for beautiful excursions such as the beautiful fortress of Suomenlinna or the small town of Porvoo.
But Finland is also, in the south-west, the archipelago with the 40 000 islands, unique in Europe. The ideal place for cycling holidays, the discovery of the islands of pink granite, the oldest churches in Finland, and all through gently rolling landscapes. Before starting to discover the country's 187,888 lakes, a real blue labyrinth cut from forests.
Then we'll have to try the adventure. Lapland is a mythical region, buried under snow in winter. Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland, a few kilometers south of the polar circle, has an exciting museum dedicated to Arctic peoples. Summer as well as winter, it's an adventure: trekking in Lapland, rafting on cold and tumultuous waters or temperature shock: 80 to 100 ° C in a sauna and - 20 ° C outside. We go there to live the far north, under the midnight sun or under the permanent night. Imagine a blue winter, the polar night draped with aurora borealis. Ballet of magic light in the winter sky. A winter in the enchanting atmosphere, where white and quiet cover the vast forest areas of the country, tunturis and tundra tundra. The country of trolls and Santa Claus knows how to alternate the pleasures. Feeling almost strange that this time that stops, as also immersed in full hibernation. The dark does not, however, prevent activities, quite the contrary. The thick snow pack will provoke the excitement of skiers. Some will even try to go to pulka hikes, these sleigh hooked to reindeer. The inhabitants will also welcome you around a hot wine, glöggi, to celebrate a Pikkujoulu around Christmas. A dream? No, a reality.
