Just spend the week with my homegirl John in Finland (and a dash of Estonia). We had such a fun time with lots of laughs, but more importantly I was able to see his world now. Needless to say, lots of Dranks and million dollar bills were involved.

Finland is a stunning country very similar to canada (especially Ontario) in terms of lake, rivers, Canadian Shield type geography and a wide assortment of berries (lingonberries, gooseberries, cloudberries.....crow berries? There's more). The photos really speak for themselves.

In this time of year the sun sets around 11:00 and rises at 3-3:30 around Helsinki. It was difficult adjusting at first (on my second morning I awoke at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I biked from by cabin to Järvenpää and visited to local market). But the sunrises and sunsets, due to their unusual length, are unbelievably stunning. The colours are incredible and leave a strong impression.

The quietness outside the city also reminds me of the Yukon. Unlike Ontario in summer, there are far less birds singing or animals (squirrels, chipmunks etc.) in plan sight. Though the forests and fertile farmland seem plucked from ontario's countryside, (including the amazing assortment of locally grown produce ), the silence and lingering sunsets remind you that you are in the footsteps of the Arctic, and that the warm (hot actually) weather and long days are not meant to last, but is the time to take advantage of before winter darkness.

Many locals I met with mentioned, rather bluntly, that winter is depressing. It's dark for the first couple months and quickly gets cold and snowy. One girl said she 'forgets each year it's coming' and becomes depressed around November and December. I'm sure there is natural beauty still there, but short, cold, dark days are not something we can easily adjust to. Alcoholism appears to be very common (both for cultural reasons and to cope with darkness) but fortunately the government is generous with holidays. I am very curious about visiting in winter though!!

Next post will have more details on Helsinki and mah home girl John.