I’ll have to admit that these countries weren’t even really on my radar as places to visit. But whenever you travel you meet folks who also have traveled and you swap travel stories as well as the obligatory “what’s one of your favorite destinations?” In the answer to this question, not one but two of the folks I recently traveled with named a trip they’d independently taken to Lapland in northern Finland and Sweden. Dog-sledding! Snow-mobiling! Reindeer! Ice plunges! Ice-floating! The Northern Lights!!!!! So – that went on my list and I decided I better go sooner rather than later.
I booked a tour that was to start with a few days in Helsinki, then travel about 110 miles north of the Arctic Circle for a few days in Finnish Lapland, then head west and across the border into Swedish Lapland for a few days, before heading south and ending in Stockholm. Taking a look at the map, I decided that since Norway was immediately to the west, I’d head there for a few days by myself, taking the train from Stockholm to Oslo, try to figure out a day trip from Oslo to the western Fjords, and then return to Oslo for the flight back home.
After arriving in Helsinki late in the day and having dinner with my group, we spent the morning in the city on a tour that included the gorgeous 4-year old central library/community center, the famous “rock church” carved into and out-of stone, and a visit to a small food market where we got to taste reindeer sausage, elk sausage, bear sausage (they all tasted like salami), as well as smoked salmon (unbelievably good) and a shrimp salad.
As we drove by the city’s central train station, our local guide pointed out the Ukraine flag flying above it. Finns are not fans of Russia (who ruled them for about 100 years). Tour guides usually don’t talk about politics at all or – if they do – keep their comments even-keeled. Not our’s today; as she said, the war in Ukraine, started by Russia, can end easily without any negotiations: Russia should just withdraw. Wow. Fist pump.
Helsinki is clean, beautiful, and small. The whole country is only 5.6m people and Helsinki – the largest city – has about 685,000. The country has universal healthcare and free education, is ranked in the top 5 of “happiest countries” since 2012, is rated as the world’s “least corrupt” country, and its higher ed system has been ranked the best in the world. Now if only they could do something about the cold!!
A few pictures below, along with one video. One thing I’ve done before going on a few recent trips is to watch food-related TV series about where I’m headed, in order to find local foods and good joints at which to eat. Favorite shows are Anthony Bourdain and “Somebody Feed Phil“; the latter turned me on to “Finnjavel” in Helsinki, a Michelin-starred restaurant, where the food and service were just great.
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