The Finnish way

(14.-15.02.)

A huge bonus of a longer city trip is (at least we feel that way) the opportunity to leave the city behind and explore the nature of the country in a relatively short time.

And Helsinki is truly a prime example of such a short vacation, as the vast Nuuksio National Park ( https://www.visitfinland.com/de/produkt/b55ef53e-4a9f-46b4-a116-f5aed5a5c8ad/nuuksio-national-park/ ) is only an hour away by public transport.

We initially chose Helsinki, among other reasons, because we wanted to go dog sledding! However, when we started browsing providers and saw the prices, this activity was quickly removed from our plans.

We had already pointed out in previous blog entries the outrageous prices, especially for alcohol. The dog sledding excursions were each around €800-900 for a maximum of three hours! We found that a bit too expensive and not proportional to the activity.

Of course, everyone can see it differently :-)

So we continued searching and stumbled upon Mikko (www.finnishfriend.com) and his offer for snowshoeing in the national park.

Since at least I always assume that thousands of people have the same idea as I do and want to book the same activity on the same day, we didn't hesitate and booked a day tour with a picnic and campfire.

HA! We probably got ahead of the thousands minus one people.

The day before, however, we first headed to the national park without a guide and took the train and bus via Espoo.

Our destination is a small reindeer park on the edge of the national park, where seven reindeer live, including a completely white female.

Unfortunately, this trip turned out to be a little tourist trap, as the park, or rather the walkable area of the park, is really small. You get a bucket full of lichen and feed the animals akin to a wildlife park back home. To warm up, you can at least get coffee, tea, and cinnamon rolls in the large tipi by the open fire. Nice and necessary at -17 degrees. But for a total of €64 entry, it feels a bit sparse. We can now understand why the operator estimates the average stay to be an hour and recommends it. Overall, it’s cute, but very touristy.

So we use the time until the next bus arrives for a little hike to the next place, which is about 2 km away. Movement and winter wonderland warm the body and heart at least as much as feeding reindeer and having coffee by the campfire.

Here, we get what we believe is a first glimpse of the day with Mikko tomorrow. A winding trail through the forest, completely all to ourselves. You can neither hear cars nor other people. And of course, everything is covered in snow!

Just for that, the journey was worth it. And the animals brought a broad smile to Ida's face, so this trip can definitely be accounted for as a success.

Tourist fun or not…

Back at the hotel, we don't have much time to rest, because the next Helsinki classic awaits us.

A sauna visit is a must; we definitely wanted to do that.

Helsinki has several public saunas, but they should be reserved in advance, especially on weekends, as both tourists like us and locals want to experience this Finnish tradition up close, or use it regularly.

So we booked tickets for a 2-hour slot in advance and after returning to the hotel, we grabbed our bags to be at the sauna on time at 5 PM at the harbor.

Despite missing the tram, we made it to the ticket shop in time, where we just need to check in.

However, thanks to the staff, we realize that unfortunately, we are at the wrong sauna.

“Allas” (the owner chain) owns two saunas in Helsinki, and we have (it suddenly comes back to us) booked the sauna on a small island off Helsinki! Because the one we are currently visiting is too touristy and modern. Because we do not want to sauna in the harbor basin like on display. Everything suddenly becomes as clear as the Finnish air! Just somehow a bit late...and now?

According to Google Maps, it is only two kilometers, but one of those must be walked because the tram only goes up to a kilometer from the dock leading to the island.

So taking the train plus walking would be quite time-consuming, and we try our luck with an Uber driver who just happens to be at the sauna. However, he is not just there by chance; he is waiting for four ladies behind us who look at us somewhat confused. We apologize and hurry to a taxi 20 meters away, but here too, we hope in vain. The driver says the distance is too short!

Yes... and for us, it's too long to walk!

Funny guy, the Finn.

So we have no choice but to start walking towards the tram, which we (surprise) miss by seconds.

“Perkele”

Nearly giving up our already shortened sauna visit, another Uber driver stops who is free AND willing to drive us the two kilometers to the dock.

Here, we also see for the first time the reason why there were no traffic fatalities in Helsinki last year. The driver drives so stoically relaxed, tells us about this and that, never exceeding 30 km/h in his Tesla, and overall, he seems like a Nordic Buddha!

We still estimate that we would have been slower on foot and are grateful for the ride.

So we arrive “only” 30 minutes late to our booked time slot, slip out of our clothes, and into the (typically Finnish) textile sauna! At least we knew this and are prepared with swimwear and hotel bathrobe!

First, we head to a tiny sauna, one of only two, that tempts with a panoramic window overlooking the frozen Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, this little sauna can only accommodate 4-5 people, so the door often opens and is closed again by disappointed sauna-goers, which in turn causes those inside to constantly pour water and try infusion after infusion. Unfortunately, this only results in it being wetter, not really hotter. So it's more of a wooden steam bath at 50 degrees than a hot Finnish sauna!

No matter, the first experience is very satisfying, because just the fact that we are sitting in a sauna in Helsinki brings smiles to all our faces!

After warming up somewhat, we decide to take our first cooling off. This is about 50 meters away in the form of a hole in the ice of the Baltic Sea.

Ida prefers to roll in the snow; we dare (I first only up to the waist, the second time then completely) to immerse ourselves up to the neck in the icy water. Suddenly, the -18-degree outside temperature for a very short time doesn’t seem so cold anymore!

We manage a total of three sauna sessions, preferring the larger sauna except for the first. The right of the most frequent pourer applies here as well, but at least it remains largely consistently hot!

What we notice is that in Finland, the sauna seems to be used more for socializing with beer, wine, and champagne instead of quiet enjoyment. Apparently, the stoically calm Finn truly comes alive at 80-90 degrees. It gets noisier at times than in some German train stations, and we wonder how the typical German sauna-goer would react here.

Probably with a loud “SHHHHHTTTT” from the bottom of their soul!

In any case, despite or actually because of all the obstacles on the way, different customs, and the whole atmosphere on this small island, we are completely satisfied with the sauna excursion. And with the day as a whole anyway!

Tomorrow will continue, and it will (as confirmed later) be the absolute highlight of our vacation!

The next day, Mikko picks us up at 10 AM at the hotel with his van and drives with us nearly 40 minutes out to the national park.

However, he emphasizes with a bit of pride that it is still considered greater Helsinki!

During the drive, we exchange German and Finnish customs, such as the strict winter tire requirement with spikes (except for one road in Helsinki that is supposed to be a test site to see if studless winter tires may produce less fine dust) and learn a little about the Finnish language’s connections. We still can't repeat it...

Upon arriving at the parking lot, we slip into our snowshoes as the conditions for this method of transport are nearly perfect.

Shortly after starting, we find ourselves in the middle of a completely frozen lake. Below us, 30 cm of snow and 30 cm of ice, and we quickly realize that the shoes make walking much easier.

Now we come to a dilemma of this blog entry:

We could describe all our impressions, every moment; trying to write down colors, expanses, smells, sounds (often just silence and the crunching of our shoes under us) in our usual detailed form!

Nothing would come close to the experience we had here today! That may sound exaggerated, but it’s simply the closest to our assessment of the trip!

We hike over lakes, follow lynx, deer, fox, and hare tracks, climb up slopes on paths we must find ourselves, stop repeatedly for interesting information that Mikko tells us in complete calmness and gives us the time to pass it on to Ida if she can't follow in English.

At halfway, at another lake, we take a break, chop wood for a small campfire over which we grill or heat our sausages, bread, and cinnamon rolls that we brought!

Coffee and hot currant juice are also provided, and so we sit in the middle of the Finnish winter wonderland in the snow, grilling sausages over the wood (chopped by Ida!) and enjoying the moment that no Trump, no Putin, or whoever can take away from us right now!

In Japanese, there is a term or rather a concept for the joy of small things (as one of four pillars) for the meaning of life or the reason one gets up in the morning. It is called “Ikigai”! And I believe that here and now, Ikigai is omnipresent!

We hike back, cross country, try juniper berries from the bush, test the shoes and our skills more unwittingly on a heart and kidney level as we decide on the significantly steeper and therefore more daring path, but have a lot of fun even here, so much so that even Mikko joins in and laughs heartily.

He has been doing this for almost six years now and enjoys every tour anew, loves nature, constantly discovers changes in the surroundings, and says that he can’t imagine a more beautiful job.

We can understand him and are incredibly grateful for this impressive experience, the pictures, and his company!

Of course, every fun must come to an end, and so seven hours after the start, we return to the hotel, just in time for the encroaching darkness.

With a warm farewell (handshake), our paths separate again, and after a quick dinner, we just want one thing: to shower and sleep.

After all, the next day we have to return home with heavy hearts.

At the beginning of our planning, we were rather skeptical about the possibilities and variety in Helsinki, but now we look back at the days and would claim that this was our best and most comprehensive city trip to date.

We had plenty of city strolling, icy national sport, sweating national hobby, beautiful national park, and a bit of national cuisine! And all that in one (extended) weekend.

From our perspective, Helsinki is definitely worth a trip, and who knows, maybe we’ll end up back here again!

We report! Until next time!

Fox, Hare, and Lynx