In the Nordic region of the world located a Scandinavian country of Finland. A country made of many islands and lakes sharing boarders with Norway, Sweden, Russia and the Gulf of Bosnia connecting it to the Black Sea. Many around the world know Finland as the land of midnight sun, land of the northern lights, and home of Santa Clause.

One of the most iconic features of this beautiful land is the Nordic light.

When the summer sun is gone to sleep, the dark winters are lighten up by the aurora lights so spectacular even in the northern part of closest neighbor country Norway. This phenomenon has indeed attracted many people around the world to experience the moments. These moments can be captured in about 200 nights in a year. They are most spectacular in the northern part of the country. So imagine the combination of the white snow on such beautiful lights. It will feel like a transcending moment in your life time. Probably one would stand a chance to spot them too in late autumn and early spring. Best time in a day recommended to see them is about 1 to 2 hours before midnight with the spectacular moment expected to last in between 20 seconds or go on for several hours.

When you visit Finland, probably in the northern part, you will have a chance to be told of a traditional local myth of understanding and explaining these lovely lights. It’s called the Sami Mythology which says that a fox runs across the Arctic fells and lights up the sky with sparks flying from its magnificent tail which whirls the snow. Fins of the present term it as ”revontulet” meaning the Fox’s fire which is deriving from the folk story of the flying fox of the arctic.

Well science has another explanation of this phenomenon. They say that the solar winds come with charged particles towards our planet and they end up colliding with the ozone layer and the impact produces such lights. So it is upon a traveler to fully see which side to take in order to fully enjoy the trip.

Another mind soothing feature about Finland is the Finnish Sauna.

First and foremost if you did not know about the origin of the word Sauna, It’s a word of a Finn origin. There are various kinds of these structures ranging from an electric sauna, old fashioned wooden sauna in most cases located in at the lakeside in a cottage. In most parts of Finland you will be able to easily trace a sauna. These saunas are apart and partial of the heritage and culture of this lovely country. A country believed to have an estimate of about 200 million saunas enjoyed almost by every citizen. It a great sign that a tourist will have a chance to enjoy the same at a fairly low price. To show the importance of sauna in a Finn culture, the country’s parliament has one inside for members of the parliament and ministers to enjoy. These saunas have cultural values, traditions, and practices. For example many Finns believe that body and mind can be relaxed and purified by simply getting into these Saunas. For a tourist who enjoys mingling with the locals, look no further than a sauna. It is the best place so far to easily link up with people and make friendships.

The other feature worth not missing out in Finland is its clean lakes.

Since Finland is a country that is sitting on thousands of lakes, you will have a lot of chances to encounter one. It is estimated that Finland has about 188000 lakes. This makes Finland one of the most unique countries in Europe. Lapland is among those lakes one might be curious about. The oases around the country are considered the cleanest in the world with purely clear blue waters. Lake Inari is among the most crystal clear blue lake. In some of these lakes such as Saimaa are some of the most endangered animals. For example the Ringed Seal. With all this makes it clear that Finland is closely linked to nature deep-rooted in the hearts of its people. Finland’s wild life might be another eye catching reason to visit the country. Because of the vast flora and fauna that is evidenced with natural green forests, great wildlife habitats have existed for many thousands and thousands of years. These are homes to a lot of wild animals and birds. With the support of excursion arrangements, a tourist can have a chance to see them in their sanctuaries. For example African Jungles are proud to have the lion as the king. In Finland, the chapter is changed when the brown bear takes over. Finland is estimated to have about 1500 brown bears roaming almost anywhere in mainland Finland. The Saimaa ringed seal is part of the wildlife table. As stated earlier, it is among the most endangered species. This seal lives in fresh waters of Lake Saimaa. They have existed since the last ice age and adapted to the fresh sweet waters. In fact they are only found in this part of the world in Lake Saimaa. They are estimated to be about 300 considering the recent released data about them. Bob cats are also very common in the wilderness of Finland.

Skiing in Finland is yet another activity that might spark your traveling and touring Finland.

It is estimated that Finland is blessed with about 75 ski resorts. These are close to cities and villages around the country. Lapland area is said to have the biggest of the country’s ski resort. It should be noted that at this resort, the treat differs from that of other European countries. The place is covered in undisturbed pure snow blankets from December to April each year. There are various snow terrain around Lapland suitable for snowboarding and skiing. Skiing season in this part of Finland lasts up to a period of half year or 6 months. Other activities include reindeer riding and husky rides. Also consider snow fishing as one of the activities.  The greatest area to to this recommended by Flying Blue Exites (FBE) is Lapland.

Santa Clause.

Most people have from time to time thought of Santa as fictional. Also mistaken to be an American icon since it is most believed by Americans. However the real Santa Clause is from Finland. It is said that Korvatunturi Lapland is the area he Santa hails from. We do not have the real address though but we are told that Rovaniemi is an ideal place he can be found to greet a lot of tourists and visitors from all over the world. The mostly used postal address for Santa Clause is Post Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Rovaniemi, Finland.  Santa can only visit kids only once a year, however he also receives visitors in his home and show you around his place. Actually we can relate this to the famous animation movie called Polar Express. Rudolph and the Reindeers might be what you might find on your visit to Santa. Ho ho ho! might be a sound you might hear on your visit especially in the Christmas season. One of the most known jobs of Santa is to read letters. From this Finland Post Offices receives a lot of letters going to Santa estimated to be half a million of the letters per year. The most astonishing part is that he replies to each and every letter sent to him if an address was clearly indicated by the sender. You can consider sending Santa Clause your letter for your Christmas wishes and you get replied.  Consider visiting Santa on your trip to Finland. The locals might help you locate him. Finland has a lot to see even in other seasons which include Midnight sun, where in the summer the sun shines at midnight in the months of May and August each year. In about 70 consecutive days, the sun stays above the horizon. It shines only above the Arctic circles. This creates night nights all over Finland. This is known as the White Night Magic of Finland.

The Finnish cultural and heritage designs 

It is considered a design and innovative nation warehouse of Europe. The world has been gifted by many cultural and technological designers and architectures from this part of the world. Did you know that Nokia electronics are of a Finn origin? Maybe one should be reminded of the famous 3310 Nokia that enjoyed the worldwide mobile phones market topping until the invention of smart phone such as IPhone and Samsung.    Next time you hold a Nokia, just know you are enjoying the greatest minds innovation from Finland. Also a lot of textile and architecture is attributed to this lovely country.

Technological acceptance among the Fins.

Finland’s capital Helsinki is among the countries that have fully embraced the sustainability and efficiency of the electronic public scooters. Just like bicycles in Amsterdam, Electronic scooters have swept into the hearts of the Finn people. They are classified as light electric vehicles according to the Finn traffic laws. These do not exceed 25km/h and these in Finland are set at 20km/h making it an ideal option for an average Finn. In Finland these are set to traffic rules as a person that cycles a traditional bicycle. With this new technological advancement, any tourist is given a chance to tour and enjoy sightseeing of this lovely city. However we advise that you use a helmet and protective gear if it is your first time to use them. Safety first.

Finn people are friendly and they are very open to learning new culture. When FBE representative visited the city of Helsinki in summer of 2019, he was so surprised to visit an African restaurant fully filled with Finn people enjoying the various delicacies. Anyone really interested in exploring African food and its best in Finland is advised to drop by places like African Pots, Som Afro Café, and Fanka Africa located in Helsinki. Be ready to be served West, East and Central African meals. Put Finland on your bucket list of places you want to travel. It is wise to explore all possibilities of culinary from around the world beyond what you have always tasted.

Flying Blue Exites (FBE) Recommendations:

We give recommendation of the following services to help you plan your journey with ease and price friendly;

1.Accommodation.

-Booking.com: One of the best accommodation sites a tourist can rely on.

2.Rent a car services

Auto Europe: Car Rental Worldwide, best prices in Europe offering latest car brands that you can choose on.

3. Sight Seeing services.

Viator:  Trip Advisory Company visit www.viator.com

For Helsinki Shore Excursion: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour just find out by just clicking Helsinki

Musement.com and Go City Card.com: Are perfect options for travelers who plan on visiting multiple attractions and sights in various major cities around the world. These programs offers tourists the opportunity to save up to 55% of the initial cost of entrance tickets to various museums, tours and attractions in the United States, Europe, Great Britain, Australia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Hawaii, China, Mexico among others.

Cheap communication.

Drimsim: This is the first universal SIM card and free app for travelers. Drimsim is a real SIM card. It’s plastic and with a chip, like any other. You can insert it into your phone, tablet or router.

The difference is that it is not tied to an operator. As your plane lands in a new country, Drimsim is immediately ready for work and operational in 229 countries. Give it a try on your next trip

Do you know anything about Finland that is not mentioned in this article or have you visited this country and you feel that you would like to share with us what you found interesting and fascinating about this wonderful place?  Feel free to comment and share below for everyone to know before they visit.

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Julius Matovu.
Flying Blue Exites (FBE)

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