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Finland

Feb. 2025

This trip was with Varshali (8 yrs. old) and...

Hans (10 yrs. old), seen here under a very cool tram stop.

3 days in Helsinki first.

A Lutheran church built directly into the bedrock.

At the Cat Cafe: 11 cats and 4 bunnies running around.  Strict rules: no chasing & no petting when sleeping.

In broad strokes, Finland was under Swedish control till 1800, and then Russian control till WWI. There's still a significant Russian Orthodox community in Helsinki. 

Pro-Ukraine manifestation. Finland (now part of NATO) shares a 1400 km. border with Russia.

The sea fortress of Suomenlinna, spread over 5 small islands.

From Helsinki to Lapland we rode a full day north on train.

The train had a kids' play area (not seen here).

On the Arctic Circle in Lapland

Sledding incident

At one point we biked briefly on a groomed nordic ski trail and got yelled at (in Finnish) by an elderly gentleman (not seen here).

"Restaurant". "Rental". The small ski mountain was refreshingly austere.

Big memories here of the Alaskan Arctic and my sled-dog days.

Our room's view. Note the big vent in the lower right corner for letting in fresh air. 

Itinerary: 3 days in Helsinki and 5 days in the town of Rovaniemi in Lapland.