The real Finnish experience

As I rode my bicycle to the University yesterday morning, I realised that winter had suddenly arrived. The previous day, although cool, I had been enjoying the afternoon sunshine in my t-shirt, and now I was cycling in a blisteringly cold wind that was penetrating my jacket and jumper. On the plus side, I had mastered the art of Finnish bicycles.

After a full day at the University, that included one giving a seminar about ones research, I was treated to a real Finnish experience. Professor Erkki took me on a trip, with some of his students, out into the countryside. The city of Joensuu already feels like the countryside, as it seems quieter than my local town in England, but we really did find a more deserted spot. We travelled north of Joensuu to the national park area of Koli. This area was previously as high as the himalayas, but over thousands of years it has sunk into the ground to form a mass of lakes (and of course, trees).

First we walked up to the highest point, a mere 300 meters, to get a view of the real Finnish landscape. Impressive indeed, especially to imagine that in a couple of months the lakes will be frozen, the snow will have fallen, and the whole colour of the landscape will change from the green of the trees to snowy white. It was also perfect timing for the sunset, and we wandered around at the top for a short while watching the sun slowly setting. I was reminded of the sunset in Taiwan, but this was something quite different given that we were all alone at the top of a mountain with miles and miles of uninhabited forest and lakes all around us.

The temperature was considerably colder than the 'city', so we headed down to Erkki's cabin right on the edge of the lake. Erkki mentioned about a swim, to which I jokingly replied 'why not'! Next thing is that we are preparing a sauna. The Finns are famous for their saunas, they usually take them at least once a week, and apparently there are 2.5 million saunas in Finland — a country with only 5 million people. The traditional method is to move between the sauna and the lake, or if the lake is frozen then you can just roll around in the snow. Whilst waiting for the sauna to warm up, we made a fire and cooked some sausages (which I declined) and drank some tea to prepare us for the crazyness that would surely follow. After an hour, just Erkki, Ilkka, and myself headed for the sauna. It was very satisfying to throw water on the stones and then wait for the heat to hit you. Once we were sure our bodies were fully cooked, we stumbled down to the lake in the darkness. My body had already cooled down before I reached the water. The lake was very shallow and so we had to walk in a fair way. My feet froze immediately and I thought that this must be the coldest water I had ever experienced — it made the British sea feel like a hot spring. Erkki was wallowing around in the water, so in a moment of craziness, I threw myself into the water. Screaming followed. The next moment I regained my consciousness, I was out of the water and luckily my legs were running towards the sauna. Moments later the steam returned my body to a more natural temperature. The feeling was great. After another 20 minutes in the sauna, Erkki suggested we do it again. Slightly less screaming this time. By the third time I was starting to get used to it, and actually the thrill was quite enjoyable. Definitely more exciting than any rollercoaster that I have tried.

After the sauna we had another cup of tea, and prepared to head back to the city. As we left, looking up to the sky, we watched the northern lights. These are truly spectacular, especially for me as it was the first time I had ever seen them. It was the end to an amazing night and a great introduction to Finnish culture.

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