Kuusamo ao PN Oulanka, Finland

Under the Arctic's Icy Spell


Ski
Inhabitant of Kuusamo exercises on the shores of Lake Kuusamo.
Beginning of a long winter
Pontoon invades the semi-icy lake Kuusamo, on the outskirts of the town with the same name.
Ala-Juumajarvi Mirror
Farmhouse buildings with typical Lapland architecture on the shore of Lake Ala-Juumajarvi.
solo
Reindeer stands out from a herd that grazes on the snow.
Rukka
Skiers descend a slope from the Rukka snow resort.
Free Fuel
Firewood available to hikers in a forest in the Oulanka National Park.
Agro-facade
Barn facade of a farm by Lake Ala-Juumajarvi.
Kalakeidas Bar-Restaurant
A tipi-shaped bar-restaurant on the outskirts of Rukka, the region's main snow resort.
boreal exercise
Kuusamo resident practices cross-country skiing around the homonymous lake.
Polar circle
Sign identifying the Arctic Circle, Napapiiri, in the Suomi dialect.
white reindeer
Groomer feeds a white reindeer.
Mount of Winds
Typical Lapland country house on top of a windy elevation on the outskirts of Kuusamo.
Kino Kuusamo Talo
One of Kuusamo's few homely distractions, a not-so-Hollywood cinema.
winter forest
Semi-frozen forest of Oulanka National Park.
Cycling on ice
A swaddled resident walks down a street in Kuusamo.
cold, colder and colder
Frozen observation cabin perched on a hill on top of Ruuka Hill.
Lapland Twilight
Sun begins to set over Lake Ala-Juumajarvi.
frozen pasture
Reindeer graze in a frozen field in Lapland.
suspended crossing
Hikers cross the Oulanka River, which is still little or not frozen.
We are at 66º North and at the gates of Lapland. In these parts, the white landscape belongs to everyone and to no one like the snow-covered trees, the atrocious cold and the endless night.

It's midnight. It's been hours since anyone has been on the streets of Kuusamo.

cinema, kuusamo, kino, oulanka national park, finland

One of Kuusamo's few homely distractions, a not-so-Hollywood cinema.

Despite the city's lack of guests and clientele, the Sokos hotel's strange bar opens a new night of karaoke. A barista on duty encourages her, singing Finnish folk songs in the impenetrable Suomi dialect.

The lyrics of the songs follow one another on the screen, full of repeated consonants and umlauts. The melodies attract two or three lost souls in the rooms of the building.

They levitate themselves from the tables and move in slow motion, a technique developed over the years to mask the effects of alcohol. Gradually, they earn at will. They join the interpretation of the latest hit and choose what they will sing next.

In order to prepare for the theme in line, they chug out yet another vodka or the trendy alternative drink, Valkovenäläinen, a semi-sweet blend of Kahlua 228 with vodka and milk.

This dubious spectacle repeats itself. Middle-aged couples migrated from the adjoining Torero restaurant, where Hispanic imagery is served in industrial doses, enrich him.

Until bar hours force it to be postponed.

Towards the Frigid Vastness of Oulanka National Park

The next morning we moved to the Finnish countryside. We settled at the entrance to Oulanka National Park with plans to walk part of Finland's most famous forest trail, the Karhunkierros.

Clouds pass gray. Cools before our eyes and the snow that falls slowly reinforces the white of the scenery. The path winds through the conifers of the Finnish taiga. It follows the homonymous river that resists freezing due to the strength of the dark waters.

Oulanka River, Suspension Bridge, Visitors, Oulanka National Park, Finland.

Hikers cross the Oulanka River, which is still little or not frozen.

We crossed it, somewhat unsteadily, on suspension bridges. We walked back through the trees and found areas conquered by vast frozen swamps.

The Solitary Enchantment of Juuma

Juuma appears as a tenuous civilizational reward in the surrounding arctic immensity, with its core of wooden houses red on the shore of Lake Ala-Juumajarvi, next to a boarding ramp where a service boat rests on ice.

Lake Juumajarvi Wing Farm Mirror Oulanka National Park Finland

Farmhouse buildings with typical Lapland architecture on the shore of Lake Ala-Juumajarvi.

Four or five cars are parked nearby, but the village's Kavhila Cafe never seems to have opened and we only detect signs of life in one of the houses.

In prehistoric times, the territory of Finland was trampled and smoothed by waves of gigantic glaciers.

Contrary to what one might think, it turns out to be flat, pockmarked by countless lakes left behind by the thaw.

ala juumajarvi lake, sunset, oulanka national park, finland.

Sun begins to set over Lake Ala-Juumajarvi.

Ruka: Alisada Finland's Possible Snow Resort

A few dozen kilometers from our base, Ruka (Rukatunturi) is only 500 meters high but has become the main snow sports center in the region and one of the most important in the country.

rukka ski downhill oulanka national park finland

Skiers descend a slope from the Rukka snow resort.

As it had happened again the previous weekend, the resort frequently hosts competitions from the world championships in cross-country skiing, jumping, and other sports practiced on the snow.

It receives more than 65000 outsiders who flock there to participate in the competitions or support the competitors.

We investigated the village, explored its curious commercial area. We climbed to the highest point aiming to enjoy the view painted in white around.

rukka cabin observation oulanka national park finland

Frozen observation cabin perched on a hill on top of Ruuka Hill.

The Patches That Russia Brought and the Reindeer Finland

From there, we contemplate Russia and the Paanajarvi National Park – the extension of the oulanka – in the image of much of the territory suomi  taken by the Soviet Union to Finland because Finland aligned with the Axis forces during World War II.

This loss is, even today, the great national frustration. Finns of all ages speak of her, without any great complexes. It is even common to find establishments with maps of the original territory or photos of its emblematic places.

On the way back to Oulanka's camp, we pass more villages and frigid roadside fields where herds of reindeer graze.

reindeer grazing ice, oulanka national park, finland

Reindeer graze in a frozen field in Lapland.

A Finnish existence of these deer it has little to do with what is foisted by the Christmas imaginary. All specimens have owners and identify colored collars and plates.

As used to their owners, reindeer almost completely ignore the human presence. There have been no wild reindeer in Finland for decades.

bar restaurant, tipi, rukka, oulanka national park, finland

A tipi-shaped bar-restaurant on the outskirts of Rukka, the region's main snow resort.

Arrived at the comfort of the base, we dined on reindeer stew – on other days moose meat – a Lapland specialty little appreciated in southern Finland. “Some kids from the south come here and make tapes because they don't want to eat Rodolfo” vents Satto.

reindeer grazing ice, oulanka national park, finland.

Reindeer stands out from a herd that grazes on the snow.

Others make their parents miserable because they notice the difference in flavor compared to beef.”

PN Oulanka and Paanajarvi, in Also Finnish Times

New day, new incursion into the region's remote domains. The temperature plummets. The roads are once again covered with dangerous ice.

Sari Alatossava drives us at ease, but despite the special winter tyres, full of piercing spikes, she is surprised twice when the Land Cruiser skidded and nearly reversed direction on the road.

Scare is relative. We quickly recovered the dialogue in which the hostess explained her unlikely relationship with Portugal.

Now, as he tells us, in 2001, Sari did an Erasmus exchange at the Faculty of Arts in Porto because he wanted to do it in a small country and he liked Saramago's books a lot.

He ended up dating Portuguese with a Madeiran family spread by South AfricaBy Malta and by Finland.

semi frozen forest, oulanka national park, finland

Semi-frozen forest of Oulanka National Park.

Already on foot, with snow falling more abundantly than ever, Sari guides us along a new forest trail. The path is smooth and short. Even so, it reveals to us the wild and wild scenery of the Canyon of Oulanka that the River Oulankajoki continues to deepen.

Once again, we see the Russia from a distance. Sari complains that now the Finnish expeditions from Rafting they have to be careful with the position of the border so as not to cross the big bear's territory.

And that the Russians are like most people in large countries: "they always have to get what they want and, for that, they overlook everything and everyone."

Napapiiri, Arctic Circle Sign, Oulanka National Park, Finland.

Sign identifying the Arctic Circle, Napapiiri, in the Suomi dialect.

Back at the starting point, we head north and cross the Polar Circle arctic. Salla is waiting for us “In The Middle of Nowhere".

Kemi, Finland

It is No "Love Boat". Icebreaker since 1961

Built to maintain waterways through the most extreme arctic winter, the icebreaker Sampo” fulfilled its mission between Finland and Sweden for 30 years. In 1988, he reformed and dedicated himself to shorter trips that allow passengers to float in a newly opened channel in the Gulf of Bothnia, in clothes that, more than special, seem spacey.
Lapland, Finland

In Search of the Fire Fox

Unique to the heights of the Earth are the northern or southern auroras, light phenomena generated by solar explosions. You Sami natives from Lapland they believed it to be a fiery fox that spread sparkles in the sky. Whatever they are, not even the nearly 30 degrees below zero that were felt in the far north of Finland could deter us from admiring them.
Hailuoto Island, Finland

Fishing for Truly Fresh Fish

Sheltered from unwanted social pressures, the islanders of Hailuoto they know how to sustain themselves. Under the icy sea of ​​Bothnia they capture precious ingredients for the restaurants of Oulu, in mainland Finland.
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Inari, Finland

The Babel Parliament of the Sami Nation

The Sami Nation comprises four countries, which ingest into the lives of their peoples. In the parliament of Inari, in various dialects, the Sami govern themselves as they can.
Inari, Finland

The Guardians of Boreal Europe

Long discriminated against by Scandinavian, Finnish and Russian settlers, the Sami people regain their autonomy and pride themselves on their nationality.
Helsinki, Finland

A Frigid-Scholarly Via Crucis

When Holy Week arrives, Helsinki shows its belief. Despite the freezing cold, little dressed actors star in a sophisticated re-enactment of Via Crucis through streets full of spectators.
Helsinki, Finland

The Pagan Passover of Seurasaari

In Helsinki, Holy Saturday is also celebrated in a Gentile way. Hundreds of families gather on an offshore island, around lit fires to chase away evil spirits, witches and trolls
Saariselka, Finland

The Delightful Arctic Heat

It is said that the Finns created SMS so they don't have to talk. The imagination of cold Nordics is lost in the mist of their beloved saunas, real physical and social therapy sessions.
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Helsinki, Finland

Finland's once Swedish Fortress

Detached in a small archipelago at the entrance to Helsinki, Suomenlinna was built by the Swedish kingdom's political-military designs. For more than a century, the Russia stopped her. Since 1917, the Suomi people have venerated it as the historic bastion of their thorny independence.
Hailuoto, Finland

A Refuge in the Gulf of Bothnia

During winter, the island of Hailuoto is connected to the rest of Finland by the country's longest ice road. Most of its 986 inhabitants esteem, above all, the distance that the island grants them.
Lion, Elephants, PN Hwange, Zimbabwe
Safari
PN Hwange, Zimbabwe

The Legacy of the Late Cecil Lion

On July 1, 2015, Walter Palmer, a dentist and trophy hunter from Minnesota killed Cecil, Zimbabwe's most famous lion. The slaughter generated a viral wave of outrage. As we saw in PN Hwange, nearly two years later, Cecil's descendants thrive.
Thorong Pedi to High Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Lone Walker
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit 12th: Thorong Phedi to high camp

The Prelude to the Supreme Crossing

This section of the Annapurna Circuit is only 1km away, but in less than two hours it takes you from 4450m to 4850m and to the entrance to the great canyon. Sleeping in High Camp is a test of resistance to Mountain Evil that not everyone passes.
Luderitz, Namibia
Architecture & Design
Lüderitz, Namibia

Wilkommen in Africa

Chancellor Bismarck has always disdained overseas possessions. Against his will and all odds, in the middle of the Race for Africa, merchant Adolf Lüderitz forced Germany to take over an inhospitable corner of the continent. The homonymous city prospered and preserves one of the most eccentric heritages of the Germanic empire.
Bungee jumping, Queenstown, New Zealand
Adventure
Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, the Queen of Extreme Sports

In the century. XVIII, the Kiwi government proclaimed a mining village on the South Island "fit for a queen".Today's extreme scenery and activities reinforce the majestic status of ever-challenging Queenstown.
Conflicted Way
Ceremonies and Festivities
Jerusalem, Israel

Through the Belicious Streets of Via Dolorosa

In Jerusalem, while traveling the Via Dolorosa, the most sensitive believers realize how difficult the peace of the Lord is to achieve in the most disputed streets on the face of the earth.
Alaskan Lumberjack Show Competition, Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Cities
Ketchikan, Alaska

Here begins Alaska

The reality goes unnoticed in most of the world, but there are two Alaskas. In urban terms, the state is inaugurated in the south of its hidden frying pan handle, a strip of land separated from the contiguous USA along the west coast of Canada. Ketchikan, is the southernmost of Alaskan cities, its Rain Capital and the Salmon Capital of the World.
Beverage Machines, Japan
Meal
Japan

The Beverage Machines Empire

There are more than 5 million ultra-tech light boxes spread across the country and many more exuberant cans and bottles of appealing drinks. The Japanese have long since stopped resisting them.
China's occupation of Tibet, Roof of the World, The occupying forces
Culture
Lhasa, Tibet

The Sino-Demolition of the Roof of the World

Any debate about sovereignty is incidental and a waste of time. Anyone who wants to be dazzled by the purity, affability and exoticism of Tibetan culture should visit the territory as soon as possible. The Han civilizational greed that moves China will soon bury millenary Tibet.
Sport
Competitions

Man: an Ever Tested Species

It's in our genes. For the pleasure of participating, for titles, honor or money, competitions give meaning to the world. Some are more eccentric than others.
trip around the world, symbol of wisdom illustrated in a window at Inari airport, Finnish Lapland
Traveling
Around the World - Part 1

Traveling Brings Wisdom. Find out how to travel around the world.

The Earth turns on itself every day. In this series of articles, you will find indispensable clarifications and advice for those who make a point of going around it at least once in their life.
Native Americans Parade, Pow Pow, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Ethnic
Albuquerque, USA

When the Drums Sound, the Indians Resist

With more than 500 tribes present, the pow wow "Gathering of the Nations" celebrates the sacred remnants of Native American cultures. But it also reveals the damage inflicted by colonizing civilization.
Rainbow in the Grand Canyon, an example of prodigious photographic light
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Natural Light (Part 1)

And Light was made on Earth. Know how to use it.

The theme of light in photography is inexhaustible. In this article, we give you some basic notions about your behavior, to start with, just and only in terms of geolocation, the time of day and the time of year.
Cocoa, Chocolate, Sao Tome Principe, Agua Izé farm
History
São Tomé and Principe

Cocoa Roças, Corallo and the Chocolate Factory

At the beginning of the century. In the XNUMXth century, São Tomé and Príncipe generated more cocoa than any other territory. Thanks to the dedication of some entrepreneurs, production survives and the two islands taste like the best chocolate.
Ribeira Grande, Santo Antao
Islands
Ribeira Grande, Santo AntãoCape Verde

Santo Antão, Up the Ribeira Grande

Originally a tiny village, Ribeira Grande followed the course of its history. It became the village, later the city. It has become an eccentric and unavoidable junction on the island of Santo Antão.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
Visitors to Ernest Hemingway's Home, Key West, Florida, United States
Literature
Key West, United States

Hemingway's Caribbean Playground

Effusive as ever, Ernest Hemingway called Key West "the best place I've ever been...". In the tropical depths of the contiguous US, he found evasion and crazy, drunken fun. And the inspiration to write with intensity to match.
Tibetan heights, altitude sickness, mountain prevent to treat, travel
Nature

Altitude Sickness: the Grievances of Getting Mountain Sick

When traveling, it happens that we find ourselves confronted with the lack of time to explore a place as unmissable as it is high. Medicine and previous experiences with Altitude Evil dictate that we should not risk ascending in a hurry.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Amboseli National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Normatior Hill
Natural Parks
Amboseli National Park, Kenya

A Gift from the Kilimanjaro

The first European to venture into these Masai haunts was stunned by what he found. And even today, large herds of elephants and other herbivores roam the pastures irrigated by the snow of Africa's biggest mountain.
Torres del Paine, Dramatic Patagonia, Chile
UNESCO World Heritage
PN Torres del Paine, Chile

The Most Dramatic Patagonia

Nowhere is the southernmost reaches of South America so breathtaking as the Paine Mountains. There, a natural fort of granite colossi surrounded by lakes and glaciers protrudes from the pampa and submits to the whims of meteorology and light.
View from the top of Mount Vaea and the tomb, Vailima village, Robert Louis Stevenson, Upolu, Samoa
Characters
Upolu, Samoa

Stevenson's Treasure Island

At age 30, the Scottish writer began looking for a place to save him from his cursed body. In Upolu and the Samoans, he found a welcoming refuge to which he gave his heart and soul.
Promise?
Beaches
Goa, India

To Goa, Quickly and in Strength

A sudden longing for Indo-Portuguese tropical heritage makes us travel in various transports but almost non-stop, from Lisbon to the famous Anjuna beach. Only there, at great cost, were we able to rest.
Ulugh Beg, Astronomer, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, A Space Marriage
Religion
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

The Astronomer Sultan

The grandson of one of the great conquerors of Central Asia, Ulugh Beg, preferred the sciences. In 1428, he built a space observatory in Samarkand. His studies of the stars led him to name a crater on the Moon.
The Toy Train story
On Rails
Siliguri a Darjeeling, India

The Himalayan Toy Train Still Running

Neither the steep slope of some stretches nor the modernity stop it. From Siliguri, in the tropical foothills of the great Asian mountain range, the Darjeeling, with its peaks in sight, the most famous of the Indian Toy Trains has ensured for 117 years, day after day, an arduous dream journey. Traveling through the area, we climb aboard and let ourselves be enchanted.
Tombola, street bingo-Campeche, Mexico
Society
Campeche, Mexico

A Bingo so playful that you play with puppets

On Friday nights, a group of ladies occupy tables at Independencia Park and bet on trifles. The tiniest prizes come out to them in combinations of cats, hearts, comets, maracas and other icons.
the projectionist
Daily life
Sainte-Luce, Martinique

The Nostalgic Projectionist

From 1954 to 1983, Gérard Pierre screened many of the famous films arriving in Martinique. 30 years after the closing of the room in which he worked, it was still difficult for this nostalgic native to change his reel.
PN Tortuguero, Costa Rica, public boat
Wildlife
PN Tortuguero, Costa Rica

The Flooded Costa Rica of Tortuguero

The Caribbean Sea and the basins of several rivers bathe the northeast of the Tica nation, one of the wettest and richest areas in flora and fauna in Central America. Named after the green turtles nest in its black sands, Tortuguero stretches inland for 312 km.2 of stunning aquatic jungle.
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
PT EN ES FR DE IT