A Year in Lapland

After a year it is time to leave the Arctic Circle and head south for the winter. It has been an excellent experience to see Lapland change throughout the year with its dramatic seasonal extremes.

As well as the difference in climate there is also a difference in lifestyle, a more back to basics living. Nature is a large part of living in Lapland and during the long summer days you can make the most of it. To really enjoy Lapland you have to come to terms with the dark and cold days during the winter.

I have shared many of my photographs with you over the year but there are stills some I haven’t. I have compiled a list of the last year, a photograph for each month. Some you might have seen but many you wouldn’t have.

What month (or months) do you like the most?

A Year in Lapland

January 

A Year in Lapland
Ice hole swimming in Ylläsjärvi

February

A Year in Lapland
The top of Ylläs

March

A Year in Lapland
Kakslauttanen

April

A Year in Lapland
Lets race!

May

A Year in Lapland
The melting of the ice, Ylläsjärvi

June

A Year in Lapland
The Midnight Sun

Other photographs of the Midnight Sun HERE and HERE.

July

A Year in Lapland

Reindeer are free to roam in Lapland. See more photographs HERE.

August

A Year in Lapland

Featured in my post Three Nations Border Point

September

A Year in Lapland
Äkäslompolo

October

A Year in Lapland

For more Northern Lights

November

A Year in Lapland

December

A Year in Lapland
Rovaniemi

Through the Graveyard

Through the Graveyard
Sodankylä Old Church

See more photographs of churches in my post The Churches of Lapland

The Churches of Lapland

Churches are often the center of a town or village, a place where the community has met for years, and usually one of the oldest buildings. During World War II the German’s burnt their way through the North and churches were the only buildings they spared.  They are built with the materials they have in abundance, in the UK that was stone, in Finland it’s wood. With the new churches that have been built that has started to change but all the older churches are made from wood.

See the gallery below

The Churches of Lapland
Tromsø Arctic Church
Tromsø Arctic Church

© Our Shadows Will Remain

Winter is Coming

In Lapland winter is always coming. For a majority of the year the landscape is covered in snow and the temperatures often drop well below zero. After the Ruska period the leaves fall from the trees and the first frost isn’t far behind.

The collection of photographs below are an account of the Transition between autumn and winter.

Do you think this is a dramatic change? Is this what you would expect from life above the Arctic Circle?

Winter is Coming
Ruska

Winter is Coming

Winter is Coming
The First Frost
Winter is Coming
The River Begins to Freeze
Winter is Coming
Snowfall

Winter is Coming

Winter is Coming
The Winter Sun Barely Touches the Ground

Kittilä Church – A Different View

Kittilä Church
Summer
Kittilä Church
Winter

Transition

Kittilä Church

Kittilä church was completed in 1831 and was the only building in Kittilä to survive the German’s Scorched Earth policy during the Lapland war in 1944. The church was designed by C.L Engel, the same man who designed the Iconic Helsinki Cathedral.

Which do you like, Kittilä church in summer or winter?

Kittilä Church
Summer
Kittilä Church
Winter

A great Transition.

This post continues HERE.

From Another Planet

With the weather changing and the cold temperatures it has made its impact on the natural surroundings. The frost, snow and icy winds have transformed the trees into something you would see on another planet. As the the photo challenge theme is trio this week, here are three images of trees as you won’t usually see them.

From Another Planet

From Another Planet

From Another Planet

Trio