Tag Archives: Finland

The Sami of Lapland

Sami is an indigenous culture that live in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and a small part of Russia and is known as Sapmi, or more commonly Lapland. They are thought to be the first people to reenter Europe after the last ice age some time around 8000 BC. After the 15th century theContinue reading “The Sami of Lapland”

Barn

A few weeks ago I wrote a post called Stamp Collecting about a photo competition of Finnish barns with the winning photo being made into a stamp. They have now reviewed the entries and decided on the five winners which I found a little unimpressive but the selection of runners up provides an excellent insightContinue reading “Barn”

The Life of a Reindeer

To many people reindeer are a mysterious animal and even in Lapland where they roam freely they are still a very elusive creature. It is odd to some people to think of a reindeer as an animal that is farmed and a form of livestock but in Sami culture the reindeer is very important. In manyContinue reading “The Life of a Reindeer”

Kvarken Archipelago

The reason to visit Vaasa was to take in the nearby Kvarken National park, an area where the landscape shows  signs of post glacial rebound. Since the compression of the last ice age the ground is now returning to its original position and that is happening here along the Finnish coast. In 2006 Kvarken National park becameContinue reading “Kvarken Archipelago”

A Quick Stop in Vaasa

Located on the west coast of Finland is Vaasa, a largely Swedish speaking area of Finland. Finland is a dual language country, meaning that they have two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Swedish speaking Finns live throughout Finland but the city of Vaasa and its surrounding area is know for its large number of SwedishContinue reading “A Quick Stop in Vaasa”

Three Nations Border Point

The Three Nations Border Point can be reached by ferry or an 11 km one way walk from Kilpisjärvi. There are a few different ways it can be reached of varying difficulty, I chose to take the ferry one way and return on the Malla Trail to Kilpisjärvi Via Pikku Malla making the total distance 16Continue reading “Three Nations Border Point”