One of the top reasons I decided to spend time in the cold in Finland is that they are well-prepared for winter. Finland in the winter, they have long winters, so they came up with ways of staying active even when the sun does not shine.
Here are four reasons why going to Finland in the winter is the best idea ever!
Are you brave enough to Swim in the Ice?
Maybe this is the part people fear the most, huh? The idea of jumping into the frozen lake. “Can you imagine how crazy this is? I can’t even get inside my girlfriend’s pool if I don’t jump because the water is cold at 17 or 20.! I would never do that!” Yes, I know! This is you all over, huh? And I can say that this was me before I tried last winter. And now I’m addicted!
Ice swimming is fun, impressive, does not hurt, and you should not be afraid. It is also scientifically proven to strengthen your immune system to its maximum capacity!
To sum it up for you again: NO PAIN, YES GAIN! That should be the slogan for ice swimming!
You need to try Ice Fishing.
A real winter tradition that is taken seriously when talking about Finland. I tried to fish on top of a frozen lake at Green Window, a great place full of winter activities near Espoo and Helsinki.
Green Window’s owner, Pekka Vaananen, is so sure that you’ll have a great time doing this that I’ve heard from his mouth that if a client does not catch a fish, they will not pay for anything.
It is so relaxing! You can get all the stress out of your body in no time! Think that this is the Finnish version of meditation, okay? It is you and pure nature out there. No talk, no fights, no nothing. Just silence and eventually a great meal.
Besides Ice fishing, Green Window offers tons of other activities for all kinds of tastes, from ice fishing to sauna and ice swimming, but I’ll tell you this later.
What about Cross-country skiing in Finland?
Cross-country skiing was the final thing I had to learn about Finland before I decided to move there. It is amazing how a fun activity can be so healthy and good! You use all your muscles, burn a lot of calories, get in shape, and all that without even noticing that you’re doing exercise. That’s how fantastic Cross-country skiing is.
We tried that next to Lake Bodom, at Oittaa, a fantastic place where you can cross-country ski, ice swim, hike in the snow, and, in the summertime, do a lot of summer activities like camping and getting married. Yes, they do fabulous weddings!
Hiking with snowshoes
Remember those excellent medieval movies that show a bunch of people walking around the dunes of snow with tennis racquets attached to their feet?
Snowshoes have evolved quite a lot since then, but the fun never ends! You have to try this weird and fun winter activity. After a few meters, you don’t need as many jackets as before, LOL.
Bonus: Be retarded in the snow!
Just be careful not to lose your balance like Andre from Viagem Criativa did, LOL. And one thing more: if those four activities are still not enough for you, maybe you should look at the food Finland has.
In Finland, nobody cares that you’re a little bit retarded when it comes to playing with the snow! They find it funny that Brazilians have so much fun with everyday life things for them. Finnish people do not judge; Finnish people only love!
