Traveling to the Artic Circle
Like everything else in 2020, Helsinki just was not behaving normally. The temperature was above normal, the sea ice was nonexistent, there was no snow, and the rain made me feel like I was in London. All this convinced me it was time to travel north to the Artic Circle in search of snow and Santa!
Getting around Finland is relatively easy. I prefer the train to a car because the speed limits are insanely slow!! The fastest posted highway speed is 100 KMH (62 MPH) but you are usually restrained to between 60 to 80 kmh. If you have to go 500 miles you can begin to feel my pain. What makes things worse is eventually the freeways become one lane and the farther north you go the worse the conditions become. Not only because FINALLY there is snow but because in the winter you have all of 3 hours of indirect sun somewhere above the blanket of clouds that always seems to cover the sky.
Most importantly, the upside to driving is you can stop along the route to see some sites, stretch your legs, and get something to eat that isn’t from a railway dining car. However, the downside of driving north during Christmas is that everything is closed!!! Not just for Christmas day but the day before, the day after, and because this is 2020, the day after Christmas was Sunday so, yup, CLOSED! So here is a pro-tip, stock up on travel snacks and any alcohol you want to consume as the Alky stores will be closed all through the holiday and on Sundays.
Kuopio
I stopped in Kuopio on the way to Rovaniemi . What an awesome little city. There was snow, lakes, real Finns, and lots to see. From what I was able to learn Kuopio has a history of education and timber. The timber business is gone but the education business is strong. It appears the place is a huge college town with lots of cool shops, restaurants, and is an outdoorsman’s paradise. They have ski jumps, skiing, tons of cross country skiing tracks, the Puijo tower, and water everywhere. I was told the lakes actually connect to the sea.
I didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy all that was offered but this is someplace I will come back to for an extended stay.
Here are some pictures.
City Center 
Im at the center of the Universe. 
City streets are empty 
Statue of shoes 
Lost and found 
Ice-breaking 
Docks 
The tower 
