Lively Yule activities at the North Pole . . .plus discovering Lapland . . .
 Santa Claus has been overwhelmed with e-mail messages ever since he went online from his headquarters at the North Pole in Finland's Lapland.
Welcome To North-Pole-Net1x Is a simple page where a youngster may contact the jolly one with that special Christmas wish. Kids are sure to enjoy "The Last Christmas Tree," a sweet poem with a happy ending about a tree that didn't find a family for the holidays.
Welcome to Claus.com (the Merriest Place in Cyberspace) is alive with activities. Enter the village to visit the post office, elf school, toy workshop and reindeer barn.
And speaking of reindeer, I was surprised to learn that Comet saved the earth from disaster when he diverted a real comet from entering the atmosphere by bumping it with his head. And Donder, the first girl to graduate from the Roe Military Academy, is in keen competition with Dasher to be captain of the squad. Profiles of Santa's team of eight are found at the Reindeer Barn.
The X-mas Files exhaustive investigation dispels any doubt that there really is a Santa. Starting with a photograph of an ancient Egyptian papyrus that clearly shows Kringle talking to the locals, the documents track his appearances through the years right up to the space age. Santa likely was In Egypt on Jan. 7, the 29th day of the Coptic month Khaihk when Christmas is celebrated, according to Christmas Traditions Around the World.
The charismatic Father Christmas of Finland reminds one and all about his famous predecessor, the kindly Saint Nicholas.
Santa's workshop can be viewed at Christmas Images. His headquarters is located in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland in the most northern region of Finland near the Arctic Circle. The vast area teems with reindeer and wildlife. The Lapps are a colorful people who herded their reindeer across the tundra for centuries. Skiing and dog sledding are available in winter, when the Aurora Borealis is visible.
BREAKING THE ICE
Here's a different idea from December through April, the Sampo runs four-hour icebreaker cruises out of Kemi in Lapland. Virtual Finland features an essay on the ships. These icebreakers were originally developed because the freezing Baltic Sea paralyzed Finland's ports in winter, the icebreakers' (Murtaja) armour plated bow section rises slightly above the sea ice, smashing it like a hammer to create passages for other ships in its wake.
A COOL CAPITAL
I once revived in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, after a fascinating, but grueling, two-week tour of Russia, where the accommodations and food can be challenging. I will never forget the luxury of the lush bed comforter, crisp sheets and soaps in my immaculate hotel room, nor the delicious salmon dinner I ate in the wood-panel dinning room. Then, I relaxed in one of Finland's 1.5 million saunas.
The next day, I enjoyed the clean air on a stroll through the city. The Sibelius Monument, the Cathedral, the Parliament and the Market Square, all of which can be viewed at Helsinki picture gallery.
Scandinavian and Russian restaurants are prominent in Helsinki. Crayfish and berries are treats in summer; wild mushrooms in fall. Wild fowl, fresh and smoked fish, bread and pastries are year-round offerings. Let Experiencing Finland be your guide to dining and shopping.
Finland's snowy forests and clean-cut lines are a pleasure for the eyes. The country, which will celebrate its 450th birthday in 2000, offers more than 3,000 miles of coastline that invite sailing and swimming in summer, when daylight is almost endless. Transportation facilities are in place to assist cyclists.
Introducing Fabulous Finland has information on tours and packages. Suggested Itineraries will steer you to the right path.
By Luanne Axt
Would you like to Comment on this article or send it to a friend? You can do either one just below where you see:
If you want to read more articles from this author just enter their last name in the "Site Search" box (located at top right of this screen) and press your "enter" key.
|
