Sweden Trip for School

Hello Readers,

In 2019 when I was finishing up my schooling in Finland, I had the opportunity to go on a class trip to Piteå, Sweden. This was a school trip as we were tasked with a group project to design Tourism Services for the City. We went around for 2 days learning about the City and what they have to offer visitors as well as attended a presentation at the Town Square by Tourism Piteå. 

At top the Light House overlooking the Bay.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

Piteå is located in the Northern Province of Sweden on the shore of the Bay of Bothnia. It is home to many islands and inlets which would make it a great destination in both winter and summer, however there tends to be more visitors in the summer months.  

We travelled by Bus and were able to stay one night in the hotel. I have included a video that one of my classmates created when the trip was over. This video really showcases the adventure and fun the group had on the trip during our many excursions and learning sessions. Video Credit: Thao Nguyen

The project was a lot of fun and as a group of 5 we created a product that Piteå could offer to tourists coming in winter. Our group was very close and got along very well, as you can see in the video, us having a lot of fun exploring with our teacher Teija. The final design project was presented over Zoom to the City as well as the presentations were sent to them so that they could potentially use the design in the future.

Going to school abroad lead to a lot of experiences for me. It allowed me to visit many countries and the opportunities the school gave us when it came to working with companies in the field was a great asset to our learning.

Thanks for reading... until next time. 

Opening of Christmas Season

Hello Readers,

Santa Claus. Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

You can see the smile on my face that shows
my Christmas Spirit.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

It is now officially the opening of the Christmas Season. This happened last Saturday November 17th. If you are not from Rovaniemi or been to Rovaniemi at Christmas time I do suggest it.

Here is the link to the Opening of the Christmas Season 2018 Celebration - You can see me waving at the beginning (around the 12 minute mark)as my sister was home in Canada and able to see me on the live stream.The live stream is available each year, and they speak in both Finnish and English so anyone can enjoy it.

Me petting the one Husky they
had on a chain.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

There were free shuttles available from the city center that day and I took advantage of that. I do have a bus card but the friend I went with did not so these free shuttles saved about 7 euros in bus fairs. We took the earliest shuttle at 2pm us to Santa Claus Village. We wanted to go early because for that day there was free admission to the Husky Farm. You still had to pay for Husky sled tours but at least we got to see all the pup and even pet some of them.

When you go to Santa Claus Village it really gets you in the Christmas Spirit, even though there hasn't been any snow here at the Arctic Circle. Around 3:00pm the center starts playing some good Christmas music, and there is a reindeer brought out that you can pet and take pictures with as well (I did not do this, I have already taken a photo with a reindeer before and I thought best to allow the children to experience this). Around 3:30pm we found where we would want to stand since I knew my sister would be watching from Canada, and I wanted her to be able to see me. All the festivities started around 3:45pm and there were singing and dancing elves, and speeches before Santa came out and Officially Started the Season.  You can check out the entire event
in the link I have above.

This was an amazing experience, I couldn't stop smiling. It really brought out the kid in me and I wish I had of gone to this all of the years I have been here in Rovaniemi.

Thanks for reading....
Enjoy the beginning of the Holiday Season!

Santa Claus Parade

Hello Readers,

This photo is of me testing some
glasses at H&M. Really festive.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

On Saturday Nov. 10/2018 I attended the Santa Claus Parade in Rovaniemi, Finland. If you didn't already know Rovaniemi is the Official Home of Santa Claus. It started from the Town hall and finished in the city center or Lordi Square as it is known to the locals - named after the Finnish rock band, Lordi, which is from Rovaniemi.

I was a little disappointed by the parade, however, it was wet and rainy all day. The parade did not have many elves walking with Santa and the single Rudolph reindeer. When Santa arrived at the city square he was unaccompanied by the reindeer. The highlight was when a team of kindergarten children sang him a few Christmas songs. Yes, the songs were in Finnish but that didn't matter as you could see the joy on their faces while singing to the man himself. I have added a video of one of the songs to the Finland Photos Page located at the top.

This is the children singing the songs to Santa Claus.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

When the children were finished Santa took the stage and thanked everyone for coming out. He talked in both Finnish and English and asked the crowd if they thought they were on the naughty list or the nice list. There was also explanation that you could see him in the two malls that afternoon for a short chat and some pictures (we chose not to do that). It is very different then at home, as we have mall Santa's in almost every mall near by at Christmas Time. The difference is though that Rovaniemi being the home of Santa Claus, there is a Santa Claus Village just on the outskirts of the city.

I will be attending Santa Claus Village's official opening of the Christmas season this Saturday and I hope that I will not be disappointed. I think the atmosphere will be different because there will be more Christmassy things there - like trees, elves, presents etc. All of this would be better if it would snow as well. Here in the Arctic Circle we are still without snow. We are patiently awaiting the white blanket that will make it seem that Christmas is coming.We are already headed into the dark winter, as the "sun" (it has been cloudy and grey for almost a month, there has not been any sunshine) has been setting around 3pm and rising each morning around 9am. Our daylight will get shorter before I go home for Christmas, but with no snow it feels even darker.

I hope everyone reading this is getting into the holiday spirit, whether they celebrate Christmas or some other holiday.

Thanks for reading....
Bye for now.

Almost Christmas

Hello Readers,

The end of October is now here, that means we are so much closer to my favourite season. Christmas season will be here soon. I am so lucky to be able to start my season in Rovaniemi which is the home of Santa Claus. The official Christmas Season starts here on November 17, 2018. I am excited to attend this event at Santa Claus Village.

This is the Screenshot of the Christmas Countdown for
Hallmark Movies.
Photo Credit: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas/
new-movies-countdown-to-christmas-2018

According to Visit Rovaniemi's website the Event starts at 4pm, with the Grand Opening of The Christmas Season, at the central square of Santa Claus Village. The elves and local artists put on a festive concert that culminates in Santa Claus’ speech. The evening is rounded off with dancing to Christmassy disco tunes. The city is also offering Free Shuttle Bus Services from the city centre and I will definitely be taking advantage of that. I hope to be able to document this in a future blog post.

Christmas Movies are probably the biggest highlight for me. I usually look forward to ABC Spark/ABC Family's selection of movies - I could not find that list to include, I did find information that the channel switched names to Freeform - But there was only a list called Kickoff to Christmas which was for the month of November. I love the Hallmark Christmas Countdown because they come out with new films each year. It is another bonus that I love Romantic movies which is what I believe Hallmark specializes in. It is also a bonus that my dad likes these Hallmark movies and I watch them online in Finland while he watches in Canada and we compare our notes with each other about the movies.

I am also counting down the days until I get home for Christmas which as of Oct. 30/18 is 46 days (hehe). I am only a little excited, mainly because right now my sister is planning her Wedding next fall and I am not there to be in the middle of all the planning. I know she understands and I am still involved via Video Chat but it is not the same as being there helping her. When I am home, I hope to see many people but also get a lot of things checked off my sisters list for her wedding. I will be buying my Maid of Honour dress then as well. I can't wait to see all of my little munchkins. I miss them the most because they grow so much over a few months. I love Christmas at home, with all the festivities, the music and attending the movies. I want the house to be all ready and decorated by the time I get there on Dec. 15th. I already asked my mom when she plans to put the tree up and start the decorations but she isn't quite in the same spirits as me.

Bye for now...
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1st Anniversary of Blogging

Hey Readers and Followers,

This is a collage of photos from Venice.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

It has now been 1 year since I have begun this blog, it doesn't have quite as many posts as I was hoping for but hey we are getting there. My one year Blogging Anniversary is October 5, 2018. I never thought this day would come, and to be starting this post while on a study trip in Sweden just sounds astounding to me.

This is a collage of photos from Germany.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby & Eugene Kim

A year ago I started this blog, and a year ago October 4th, I booked my trip to Venice, Italy. It was so cool. In 1 year I have been in and out of 5 countries. I am from Canada and travel often for shopping or dinner to the United States. I completed a semester of studies abroad in Germany where I got the opportunity to travel to Italy. I wish I traveled more while in Germany but it can get expensive, and I am not completely comfortable traveling to foreign countries alone as a female. Then I went to Sweden recently and currently am Studying back in Finland. Those are my travel destinations briefly. I can not wait for more adventures.

This is a collage from Finland last year.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

I have had the opportunity to meet and network across these countries, and having connections and friends from all over the world is a large asset in the Tourism world. I hope to someday connect with many of these people whether for personal gain or for future career opportunities.

I can not forget the memories and experiences I make each time I am home from traveling. It is so exciting to see all of my friends and family each time I head back. I love that everyone stays in touch while I am gone and they go out of their way to make plans with me when I am home. When home the time always flies by but what can you do except grasp those memories and really make the best out of the time you have.

This is a collage of photos from the summer.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby & Janet Vanderwerf

I am now finishing my 3rd year studies as well as my 4th year studies (at the same time). Hoping to graduate next fall after completing my thesis. So this is possibly my last time in Finland, though I will be back someday to see the people I have met. I have gotten quite close with a Finnish friend and her family, so it would be great to host them in Canada as well as return here to visit them.

Lets hope there are many more years and experiences to share in the future of this blog.

Bye for now...

Mayhem Event at Ounasvaara Ski Hill

This rider wasn't even a competitor, he started off all the snowmobile heats, they called him the crazy Finn.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

Hello Readers,


On April 21st I went to a Mayhem Event at the Ounasvaara Ski Hill here in Rovaniemi. This was a free event that was open to the public at the Ski Hill. I had received an email to my school email about this event that included a link to the website (which I have linked above) that has an amazing video about what this event looks like.

They had to go uphill to the rest of the course.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

This year the Mayhem event happened at 4 different locations across 4 different weekends, with the 3 earlier ones Olos, Luosto, and Ounasvaara leading up to the main attraction at Ylläs. This event is for snowmobiles and motocross motorcycles that have a track from the bottom of the hill to the top with some ramps and challenging light snow to get through. 

This Video is of the crowd favourite (the guy who got the most air) and also the guy who got the fastest heat of the day.

I thought this was an interesting event that you don't get the chance to see very often. I was excited to get the chance to see some snowmobiles going off some jumps and getting some air. The fastest snowmobile of the day made it to the top in 33seconds while some others took about a minute. The fastest rider was flying through the course, and got mega air when he went off the jump near the top of the hill. All of the spectators were oohing and aahing at this particular riders run. 

View of the Riders getting ready and the pit area.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

Some of the motocross motorcycle riders got stuck in the snowy section. It had been slightly warm this past week, so I thought it was melting snow, but later found out they put it there as an obstacle for the riders. While watching this part of the event it was like watching a 3year old shuffle their bike down the road instead of riding it, but they would make it through and continue through the course. 

Rider cutting through the snow on his bike.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

This was so cool, I really enjoyed going through my photos and selecting the best ones, that showcase the riders doing the jumps.


Bye for now...

Arctic Animals of Ranua Zoo

Measuring my height against the height
 of a Polar Bear standing up.
Photo Credit: Aleksina Seppä

Hello Readers,

This past weekend I got to go to the Ranua Zoo. I didn't do a lot of research on the zoo prior to going, so it was nice to see that the entire zoo housed animals you can find in the arctic rather then that of typical zoos I have visited in the past.

This trip was made available with my housing company here. The price was very cheap only 10€ and included the bus to and from Rovaniemi. Usually the zoo costs between 15€ to 18.50€ plus the bus which is about 50€ if you want picked up at your hotel. It can be quite expensive to attend.

In Finland the only place to see Polar Bears is the Ranua Wildlife Park. Many of the animals at Ranua Zoo are endangered in their natural habitat so seeing them here is one way to still enjoy these animals while you can.

You walk the entire zoo through the wooden trails - or slightly snow-covered wooden trails. The trails are one way, as you start you follow the arrows and once you have completed the approximately 2.8km walk you are back where you started. There are maps available when purchasing your tickets as well as there are signs throughout the park. At most of the animals there are different facts about them, like their size and what they like to eat. 

Polar Bear, Muskox, Arctic Fox, Great Grey Owl and Wild Boar. Some of the Animals you can find at the Ranua Zoo.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby - Created the Collage through Free App Pic Collage.

The best time to attend the Zoo would probably be in May, June or July as the animals are just beginning to start the spring process right now - the brown bears were still sleeping since their bodies feel like they should be hibernating. Also, in summer you can find many baby animals in Ranua Zoo. In the past there have been two cases of polar bear babies that have survived being born in the zoo.

 Bye for now..

Study Week

Hello Readers,

Alex, Julianna, and Myself at the Outdoor Rink
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

Study week has come and gone for us students in Finland. In October and March the schools have a one week break of studies. In the past, I have chosen to visit my Finnish friends home in the middle of Finland. I chose that again this year, as I hadn't seen them in about a year due to my exchange. Her family lives in a small town called Kärsämäki, with approximately 2,000 inhabitants. This small town makes me feel more at home since my village in Ontario only has 800 inhabitants. 

My friends dogs Jimi and Pössi.  Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

The week is meant for students to get caught up on studies but since returning from Germany my studies haven't started yet. For most students the semester starts in January, but due to the exchange period I was on, I missed a few courses that I will make up next year. It just means that the 1/2 year I thought I could skip last year, by taking 2nd year courses has caught up to me. I have 2 courses that I can take this semester to at least get some credits. I used this week to relax before starting studies and to start applying to some summer jobs. 

I got to enjoy some recreational activities as well. My friend, her sister and I walked one of their dogs around their property (which is quite large, they live just outside of town on a farm). It was a great way to get some Vitamin D and some fresh air, though bundling up was still necessary as it was -5degrees.We also went into the town and enjoyed an afternoon of skating. Here in Finland there are outdoor rinks in just about every town or city. They allow you to skate and get some exercise for free. This was the highlight of my trip, because since moving here I haven't had the opportunity to go skating.

Skating around. So glad I didn't fall. Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

After we went skating, we went to my friends Grandparent's house. I had been before so it was nice to get to visit them again. They do not speak any English but we get by with my friend Alex who is our own personal translator. Her grandparents have complimented me before on the fact that I speak directly to them even though they don't understand me. They just find it more personal that I don't speak to the translator when I am actually addressing them. 

One of the days, we went to a shopping mall in a nearby city. It was about an hour drive, I was happy to go there, as the one store had really good deals. For those North American's that follow my blog it was similar to that of a Walmart (minus groceries)...it had everything at reasonable prices.

I enjoyed my relaxing week in the middle of Finland, immersed in  a Finnish home, so the culture and language was around me the entire time. The family asked me everyday if I wanted to go to Sauna (Big part of Finnish culture) but I decided not, as I don't like the heat of it and find it increases my blood pressure too much. I had a great time, I can not wait to visit again.

Bye for now...

Poro Cup 2018 - Reindeer Cup 2018

Ticket to the Poro Cup...It cost 5euro to Enter - Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

Readers,

Alex and I at the Entrance
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

On Sunday February 25th, I attended the Poro Cup in Rovaniemi. Poro is Finnish for Reindeer. I was going to attend this last year however, it is about 5km outside of the city and there is no city buses that go there. This year, there was a committee that planned to have buses from the city center for free for anyone who wanted to attend. I took this chance to attend. My friend and I met in the city and took the bus. Even though she is Finnish she has never been to this kind of race before. It is very unique to Lapland.  

The Reindeer race consists of 4 racers on ski's that are pulled behind the reindeer. They have to go around the track which is 197.5 meters in length. I have included a short video of the racers from the start and when they zoomed past me.

 

When the races were over we waited for the bus to take us back to the city center. This bus service really made it possible to travel to the race track and witness this type of races. To me it is similar to that of horse racing around a track and there were even places you could bet on the winning reindeer/rider.

This was a very unique experience because I have not experienced this before. I did however, attend a shorter type of race in the city center of Rovaniemi last year. It was a practice race for competitors that had to race from the river to the center of the downtown and only two racers at a time.

If you get the chance to come to Northern Finland (Lapland) in winter, I hope that you can try and attend one of the Poro Cup races they have in the 6 Different Cities (Nuoritta, Rovaniemi, Kuusamo, Salla, Kuninkuusajot Inari, and Äkäslompolo).

Thanks for Reading...