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..

Nörds Ice Hockey

Hey Readers,

Alex and I at the Arena Photo Credit: Aleksina Seppä

Yesterday, April 7, 2018, I was looking for something to do. I checked the Visit Rovaniemi website and I found out that there was a Ice Hockey tournament at Lappi Areena for the weekend. It was called Nörds on Ice 2018. A free event to attend but the level of hockey was not obvious. I read that it was just forbidden to be a player in the 3-division and upper tiers of the Finnish Hockey Leagues.


The tournament was a two day event that started Friday Night (which I did not attend, as I did not know about it), I attended some of the games in the afternoon on Saturday. The games were 45 minutes long, and at the end players of the game were announced. There was a no slap-shots and body-checks rule on the tournament, which made the talent of the players shine through. A few of the teams were from Rovaniemi while others were from Helsinki and Oulu.

HockIt Beta vs Fortinet
HockIt from Rovaniemi Won 5-1
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

In the end the defending champions HC Tieto from Oulu won the tournament again. This did not surprise me since the earlier game of theirs I watched they won against one of the Rovaniemi HockIt teams 13-2. HC Tieto was a team of only 11 players while other teams had 15-20 players. With only 11 players that allowed them two full lines and a goalie, not a lot of time for rest between shifts but their endurance for the 45minutes allowed them to dominate the tournament.

I was happy to be able to watch this, though there weren't a lot of spectators at the arena (I believe lack of advertising was the problem). I hope to keep my eyes peeled for more things like this here in the city. It was a afternoon of quick and eventful games.

Stay tuned for another blog coming soon as Saturday April 14th I will be going to Ranua Zoo. I am hoping to see the polar bear and its baby from last year (won't be much of a baby now). It was the second baby polar bear born in a Zoo in Finland that has survived.

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...