Finland in Winter: A White Dream

This white dream! Oh, for how many years have I dreamed of discovering the Great North of Europe in winter? White landscapes from sky to earth, a soft ambiance, branches weighed down by a thick layer of snow... Oh yes, these images have lit up my dreams, chasing away the darkness of night with the bright purity of these endless natural landscapes! And finally, here I am in the midst of my white dream: in Finland in winter.

It feels like Christmas is extending its stay! It is a festive atmosphere that welcomes us in Finland. Or is the celebration just in my head? I am in a playful mood, feeling like a child again. Leaving the airport, my bag on my shoulders and my hat pulled down over my head, I am ready to run in the snow, to roll in it, to snuggle in it. Snow! I feel happy. The year 2017 began on a difficult note, but here we are still in January and I am already fulfilling one of my big wishes!

Oh thank you, genie of the lamp. Thank you, Santa Claus. Thank you, woodland fairy.

I am ready to thank all the spirits and elves in the area, and I haven't even left the capital! Up next: Lahti. Lakes. Forests. Nature and fresh air. Back to basics, to what is essential.

I feel fulfilled, like a snowy day!

Oh how I missed this! It feels like taking a breath for the first time in a long time. How many weeks had it been since I immersed myself in nature? How long had I been holding my breath, finally waiting to take in fresh air? The more time passes, the more I realize how essential this connection to Nature is for me.

Silence. I inhale. Close my eyes. Taste the cold filling my lungs. Capture the sound of the snow falling from the branches. Silence. I exhale. A smile frozen on my lips.

Being is a full-time exercise! Reconnected to the Earth, reconnected to my dreams in this fairy-tale setting... and reconnected to myself, I feel so serene, grounded with both feet in the snow covering the frozen lake. The moon rises in the distance, the sky adorned with rosy colors. I welcome the end of this first day as a gift.

Wanting to endlessly thank the starry sky. Thank you.

I, who love vibrant colors, have fallen in love with white. A color so soothing. I walk in white. I breathe in white. I think in white. I dream in white...

The white sky merges with the white earth, from the snowy treetops to the frozen lakes, also dressed in a thick layer of white powder. White, white, white. Everything is white!

I walk as if in a dream. My steps resonate with the sweet sound of soft snow that quivers beneath my boot. Again and again, a dialogue begins between them and me, barely interrupted by the flight of a bird or the sound of the wind making the snow dance on the branches of the trees.

How I love to see these branches covered in white!

Without being able to really explain why, I feel moved by this scenery. As if it had been drawn for me. And as if it needed no one. What a relief, at times, to know that things go on without us, that nature does not need us to be...

Winter, for us, is not synonymous with death, but with rest. We live at a different pace, we take more time to breathe, to warm up in the sauna, to spend time with family.

Winter like in the movies: where you taste the chill and the whiteness of the outdoors and then experience the gentle warmth of a cabin with a crackling fire to snuggle up next to with loved ones, a cup of hot chocolate, and a good book (and the sled dog as a bonus!).

The kind of day I could repeat over and over... I could see myself in a cabin for a few weeks, a few months... Saying goodbye until next spring.

This trip to Finland has done me a world of good. I have reconnected with so many different parts of myself: the awe-struck child, the crazy one ready to laugh at everything, the philosopher admiring the rising moon, the lover ready to snuggle in the arms of her beloved... By the way, on this subject, Finland will forever have a special place in the history of our couple, as it is here that we celebrated our 10th anniversary together.

A love story intertwined with a dream to create a new love story...

This trip took place in the context of the invitation to the Nordic Bloggers' Experience (NBE) event for which we were pleased to be selected! More information on their website. And for more information to prepare your trip to Finland, take a look at the website of the Tourist Office of Finland and that of Lahti.

In future articles, I will tell you about our discoveries: the places we visited, the activities we loved... in Helsinki and Lahti.

UPDATE: the article about Lahti is out! Read it here: >.

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