Dreaming of a white Christmas

Average daytime temperatures in Lund (°C)

Winter scenery in Suomenlinna, Finland

August:         16

September:   14

October:        8

November:     3

December:     3

January:        3

And that's just the average... it could be higher, it could be lower! PLUS it's daytime temperatures... just imagine how cold it would get at night... eek!

I must admit I was initially put off by the cold weather but then, it's all part of the experience :) I dream about seeing the Northern Lights...

Northern lights in Finnish winter

Known in Finnish as revontulet (lit. "fires of the fox"), the indigenous Sami of Lapland believed the Northern Lights were caused by a mythical fox that ran across the night sky, lighting it up with sparks from its tail.

Note: all photos are from Flickr (Visit Finland). Visit Finland: The Insider's Guide is the most beautiful booklet I've seen for tourism purposes. It has clearly worked on me! Here's a cute quote taken from the guide itself:

"When I saw Aurora Borealis for the first time, during a visit in Lapland, I asked my dad if God was in a nightclub. I was seven years old and had just a little clue what a nightclub was."

Jarppa 41

Colourful Aurora Borealis in Finland