Rovaniemi#

Lumberjacks Candle Bridge, 2011
© Elisabeth Ertl

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi bridge, Rovaniemi, Finland is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Lapland, Finland's northernmost province. The city is located about 10km south of the Arctic Circle at the confluence of the river Kemijoki and its tributary, the Ounasjoki. Approximately 61.000 inhabitants live in Rovaniemi and its surroundings.
In 1989 Finland's first cable bridge, the Lumberjack's Candle Bridge, spanning a distance of 320m across the Kemijoki, was built. The name was chosen to pay homage to the lumberjacks and to remember the time of timber floating. On top of the two columns is a lighting solution resembling a log cut in two with a fire in between, the lumberjack's candle.

Gulf of Bothnia#

On the icebreaker Sampo, 2011
© Elisabeth Ertl

Sampo Ajos, Finnland , a massively built icebreaker, was built in 1960 in Helsinki and for nearly thirty years it kept the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia open for shipping in winter. The home port of Sampo is Ajos in Kemi. During the summer time Sampo stays in its home port but during the wintertime it makes tourist cruises in the Gulf of Bothnia.

Iso-Syöte#

Iso Syöte, 2011
© Elisabeth Ertl

Iso-Syöte Iso-Syöte, Pudasjärvi, Finnland , a skiing centre in Oulu Province, is the southernmost fell in Finland, surrounded by the Syöte National Park. The fell is located about 150km south of the Arctic Circle and Rovaniemi. Conditions for skiing are optimal since snow is abundantly available as it is the Finnish region that gets the most snow. A thick carpet covers the trees and the landscape and turns it into a winter wonderland.

Savonlinna#

Olavinlinna Olavinlinna, Savonlinna, Finnland , was founded in 1475 by Erik Axelsson Tolt under the name Sankt Olofsborg. With its location in Savonnlinna it is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing. It was built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait, connecting the two lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi. Olavinlinna, which literally means "St. Olaf's Castle", is famous for its annual opera festival.

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