Lahti - mostly harmless

I've been in Lahti the last couple of days. The winter weather has been wonderful. Snow everywhere, sun shining and the temperature a mild -5 or -10 degrees centigrade. I'll be posting more scenery picture if I can get everything working ok.

Today's highlight was talking around a lit globe to a group of interested kids of about seven and less years. They seemed very interested in Christopher Columbus and the discovery of India on the wrong side of the globe. The story of Titanic had them gasping. I thought I might have told a too gruesome story, but I don't think they will have nightmares about that. We talked about earthquakes, the highest mountains, Lake Titicaca, the equator and the Arctic Circle, which was especially appropriate today. It is defined, as far as I understand, as the southernmost point where the sun doesn't rise at least in one day (and that day is today, the Winter Solstice). North of that more and more days are dark during winter. This goes on until the North Pole, where the dark time ('kaamos') lasts for 3 months each winter. If you come from somewhere more southerly, you might think it is unbearable. Well, it is tough, but on the other hand, the sun doesn't set at all during summer. I like to think it is an excellent tradeoff. You get the best of both worlds and a lot of variety.

Arrived just in Kouvola. On the way, Virpi saw a strange light in the woods, where there should be no lights. At first she thought that there were some extravagant Christmas lights put up by a lonely farmer, but when we saw the same lights several kilometers later, again ahead of our car, it was clear that the farmer in question was suffering more from a Napoleonian illusion of grandeur. The lights were the Moon, which was hanging so low that it shone directly through the woods. It wasn't full, but seemed much bigger than normally. Also the stars in the sky were extremely bright and we could recognize many star signs easily.

Thanks, relatives in Lahti for putting up with us and a peaceful Christmas time to all of you!