A trip to the Finnish countryside

PHOTOS AND WRITING BY MONIKA CSAPO

Many say that if you want to get to know the real Finland you should visit the countryside. I absolutely share this opinion. Already when the bus is leaving Helsinki and we start to drive on the motorway passing by forests, small hills and big open spaces it is such a different feeling than being in the city.

Don`t get me wrong. I really like Helsinki. But if I should introduce Finland to someone who visits the country first I would definitely take him to some smaller place where people live closer to nature.

Surely there are also beautiful nature places in Helsinki but you can not compare it to the experience of having a birch forest next to your house followed by a pine tree forest after which you find yourself at a frozen lake in ten minutes walking distance from your home. You can walk on the ice even in March here.

While walking on the frozen lake you pass by small islands what you can approach only by boat in summer when the water melts. On a sunny day the sky is blue with the typical cotton candy clouds on it. The air is clean and fresh and everything feels so balanced and peaceful.

Even if you do not do anything special during your stay you can feel after your return that you are more lively again and the stress of the everyday has disappeared.

During the upcoming days I will share photos and write about my latest trip to the Southern-Savo (Etelä- Savo) region of Finland.