10.2.07

touchdown north

I arrived in my grandparent's northern hometown last night. This was the view from my window when the wheels of our tiny plane hit the ice covered tarmac (click to enlarge)...



Immediate sensation upon arrival: c'est très, TRES froid. I had forgotten how cold winter can be! However, the trade off is that when you look up at the sky here, a million stars and (occasionally) the rippling Aurora Borealis shine back at you. That is a sight worth freezing for.


Today, after feasting on Finnish pancakes with vili (homemade yogourt), I visited the local import store. Past purchases have included a traditional Laplander bonnet (see left), thick socks made from recycled Icelandic yarn, and a huge block of lush smelling sauna soap. This shopping trip didn't disappoint... I left with marimekko fabric and a Keskikokoinen Kukkaro bag in my favourite pink Unikko print. Alas, these gorgeous moonboots are difficult to find outside of the Helsinki shops, but I have numerous shoes from New York Fashion Week to dream about instead.

Street style here could be viewed as boring, or a curious mix (I'm leaning towards the latter). You only see people dressed in traditional Finnish or Lappish garb on festival days now, which is unfortunate, as that would make for a very colourful fabric landscape. I would describe the local model citizens as fitting into either "wilderness explorer" or "punk" categories. There are a lot of men in lumberjack shirts, a few girls in goth, and the odd second hand muse. Dreadlocks and natural blonde hair abound, and I saw one teenage boy wearing a top hat. Quite sensibly, no one is wearing heels, and I'm taking great care to not go flying on the ice and give my hosts reason to keep pestering me (lovingly) about the "blatant impracticality of high fashion".


My internet connection is running out, so lempiä ynnä lämpö/ love and warmth to you. I'm off to make mojakka but will return soon.

8 comments:

mareGa said...

What a view. Hope you doing well.

Unknown said...

Shivering just thinking about it. Don't die!

Wanderlusting said...

I went to my family's place in Helsinki two springs ago...I left Vancouver in it's balmy, April state and arrived in Helsinki only to freeze my ass off for two weeks...even Norway was warmer. Thankfully my aunt lent me her scarf ( I was used to 20 degree weather in Canada, not 3) and I was able to look fashionable in that way the Finns do with their scarves. My mama always warned me about the weather yet somehow I just didn't listen...;)

Wanderlusting said...

Hmmm, maybe I should have clicked on the link first to find out that the hometown wasn't in fact in Finland...just saw you in the Lapland tontu outift and assumed you were...

That said, I'm sure Eastern Canada is still a million times more freezing than out here in the Wet West. At least you have a little Finnish culture to make the days better! ;D

New Yorkaise said...

Sincere condolences on the loss of your grandmother... you look so much like her.

missx said...

sounds like a beautifully stylish place to be...

Blue Floppy Hat said...

The picture of the view from your plane window is a stunning one.
Hats off to you, Adeleine, and I hope you're enjoying yourself to compensate for the snow shoes :)

Anonymous said...

such beautiful postings!