Memories from Finland (well, the not very well documented ones from the first three days before I dropped my brother's camera at 4 in the morning on an unforgiving Rovaniemi Street)

You join us here at this inexplicably large wooden picnic table in the heart of Santa Claus's village at approximately 1 AM.  Imagine Christmas music piped through loudspeakers on a midsummer's eve over grounds vacant but for the odd late night tourists who come out to photograph themselves crossing the well-marked arctic circle line.

Ah, yes. Here we are in a taxi, headed back from downtown Rovaniemi at approximately 4 AM.  Is that the sunset or the sunrise? You may as well be asking yourself the riddle of the sphinx, my friend.  For that way madness lies!

The Arktikum, Rovaniemi's foremost cultural museum, chock full of information on the Sami people, the history of Lapland, and flatulent birds. Also staffed by the most attractive women north of the Arctic Circle.

This dramatic photo shows our shadows falling across the Arctic Circle as we prepare for the race.

We've moved on to Tampere, a city some 8 hours south  (by train, through some of the more relentlessly consistent forested scenery in the world) of Rovaniemi. It rained when we arrived, which fit its industrial moodiness.

We were the only two people in the history of Finland to try to actually enter this impressive Church (and we couldn't - we were too early).

A signage vignette in Tampere.

Ahhh, summer [book]!  This was taken in Talinn, Estonia. Those A Le Coq beers are honeyed deliciousness!

More photos, and maybe a video or two, to come dear readers!