Another wonderful warm day in Finland...and where it is much drier than Nova Scotia...it's not humid! I love it here!
With the exception that it can get quite hot and dry, as we're on the top floor and the sun aims itself into our flat regularly....
So how does one "Survive" a Finnish summer?
Seeing as this is our second summer...let me explain what we've been doing.
First of all - there's about 20 hours of sunlight a day now...wild eh? ("eh" is a Canadian thing...just a filler but sounds like "ei" which means "no" in Finnish)
Don't believe me? Check out this video of a time lapse I found on Youtube (through Facebook) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTjyt-6hJQw&feature=youtu.be
Where it's a drier summer - I don't recommend wearing contacts. And nose bleeds tend to be common if you're not used to this dry, hot weather (think Alberta, Canada)...to help prevent nosebleeds - use a Q-Tip and some vaseline and put some into your nostrils.
Sounds disgusting but my brother and I grew up with awful nosebleeds (think 2+ hours)...this is the only thing that helped after our parents hunted around for a remedy for us!
Okay! So back to Finnish summers, because there is a tonne of sunlight- you need super dark curtains. Or you will not get much sleep! Especially if you're sensitive to light!
Even at midnight, the sun sits on the horizon for a couple hours then comes back up by 3 or 4am! My husband often takes the dogs out at this hour - to avoid other dogs and he also brings books with him so he can do some reading while the dogs run around. That's how light it is outside.
One could do crafts outside at that hour...it's that light enough!
Mosquitoes aren't as bad here as NS but I suppose it depends on what part of Finland you go to. The more Northern parts of Finland have swarms of them....like in Lapland!
Wasps and ticks are common...liquid flea/tick treatments for dogs run about 44� for 3 months and can be found at the local pharmacy "Aptekki" or at your vet. Pet shops do not sell this medication but they do have flea collars. Some grocery stores carry the flea collar as well...
Even though the sauna is hot - Finns love their sauna. Remember in the winter, I mentioned that the "really crazy Finns" like to go in the sauna then come out, roll in the snow and then jump into a hole in the lake? Well summer version is apparently just hang out in the breeze and/or jump into the lake to cool off and repeat.
Cottage! Jyv�skyl� is a University kind of town - so when it's summer time - it can be a ghost town downtown....it doesn't have the tumbling bales of hay - but it's pretty empty in comparison to the school year. That, and a lot of people go to their summer cottage for a month or two and spend time with their family and relax.
BBQ! I love barbecuing...or "grill" as Finns refer to it...I love it so much! That's one less pot or pan I have to clean!
A friend of mine suggested to keep all the windows closed and the curtains down throughout the day so the warm air doesn't blow inside...then once it's cooled off a bit - then open up your windows and you'll get the cooler breeze....
Swim, visit family and friends...and just enjoy all the sunshine you can because when winter comes...the sun comes up by 10am...and goes down by 3 or 4pm!
With the exception that it can get quite hot and dry, as we're on the top floor and the sun aims itself into our flat regularly....
So how does one "Survive" a Finnish summer?
Seeing as this is our second summer...let me explain what we've been doing.
First of all - there's about 20 hours of sunlight a day now...wild eh? ("eh" is a Canadian thing...just a filler but sounds like "ei" which means "no" in Finnish)
Don't believe me? Check out this video of a time lapse I found on Youtube (through Facebook) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTjyt-6hJQw&feature=youtu.be
Where it's a drier summer - I don't recommend wearing contacts. And nose bleeds tend to be common if you're not used to this dry, hot weather (think Alberta, Canada)...to help prevent nosebleeds - use a Q-Tip and some vaseline and put some into your nostrils.
Sounds disgusting but my brother and I grew up with awful nosebleeds (think 2+ hours)...this is the only thing that helped after our parents hunted around for a remedy for us!
Okay! So back to Finnish summers, because there is a tonne of sunlight- you need super dark curtains. Or you will not get much sleep! Especially if you're sensitive to light!
Even at midnight, the sun sits on the horizon for a couple hours then comes back up by 3 or 4am! My husband often takes the dogs out at this hour - to avoid other dogs and he also brings books with him so he can do some reading while the dogs run around. That's how light it is outside.
One could do crafts outside at that hour...it's that light enough!
Mosquitoes aren't as bad here as NS but I suppose it depends on what part of Finland you go to. The more Northern parts of Finland have swarms of them....like in Lapland!
Wasps and ticks are common...liquid flea/tick treatments for dogs run about 44� for 3 months and can be found at the local pharmacy "Aptekki" or at your vet. Pet shops do not sell this medication but they do have flea collars. Some grocery stores carry the flea collar as well...
Even though the sauna is hot - Finns love their sauna. Remember in the winter, I mentioned that the "really crazy Finns" like to go in the sauna then come out, roll in the snow and then jump into a hole in the lake? Well summer version is apparently just hang out in the breeze and/or jump into the lake to cool off and repeat.
Cottage! Jyv�skyl� is a University kind of town - so when it's summer time - it can be a ghost town downtown....it doesn't have the tumbling bales of hay - but it's pretty empty in comparison to the school year. That, and a lot of people go to their summer cottage for a month or two and spend time with their family and relax.
BBQ! I love barbecuing...or "grill" as Finns refer to it...I love it so much! That's one less pot or pan I have to clean!
A friend of mine suggested to keep all the windows closed and the curtains down throughout the day so the warm air doesn't blow inside...then once it's cooled off a bit - then open up your windows and you'll get the cooler breeze....
Swim, visit family and friends...and just enjoy all the sunshine you can because when winter comes...the sun comes up by 10am...and goes down by 3 or 4pm!
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