Helsinki, Lapland HD
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10 reasons to hit Finnish Lapland
1. Gold
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There's gold in them there Lapland river valleys. It was first discovered in the Ivalojoki river valley in 1868, prompting a mini-gold rush.
But there's still a little to be found by lucky and/or determined prospectors.
When the rivers thaw, locals and tourists alike get panning, hoping to come upon a life-changing nugget.
A 251-gram nugget was once found in the Miessijoki river, but many tourists head for the museum at the Tankavaara Gold Village, where the Finnish Open Goldpanning competition takes place every July and visitors can pan for gold all year round.
2. Lip-licking Lappish food
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Fans of Rudolph look away now -- reindeer features heavily in the local cuisine.
It's fat free, healthy and wonderfully gamey, but if eating one of Santa's beloved sleigh-pullers is a step too far, there are plenty of other Lappish delicacies to explore.
There's reindeer food (lichen), which, when dried, makes a light, crisp garnish for all kinds of arctic fish, baby root vegetables, herbs, berries and even licorice.
For a full expression of local flavors with a modern twist there's Lapland Hotel Sky Ounasvaara's restaurant in Rovaniemi, where TV chef Tero Mantykangas pushes the boundaries of an ancient cuisine.
3. Gorgeous lakes filled with fish
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Lapland is home to hundreds of lakes, the biggest of which is Lake Inari, in the far north, which covers more than 1,000 square kilometers.
Even when the lakes are frozen, Lappish fishermen can be found with their ice fishing augers drilling through the ice by hand to catch pike, perch, rainbow trout and whitefish.
Ice fishing safaris are available to tourists, which often include scooting off to a frozen lake by snowmobile.
There's often more chance of catching a cold than a fish, though, so warm clothes are recommended.
Grayling Land offers ice fishing safaris from October to May.
4. Wildlife (and the not-so-wild life)
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There are wolves, wolverines and brown bears roaming around the wilderness of Finnish Lapland. So it's a good idea to whistle while you're exploring to let them know you're coming.
Locals have the right to hunt small numbers of these beasts without a special permit. Many keep herds of reindeer, which often fall prey to such predators.
Luckily, there are some 200,000 reindeer in Lapland -- and only 180,000 people.
Huskies and white Samoyed were brought in from Siberia too, as working dogs to pull sleds. These days they pull tourists, but it gets them out of their kennels.
Nordic Visitor provide dogsled tours and other activities in Finnish Lapland.
OFFICIAL Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort - The Hunt for the Arctic Gold
Gold mining has taken place in the area surrounding Kakslauttanen for centuries. The first gold rush took place in 1870's - that is, before Alaska. There is so much of this precious metal in the ground that many have been overcome with gold-rush fever and ended up staying in Lapland for the rest of their lives. At the gold-panning site, guests get to try their luck.
Digging for Gold in Lesotho
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About Me //
I am 25, from Marietta, Georgia and I started this channel in 2013 in my final semester of my college. After graduating from Auburn University in Alabama I spent four months in Europe and tried my hand at vloging. You can watch the whole series here and forgive me for filming it on my iPhone. Right after traveling I moved to DC where I lived for two years. Last summer I backpacked through Central America and produced a 10 part vlog series about that as well. I currently am traveling on World Race. The World Race is an 11 month mission trip to 11 countries. I post videos almost every day, so subscribe and stay a while if you want to see more.
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Julia