Ice-Capade

Finland and its beauteous landscapes are fascinating, mesmerising and unforgettable.

- Charu Sharma

I should have acclimatised to the cold by now, I keep telling myself, but that doesn’t help. I am walking on a narrow snow-covered path somewhere in Levi in search of a coffee shop, which my guide tells me is our next stop. The path is lined with maple, oak and birch trees, and snow covers almost every inch of the landscape. It’s just a 15-minute walk to Cafe Panorama Laavu, but I am already freezing, and just as I am about to give up, my eyes find the little café, hidden away in the woods. On entering, I’m treated to an open fire, hot coffee, marshmallows and the breathtaking Lappish scenery I see through the glass walls of the café.

My trip to Finland had begun on a high note with the luxurious Finnair flight I had taken from Delhi. The scrupulous attention to detail, meticulous care and in-flight pampering was the perfect beginning to the memorable winter vacation that awaited me in the happiest country in the world. I had landed in Helsinki well-rested, and, later that day, I had decided to explore the architectural marvel that the city is. Finland has a strong design heritage and this ethos is reflected well in Helsinki. An archipelago of several islands across the Baltic Sea, Helsinki was given the ‘City of Design’ Award title by UNESCO in 2014, and when I had walked past the cobbled streets downtown, I had understood why. The Finnish design sense is minimalistic, but with a lot of detailing, and the buildings I had seen had been reflective of this aesthetic.

The next morning I had taken a flight to Levi, the largest ski and recreational resort in Finland with 28 ski lifts, 40 slopes and two gondola rides. Skiing, obviously, is a must here. Being a novice, I had barely managed to ski properly during my hour-long class, but if you are a pro, you can get your adrenaline rushing while skiing down the many slopes of Levi.