Land of the Midnight Sun 芬蘭 —— 圣誕老人的家鄉

One of the lands of the midnight sun, Finland has much more to offer than the cold nights, saunas, and skiing it is often associated with. Visitors are enchanted by charming villages alongside sophisticated cities and the largest unspoiled wilderness in Europe.

Finland is one of the most progressive countries in the world. For example, traffic fines are linked to gross income; an Internet millionaire recently paid US$70,000 for a speeding ticket. A reputation for efficiency and organization has also made Finland host to many international meetings.

This modern country maintains its traditions and hearty spirit, celebrating many festivals. Its most popular Midsummer's Day finds many Finns lighting bonfires and drinking enthusiastically at their country homes. Finland is also home to the world's longest-running rock festival, Ruisrock. The best-known event is the Savolinna Opera Festival, while the strangest is probably the annual wife-carrying championship, where the winner is awarded his wife's weight in beer.

Helsinki, Europe's northernmost capital, boasts over 30 art galleries and museums. Although it is a cultural and economic center, it brings to mind small town charm with its many cafe and lack of tall buildings. While the city's public transportation system is renowned, Helsinki's extensive bicycle trails make riding around the city and its seaside parks a breeze.

After seeing the Market Square and great architecture, including the Church in the Rock, which was cut from solid stone, tourists may want to check out Helsinki's bohemian art scene. Highbrow and popular culture meet at the Tennispalatsi with its museums and movie theaters. Lovers of modern art will also enjoy taking in the Lasapalatsi "Glass Palace" media center.

A sight not to be missed is nearby Suomenlinna Island, where you can wander amid the ruins of an old sea fortress and visit several museums. And only a few hours outside of Helsinki is Finland's most notable historic building, Turku Castle, which was founded in 1280.

While Finland is best enjoyed during the warmer months of May to September, its most famous resident is busiest in December. A little known fact is that Santa Claus does not live at the North Pole, but in the Lapland region of Finland. There, Santa receives about 600,000 letters a year written by children from over 150 countries.

Besides dropping in on Santa, visitors to Lapland can enjoy trekking and skiing in Lemmenjoki Park with its dreamlike arctic landscape, dense forests, and free wilderness huts that dot the area. Tourists may also stay in glass igloos, from which they can see the midnight sun and the northern lights, and ride in dogsleds and reindeer sleighs.

Lapland is home to the Samis, a native people who were gradually driven northward by development in Scandinavia. Their traditional livelihood revolves around reindeer, which number about 200,000 in Finland. Finally, don't tell Rudolph, but a great reindeer stew can be had in Lapland as well.

芬蘭，一個在午夜可以見到太陽的國家，除了常被人們想到的寒夜、桑拿浴與滑雪，還有更多風格獨特的面貌。優雅城市周邊的迷人村莊和歐洲占地最廣、未遭人工破壞的荒野，往往令游客們陶醉不已。

芬蘭是全球最發達的國家之一。舉個例子，其交通罰款的金額視個人總收入而定。最近一名網絡巨子就因超速駕駛支付了7萬美元的罰單。芬蘭也因其高效率和很強的組織力的美譽而主辦了許多國際會議。

這個現代化的國家仍保留其傳統和蓬勃的朝氣，并為許多節日舉辦慶祝活動。在芬蘭最受歡迎的"施洗約翰節"這天，可以看見許多芬蘭人在他們自己的鄉間農舍，點燃篝火，痛快暢飲一番。芬蘭也是世界上歷史最悠久的搖滾音樂節"路易斯搖滾"的主辦地。節慶中最富盛名的，首推"沙弗力拿歌劇節"；而最匪夷所思的，則是一年一度的扛老婆大賽，大賽冠軍可贏得和老婆重量相當的啤酒。

赫爾辛基，歐洲最北的首都，有30多座美術館及博物館。雖然它是芬蘭的文化及經濟中心，但因其為數眾多的咖啡館，和罕見的高樓大廈，而讓人感受到小鎮般的迷人風情。盡管這里的公共運輸遠近馳名，遍布赫爾辛基的自行車道，使在城市和海濱公園騎車馳騁，成為一件輕松愜意的事。

參觀過市場廣場和用堅石砌成的"巖石教堂"等雄偉建筑，游客們可能也想一探赫爾辛基自由奔放的藝術景觀。高雅與通俗文化交匯在坦尼斯宮的博物館與電影院。現代藝術的愛好者也會樂于一游拉撒宮里"玻璃宮"的媒體中心。

另一個不容錯過的景點是鄰近的"蘇歐門里那島"，在那兒你可以徘徊流連于海洋要塞的古老遺跡和參觀多座博物館。建于1280年的"土爾庫堡"，離赫爾辛基僅數小時之遙，是芬蘭最著名的史跡建筑。

雖然芬蘭在暖和的5月至9月間氣候最為宜人，一位最負盛名的芬蘭居民則是在12月最忙碌。一個罕為人知的事實是圣誕老人并非住在北極，而是住在芬蘭的拉普蘭一帶。在那里，圣誕老人每年會收到來自世界150多個國家孩子的約60萬封信。

除了順道拜訪圣誕老人，前往拉普蘭的游客也可以在"拉門喬基公園"享受徒步旅行與滑雪之樂，并欣賞它如夢似幻的北極圈風光、蓊郁的森林和這片遼闊荒原上星羅棋布的小屋。游客們也可以呆在玻璃冰屋內觀賞午夜的太陽和北極極光，或是乘坐狗或馴鹿拉的雪橇暢游一番。

拉普蘭是撒密斯人的故鄉，這些土著居民由于斯堪的納維亞半島的開發而被迫逐漸向北遷徙。他們傳統的生計是靠芬蘭國內的大約20萬只馴鹿。最后，別告訴魯道夫，在拉普蘭還可以嘗到棒極了的燉馴鹿大餐呢。