Snow Day

 It was a snow day of sorts. There hasn't really been much snow and it isn't sticking to the ground but it's cold and windy. They were forecasting snow for all day so we didn't think it would be wise to plan a hike not knowing what it might do. 

Checked on a laundromat in Kemi and apparently there isn't one, but our hotel said they would do our laundry for €10 and have it back to us this evening. Well worth it!

With our laundry out the door and bellies full of breakfast, we decided to go see a few area churches (kirkkas). 

The plaque over the door reads, "THE EMPORER ALEXANDER I ISSUED IN THE YEAR 1827".

The New Church of Keminmaa was built in 1823 (I love how they call that new) to replace a previous church built in 1793. The previous one had weak structures and it was about to collapse. The new empire style church was designed by the famous architect C.L. Engel. The altarpiece was painted by J. Hedman in 1827.

Keminmaa old church is the northernmost medieval church in Finland (built in 1520-1553) and one of the latest ones built before Reformation.

I wish it had been open so we could see the interior. The paintings on the ceiling depict the sufferings of Christ; they date from 1650. The pictures of saints on the walls, the baptismal font and the holy-water font date from the Catholic times. The bier and stocks located in the church porch as well as the black pew standing inside the church itself are a reminder of the old parish tradition.

The fame of the Old Church of the Parish of Keminmaa is mostly based on the Lutheran priest, Nikolaus Rungius. He was the vicar of Kemi church during the Thirty Years War. Nikolaus Rungius died in 1629 and he was buried under the church in the tradition of the times. More photos below of the church and cemetery on the grounds.

gate infart

The cemetery grounds were very uneven. It was if they couldn't be bothered to dig a grave and just mounded the dirt on top. The crosses and headstones were unique and most depicted death at a very young age.

1656 - 1689

1844 - 1869

another gate

This building and roof have been covered in the tar I mentioned when talking about the house colors in Norway a few days ago.

old building on the property

sun is trying to peek through the clouds

Here is another photo of the pink church I posted two days ago but with some info about the church. 

Kemi Church is a Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church of the Diocese of Oulu. The church is located in the centre of the town of Kemi in Northern Finland.

The Gothic Revival building was designed by architect Josef Stenbäck and it was completed in 1902. It is a brick constructed long church with two side ships (isn't that a fun name for the wings). The building resonates continental Neo-Gothic influence which is especially displayed on the magnificent round window overlooking the main entrance as well as on the great windows of the altar wall. The gothic influence is also shown on the steeple, smaller spires and gables.

The archways and protruding columns of the church hall resemble those of big European cathedrals. Simple furnishing and frugal decoration are in turn part of the traditional Finnish stone church building. The building was renovated in 2003.

We stopped at the Snow Castle to see what all the fuss was about.

We're still trying to figure it out. There's a shop with all things Finnish to buy, a restaurant where you can eat lunch for $63-$69 per person, and a few seaside glass villas where you can spend the night. In a couple of months, usually January, the winter wonderland play area will open. I'm sure by then it will be teeming with tourists.

log hauling rail cars

flowers in the market - hard to believe they are selling flowers this time of year

After the churches, for lack of anything better to do, we visited a few grocery stores. It's actually our favorite place to shop when we visit an area. You can find all the local foods and other fun things. We went to K City Market, Lidl and Tokmanni (a discount store where I bought some Christmas craft supplies for €1 each). Don't be surprised if you get a Christmas card with hyvää joulua (Merry Christmas) on it. 😂

We ate lunch at San Milano's pizza. They bring you a "salad" to start, more of a cole slaw that was very good.

Kim ordered a pizza with smoked reindeer meat, ham, mushrooms and onion.

I had the fried salmon salad. It had mixed greens, tomatoes, pickled red onion, ripe olives, cucumbers and pinon nuts with gluten free toast. It was delish!

I'm not sure Kim liked his pizza.

I thought I would throw in a few road signs to let you see what Kim has been dealing with for the past week. 

reindeer crossing

intersection with equal roads and priority given to vehicle coming from the right - it was so confusing coming to an intersection with no stop signs or yield and trying to figure out what to do. Kim figured out it was the person to the right who had the right-of-way.

roundabout

give way

closed to all vehicles

no power-driven vehicles

no pedestrians

no infart (entry)

no overtaking

speed limit (kilometers)

no standing or parking

no parking

alternative parking (not even sure what that means but saw lots of these)

this was one of the most important signs or you would end up in oncoming traffic - pass on this side (this is the lane you want)

road narrows - saw this sign at all those one lane bridges

never did see this sign but looked for it when we drove across

no standing or parking, priority road, no pedestrians or bicycles and two-way traffic - got it?

no standing or parking, 10 meters (distance to the hazard), priority road

That's enough road signs to make you dizzy and there are actually 368 of them. Wonder if they have to memorize them all for their driving test.

And finally - this is probably the only reindeer I'm going to see.

Uh oh, now that I look at him, it's a moose 😂

Our laundry was delivered to our room, washed, dried and folded in plastic bags. I wonder, can I get this service at home?

Believe it or not, there was actually a sunset, even though the sun didn't come out all day.

Tomorrow we drive to Helsinki. It will be a long drive. Praying the weather holds and the roads are clear.

"Through difficult relationships and circumstances, God works to expose your heart so you will seek the grace that can be found only in him." PDT