Winter night at Weinbergspark
A quiet Berlin winter night: lightly sugared trees in Weinbergspark at night.
Schnee
And a little more snow
You have to search if you want to discover a little snow in Berlin this winter. Not beautiful, but rare. Here a little – there a little – somehow the Berlin WInter this year does not really get going. But actually, I’ve seen enough snow this year (Christmas in Northern Finland – pictures below).
Berlin Winter: First Snow
First snow in the backyard – the chestnut tree is powdered and sugared, the light somehow ‘pink’. Somehow the mood in this picture reminds me of the cherry blossom festival in Japan.
Helsinki Skyline by Day
A winter panoramic view of the Finnish capital.
Winter Landscape with Transmission Mast and Moon
The fir trees are thickly padded with snow – a view you might recognise from many Nordic or Lapland photos.
Northern Lights in the Woods
What luck: suddenly there were Northern Lights to marvel at!
Ruka Tunturi
View of snow-covered Ruka Tunturi from state road 5 “Viitostie”. The ski area is brightly lit, a few low-hanging clouds glow pink in the evening light.
Christmas tree in Ruka
Christmas in Ruka, Finland: in principle, you are surrounded by potential Christmas trees – but of course not all trees are decorated for Christmas. Here and there, however, a string of lights is hung around a fir – and the Christmas tree is finished, including very decorative snow cushions.
Tracks in the snow
These tracks in the snow are literally form a polar circles – but not the Polar Circle.
Snow and ice and lake and forest and daylight
In this winter picture it is difficult to tell where the fog is actually a cloud – and where the blue sky begins. In any case, it is no wonder that Finland’s national colours are “blue and white”.
Kiutaköngäs National Park
Kiutaköngäs National Park near Ruka, Finland, with its impressive rapids, some of which are frozen here.
Winter forest in the rear view mirror
A drive on a snow-covered road – the picturesque winter forest near Ruka, Finland, in the rear-view mirror.
View of Rukahovi
A snowmobile on the way to Rukahovi
Gas station with snowmobile
Even snowmobiles have to refuel from time to time – since all roads are snow-covered in winter anyway, this is not a technical problem. You simply drive the snowmobile to the next petrol station.
Ski jumping hill in Ruka / Kuusamo, Finland
This photo was taken late in the evening at Rukatunturi. The ski jump is out of action, but on the other side of Rukatunturi the ski area is brightly lit. The lighting is reflected by the low-hanging clouds and bathes the sky, or rather the whole area around the ski area, in an eerie orange light.
In the foreground a few dark fir peaks – on the mountain next to the ski jump, on the other hand, the firs are powdered white, covered in snow. Ideal conditions for a night-time photo walk – if only it wasn’t so cold.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Forest walk in the Snow
In the background the brightly lit Ruka Tunturi
Santa Claus with reindeer in Ruka, Finland
Every year again… Now I just had to re-publish this photo of Santa Claus with reindeer – simply because it’s so beautiful. The photo has already a few years on the hump, but apparently still enjoys great popularity. Every year at Christmas time, many people seem to be looking for “Santa Claus with reindeer”.
The photo was taken rather by chance, when Santa Claus just made a stopover in Ruka. For geographical orientation, Ruka is in the north of Finland – not in Lapland, but very close to Lapland. And Ruka is very close to Rovaniemi – the town that is right next to Santa’s official headquarters.
So if you ever want to visit Santa in person, all you have to do first is go to Rovaniemi – from there there are buses to Santa’s village. I once had the pleasure of meeting Santa in person – and can highly recommend it. Even for older children, a visit to Santa is literally an impressive experience.
Do I believe in Santa Claus? I no longer ask myself that question since my visit. After all, I met him in person!
Neighbouring cottage ‘Mökki’ in the forest
View from the kitchen window to the neighbouring wooden hut – ‘Mökki’.
Ruka Tunturi in the mist
Around 12 noon – it doesn’t get much brighter – unless the sun comes through…
Viitostie – Country Road No.5
Driving on the Viitostie – road no.5. View out of the car window – trees or forest or woods pass by.
Snow Oderberger Straße corner Kastanienallee
Meanwhile, another iPhone photo: Oderberger Straße and Kastanienallee (Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg) are currently being turned around – but thanks to the onset of winter, nothing is happening – the construction site is at rest. Construction vehicles and materials are covered in snow, in between a mixture of grit, sand, construction rubble and whatever else there is to see on Berlin footpaths. Pedestrians, cyclists and people with prams are practising slalom running – and thanks to the wintry conditions, that’s not so strange – somehow “slalom” is also a popular sport that suits the season.
PS: I must apologise for the pink colour of the snow – it is not road salt – the snow is actually snow-white. But the colouring is a misinterpretation / misconfiguration of the iPhone snow white balance.