Text / photos by CRI Reporter Wang Shanshan

After traveling to various places around the world, I sort of discovered why I'm so addicted to being on the road. I'm in the pursuit of legends, and traveling helps quench that thirst for knowelege. In London, "Les Miserable" and "Phantom of the Opera" seem to be legends that never lose their allure; Up north in Loch Ness in Scotland, nobody knows if Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, has ever existed. But still, thousands of people go there each year to search for the legend. In Paris, charming beauties and handsome lads stage romantic legends that never end. And in Rome, Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel left an enduring image in my mind that constantly reproduces itself. And my latest trip to Finland is a new chapter filled with even more legendary mystery.

Santa Claus

One of the biggest legends of the world lives in Lapland, the highest place in the country. It's the home of Santa Claus. I don't know whether there are many people who believe in the real existence of him, but I'd prefer to believe he does exist. The merry old man brings so much joy and love to people's lives. In Polar Express, I followed the doubting boy to see him busy day and night, picking, wrapping and delivering gifts worldwide. This reminds me of an ad for FedEx --- "We live to deliver". That works for Santa Claus as well. He also lives to deliver warmth in the cold of the season and hope in the dark of the night.

I didn't manage to visit Lapland when I was in Finland, because it is some 1,000 kilometers away from the city I stayed in -- the second largest city named Tampere -- and we were running out of time. It seems to me the famous man in white and red clothes only enjoys popularity within the Arctic Circle. In Tampere, there is not a single trace of Santa Claus. And in more tourist-oriented Helsinki, I only saw cute toys in Santa Claus Souvenir shops.

Yet, my trip was laden with day-dreams about Santa Claus. It seems he is more active beyond the national boundaries. I remember playing him once in a New Year party in middle school. Also, shopping malls in big Chinese cities are filled with Santa Claus who "live to sell" during Christmas. The cutest one I saw was in Monte Carlo. It was a group of life-size figures decorating the bustling Port Fontvieille. The Santa Claus wasn't wearing his red and white coats. Instead he dressed light in Hawaiian grass skirt and sat in a beach lounge, chatting with his reindeers that were performing hula to the music under the bright Riviera sun. I guess in addition to his working season, which is quite limited, the rest of the time he heads south to get a tan! In that sense, he is a typical Finn. My Finnish friends told me they don't miss any chance to get closer to sunshine. Every summer, they vacate their homes and head to the Riviera or Greece to get sun burnt. Even to get burnt like a roast Peking duck would be happiness for them.

Sauna

We stayed in a lakeside villa, a cozy place set up just for us. A considerate friend thought we must be bored with the double-bed rooms that don't differ too much from Sweden or South Africa, or any other country in between. The villa is equipped with a well-furnished sauna room, with a short wooden path leading to the lake. That was exactly what I watched in a documentary about Finland. But this time, I got to experience the Sauna, one the biggest contributions Finland has given to the world. At night, we steamed in the room until every pore on my body bloomed and was later refreshed by dipping ourselves into the icy lake. I couldn't imagine doing that anywhere else, which I'm 100% sure would lead to a high fever. But doing it in the villa gave me nothing but comfort. Every lakeside house is equipped with a sauna room, or shall I say, every household in Finland has a sauna room. My friend told me it didn't require a skillful carpenter to build a sauna. There is actually ready-made wood in supermarkets, and any normal person can put up one.

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