Winter Wonderland!

Since arriving back in Tampere this is the first day of constant snow fall and since this morning about another 3 inches has fell meaning that the paths aren't as icy to walk on and it makes walking more enjoyable! My friend went ice skating on the lake yesterday and said it was so magical and everything in the distance is just white. I bought some ice skates from a flea market in the summer for 4 euros and i'm so excited to try them out! So I headed down to the lake today to have a look but the sky was so white and you couldn't see anything in the distance so I really don't think i would have found my way back as well as there being loads of  snow on top of the frozen lake so I didn't want to take a chance !

Lake Nasijarvi, where it leads no one knows...

The opening in the lake for the users of the Rauhniema sauna

Again Lake Nasijarvi

Anyway from my pictures you can see how beautiful it looks and I went for a walk along one of the trails by the lake and there was no one about and all you could hear was snow falling and I couldn't think of a better place to be in the world. I really am so lucky to have a chance to live in this beautiful country!

A walk along the trail,it felt like Narnia

As for the lake there has been people even skiing on it this week which is crazy!!! I love cross country skiing but I don't think i'm quite ready to try it out on the lake haha. There was also a few Finns dotted about doing ice fishing, how there would be any fish in the cold temperatures I don't know!

A Finn ice fishing

Who else likes cross country skiing? Would love to hear from you :)

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Moi Moi Nicole xo

Half way there, spring semester

Well I am half of the way through the year now studying as an exchange student in Tampere, Finland. Everything feels completely different to when i first arrived here back in the summer. The corridors in Lapinkaari which used to be noisy and where there was always someone to chat to are now deadly quiet and since I have arrived back I haven't seen one person here. Hopefully some more people will start to move in in the following weeks. Because I have been so bored I thought it would be best to be productive with my time and start my blog up again!

The weather here now is cold but I thought it would be a lot colder as it is only just reaching into the minus temperatures again. However, there is still a lot of snow on the ground and there is forecast to be more on the way for the rest of the week. Because the temperatures have slowly risen a bit its meant that the ground outside it pretty slippery and even with the best grips on my snow boots i'm still at a risk of slipping over. My mum gave me some spikes that can be fitted onto shoes so i'm going to definitely try those out. Has anyone else used this and do they work?!

The snow in December in Tampere

Also in my accommodation there is no freezer space at all so last year I really struggled with cooking a variety of foods but because the temperature is freezing now I have put up a make shift freezer outside which is working brilliantly! So easy to use and its right outside my window!

Freezer complete with a Stockmann bag-you don't get more Finnish than that!

My classes aren't due to start until next week either so I have a free week to myself so i'm hoping to get right up to date with my blogging and also start going to the swimming pool a few times a week again. The only thing so annoying about swimming in this weather is if you go outside with wet hair after it freezes straight away, its pretty funny but must be awfully damaging for your hair I can imagine!

Feeling sorry for myself in bed writing this after picking up a horrible cold while at home in England for Christmas,typical really as I haven't been ill once since living in Finland.I really do think the air is so much fresher and healthier here, I don't suspect any viruses would be able to spread in this cold weather anyway!

Would love to hear from fellow bloggers out there about any winter survival tips!

Moi Moi  Nicole xo