62 :: Merry Christmas

Jaana: Card illustration by Finnish artist Martta Wendelin (1893-1986).

Kia: The cards have been handmade (embroidered) in Scotland by R & M Mitchell.

Hyvää Joulua! Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

The year is coming to an end, and we wanted to take this moment to thank you all for your visits, comments and shared photos during these past few months. We have truly enjoyed sharing bits and pieces of our countries with you, hoping that you've enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences between Finland and Scotland. We are only 1907 km i.e. 1185 miles apart, as the crow flies, but it surely often feels like a lot more by looking at our photos, don't you think!

We'll be taking a little break now for the holidays, but will be back sometime in January. Till then... best wishes for Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year to one and all! See you in 2013!

61 :: Sunset

Jaana: On the winter solstice, December 21st, the length of our day will be a whopping 3 hours and 34 minutes.

Kia: On the shortest day of the year the sun rises at 08:46 and sets at 15:45, yielding a length of the day of 6 hours and 59 minutes.

60 :: Snow

Jaana: Winter has arrived with snow and cold temps (-23°C/-9.4°F at the time of this shot) that often bring along sunshine.

Kia: The first Sunday of Advent has brought us into full winter, with sleet and snow.

59 :: Statue

Jaana: Toripolliisi, the Market Square Policeman, has been standing on the Oulu market square since 1987 in honor of the policemen who once patrolled there.

Kia: Royal Scots Greys equestrian statue in Princes Street Gardens, with Edinburgh Castle in the background.