June 27 – July 26, 2024 (Summer)
Why Lahti? It’s not unknown in Finland, but it’s far from an international tourist hotspot. It’d be like a European flying to the States to visit Duluth.
And that’s fair. We essentially threw a dart at the map, scrolling around Fennoscandia on Airbnb and picking the best quality/price ratio we could find. Considering our great past experiences in the region, we reasoned we’d probably like it no matter where we ended up.
But on our way✨, we discovered the city had a bit of a seedy reputation. It is known as the Chicago of Finland, in part for its history as a meatpacking and rail hub✨, but more recently because it is perceived as unsafe. Did we mess up?
We shouldn’t have worried. Lahti was lovely. Plain✨, but lovely. The most dangerous fight we had was with our circadian rhythms. Our visit fell right on the longest days of the year, which meant it never really got dark✨. Combined with jet lag and a fussy baby, sleep was hard to come by at first.
We’d long resisted medicating for sleep, but quickly discovered the value of melatonin at high latitudes.
Once we got our feet under us, the city was a delight to explore. Finland’s ideal was made for us. Parks, trees, and trails were everywhere. The park was right next to our house. With a bit of planning, we could hike from our apartment to the waterfront✨ with only occasional dips back into civilization.
It was hard not to be charmed by Finland, or even daydream about moving. But we also kept stumbling on sobering reminders of just how scary the winters are – from the emphasis on winter sports, to the heavy-duty boot scrapers by every entrance, to building ladders and rails for managing rooftop snow✨ into every home. Even in glorious summer, the infrastructure gave us sympathy shivers.
Lahti has made efforts to modernize and diversify from its industrial past. Sibelius Hall was built to catalyze its cultural hub ambitions. It has a long history of athletics, mostly winter sports like ski-jump and ice hockey (though the football pitch hosted some matches for the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics). Recently it has become a recurring host for the Ironman✨ triathlon.
The city is the gateway to Lake Päijänne✨, but the waterfront is pleasantly recreational and not dominated by development✨. The lake is also enormous✨, at over 1000 km² and 120 km long. A popular passenger ferry connects Lahti to the city of Jyväskylä on the far northern shore.
In a happy✨ coincidence, our stay overlapped with the festival, which brings together✨, well, great beers from small breweries across Finland. Lahti also hosts a few craft brewers of its own, in particular the excellent Ant Brew✨ just off of .
The northern lakeshore is dense with apartments, but the southern side is more sparsely✨ residential. Perfect for leisurely strolls.
About two kilometers west of town is the Myllysaari Recreation Area, a small chain of islands linked by boardwalks and ringed by docks✨ to lure recreational boaters. The terminal island is home to a small restaurant that served adequate food but excellent views.
Unlike that other Chicago, Lahti doesn’t boast much in the way of iconic towers. A pair of radio antennas✨ are the most prominent landmarks✨. Souvenirs and even the Lahti sign itself✨ (note the double lines on the L and I) reference the “skyline.” But the ski jumps are seriously impressive. In summer, the landing area of the tallest doubles as a swimming pool.
It had been barely a month since Kieran took his first steps in Toronto, and already he was full-on hiking✨. As hardcore walkers, this was an ideal place to get him out of the stroller✨ and up to speed✨ without too many obstacles✨.
The famously-introverted Finnish culture suited us fine. However, it hit our bubbly toddler like a brick wall. His loud “Hi”s to kids at the playground were met with stares and confusion. Nowadays he’s the one shying away from others. It’s possible his extraversion was always going to be temporary, but it certainly felt like Lahti had an impact.
Regardless, Finland may just be one of the most family-friendly countries on Earth. Playgrounds ranged from good✨ to literal castles✨, and trains had dedicated carriages for little ones, complete with a slide. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s also the place where Kieran started to develop a love of trains✨.
As wonderful and confusing✨ as Lahti was, eventually it was time to move on✨. After all, we only had four months left to put as much distance as possible between us and winter!
