Ice Swimming in Finland
Two of the most famous aspects of Finnish culture are the people's passion for sauna, which can be found in almost every house in the country, and also the country's rather cold surroundings. What better way to combine these two features than for alternating trips into the steamy sauna with a dip into an almost frozen lake nearby -- I had my reservations, but what was the worst that could happen? Well, on my first attempt up in Phyä-Luosto you'll see that I didn't last very long in the pool at all, indeed, I got waist deep and that was enough for me.
However, I wasn't done making a fool of myself in nearly freezing water yet, and I headed down to the city of Tampere, where I met with Ayngelina, who is a fellow blogger and a long time friend. It wasn't exactly reassuring that the temperatures for the sauna and the lake water were both on display, with the water marginally above freezing, and the sauna getting close to the boiling point of water. The second attempt was a lot more successful, and along with Ayngelina we also got our host Ville in Tampere involved, as he was a sauna veteran but had never actually taken a dip in the lake.
There are some very good reasons why people should be going for a dip in the lake after a visit to the sauna, but in the water it was really too cold to think about them! I found out later that the quick change in temperature brings the blood flooding through your veins, which is great for circulation and also helps to get rid of the stress hormones that can build up in the body. The second dip was a lot more successful, and although I was eager to get back into the sauna to warm up again, I did it with a smile on my face.