Lonely Birch

Birch (Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii)

This week's letter in ABC Wednesday is B.
My choice for the letter is Birch, which scientific name Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii also starts with B, in Kevo trail in Kevo Strict Nature Reserve.
This is particulary tall version of a tree, because these birches, which have adapted to fells and northern parts of Lapland, don't grow as high or wide as normal birch trees.

More photographs:
Kevo Trail

In previous round of ABC Wednesday:
Ball

Winter scenery from Helsinki

Winter scene

This week's theme in Photo Theme for Thursday is "WINTER" (Ice, Icicles, Snow, Tobogganing, Skating, Frost, Winter Clothing,...).
This year, Helsinki was lucky enough to get frost on leaves, tombstones, etc. It kept on going for a week and got lot of people to take their cameras out of closet and put in use. Since then, we've already lost lot of that frost, but we still have plenty of snow and it still feels like real winter.

Related photographs:
Hietaniemi cemetery

Time between Day and Night

Lights are turning on in Lauttasaari

This week's theme in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Night - Day'.
My choice for the topic is photograph from my hometown Helsinki just around the time, when traffic lights in local highway (Länsiväylä) are switching on. After I had taken these photographs, I was fascinated by the idea that lights are turned on in two phases. First every second and few seconds later they turn on rest of the lights.
This photograph was taken during those few seconds.

Airplane in Kittilä Airport

Finnair in Kittilä Airport

Airplane in Kittilä Airport (in Lapland) is my first entry to 6th round of ABC Wednesday. Kittilä Airport is main airport for people, who are flying to Levi, Ylläs, Pallas and other ski resorts in western Lapland in Finland. From here it is easy to get a bus ride to your final destination, even if it is in Kilpisjärvi (NW corner of Finland).
Even though flying is fastest way to get there, I usually prefer to take night-train from Helsinki to Kittilä, if/when we are traveling to Kilpisjärvi, where we've been hiking in last couple summers.

More photographs:
Levi in winter
Hiking to Halti fell (2008)
Hiking in Käsivarsi Wilderness Area

Zanzibar - white sand beaches and blue water

Beach in Zanzibar

On this week's we are reaching end of 5th round of ABC Wednesday with letter Z.
After lot of thinking (it is already Thursday :(), I decided to choose Zanzibar as word of the week. Zanzibar is archipelago that forms semi-autonomous part of the Tanzania (in East Africa). Main island of this archipelago is also called Zanzibar and it is the island, where this photograph was taken.
If you have opportunity to go for safari in Tanzania (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, ...) or climb Kilimanjaro, you might want to spend couple days in Zanzibar, before it is once again time to fly back home. Zanzibar has lot of nice white sand beaches and water is blue. If you like snorkling or diving, you have even more options on what to do, while on island.
Cons on Zanzibar is that things take their time, since noone seems to be in rush and after a while, you tend to drift into same mood, because it is so hot that you can't do long hiking trips or anything else that would be physical exhausting.

More photographs:

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Hakaniemi tammikuussa

Kuvan kohdalla en oikein tiedä, että voiko näkymää kutsua Hakaniemen toriksi, kun näkymänä on aurattu lumikenttä, jossa on vain yksi kukkakaupan teltta pystyssä. Kuvan takana oli itse asiassa yksi näitä isoja jakeluautoja, joista käsin osa torimyyjistä myy tuotteita, mutta siinä oli kaikki Hakaniemen "torin" toiminta perjantai-aamuna.

Torilla ei näkynyt mitään merkkejä edeltäneiden kolmen kuukauden kuvissa esiintyneestä punaisesta pakettiautosta ja siihen liittyvästä myyntikojusta, mutta tämä oli täysin ymmärrettävää kun ottaa huomioon, että PEPSI:n lämpömittari ilmoitti lämpötilaksi -15C. Johan sellaisessa lämpötilassa kaikki vettä sisältävät vihannekset jäätyvät, halkeilevat, jne. Lisäksi voidaan kysyä, että paljonko torille tulisi kylmänä pakkaspäivänä porukkaa, vaikka sinne jotkut urhoollisesti toisivat jotain myyntiin. Kun kuva oli saatu talletettua muistikortille, niin itsekin poistuin tyytyväisenä hieman lämpöisempiin tiloihin.

Näitä kuvia katsoessa on hyvä kysymys, että minkä mukaan kuvan valkotasapaino pitäisi määrittää. Kameran oma automatiikka teki kuvasta voimakkaan kellertävän, mutta lumesta otettu valkotasapaino teki kuvasta joulukuun kuvan tapaan hirveän kylmän. Tämän kuukauden osalta lopullinen valinta on jonkinlainen kompromissi näiden kahden äärivaihtoehdon väliltä.

Ylikota Camping Site in Kitkajoki

Ylikota Camping Site in Kuusamo

This week's letter in ABC Wednesday is Y.
My choice for the topic is campsite called Ylikota in Karhunkierros hiking trail (Kuusamo, Finland). This is the place, where hikers (who are going from North to South) first time arrive to Kitkajoki and see the sight, which I have on top of this article.
For those, who are hiking from South (Juuma) to North (Oulanka), this is the place, where they see goodbyes to Kitkajoki and start heading to Oulankajoki.


Related topics:
Walking along Kitkajoki in my Hiking in Lapland blog.
Karhunkierros trail map
Kota means Goahti in finnish

Young Barnacle Gooses
Yummy

PeruRail from Puno to Cusco

PeruRail on a way from Puno to Cusco

This week's topic in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Road - River'.
My take on a topic is photograph about railway going along with a river. This photograph was taken on a train ride from Puno to Cusco. This train connection used to be important for locals. However, they now have road connection from Puno to Cusco as well and locals have start to use that one and train connection is mostly reserved for tourists.
This photograph was taken on Canon PowerShot G3. Reason why it is worth mentioning is that G3 had swivel LCD screen, so I was able to twist it around so that I could push my hand and camera out from a window and compose the image, while keeping my head inside the cabin.

More photographs:
PeruRail, Camino Inca and Peru