Places vmhenshaw Wants to Go

An alien church provides much needed silence in the midst of a Finland shopping center.

This former hospital was once one of the oldest mental health facilities in Europe.

In the waters outside Helsinki, a tiny island once used as a military outpost now welcomes visitors.

On a small island, a replica of a Finnish village from the Iron Age.

This bed and breakfast is steeped in history and offers guests a unique way to experience nature—glass igloos on a frozen lake.

The tallest lighthouse in the Nordic countries was also the site of a bloody World War II battle.

Finland's northernmost zoo is home to the country's only polar bears.

One of the world's most unusual events combines headbanging and needlework.

This abandoned villa of makeshift buildings was once the home of dancer Elis Sinistö.

The church's remarkable frescoes incorporate Finnish artist Hugh Simberg's trademark themes of death and the supernatural.

These Finnish rapids have been attracting tourists for over a hundred years and are now released with the push of a button.

Pigduck of Turku.

This intricately spiralling forest was created as a monumental work of art.

Fortifications built for a Soviet invasion that never came now sit abandoned in a losing battle against nature.

This modernist island church incorporates the Finnish nature into its worship practices.

This disused church, left to the elements of the Arctic Circle's forests is open for exploration.

The smallest restaurant in the world.

A 246-foot-high revolving restaurant rises unexpectedly from a forested Finnish hilltop.

If you visit Santa's village, you can get your passport stamped to show you crossed into the Arctic Circle.

A beautiful Arctic museum and nature center preserves the culture of the Sámi people.

Hidden deep in a forest is this geological wonder carved by glaciers.

Roughly 17 million letters to Santa have found their way to this Arctic Circle post office.

A small island dotted with old, historic Finnish buildings.

Quality time with reindeer in the stunning scenery of their natural Lappish habitat above the Arctic Circle.