Finland can be a pretty incredible place sometimes.

Today, the Helsinki region got heavy snowfall for 11 hours in a row, amounting to 30 cm (one foot) of new snow. With the gust of wind, that means snow approaching horizontally, reaching everywhere, and not staying put.

Buses, trams and trains were running, unless actually physically stuck in the snow. Kids went to school as usual. Teenagers didn’t care to zip their coats. I put on my winter rubber boots (thanks to Kevo for this delightful reunion!), shovelled the first 10 cm of snow off the front-yard walkway, went to work, bought myself warm lunch, concentrated on my science, and got back home. Warm, dry, and safe. No chaos. No disruption to a cosy urban lifestyle.

Finland, I love thee!

PS. Tomorrow, instead, no buses, trams or metros run. But that has nothing to do with snow – it’s because the government and trade unions disagree on whether unemployed people are merely lazy.