Ounasvaara
The hill on the other side of a river was Ounasvaara. when it became much colder, it seemed like we could walk across the icy river.

I happened to meet Minori while I strolled along the streets since the morning. what a small town!

right:
Although it was a terrible cold day, there were lots of dog's footsteps on the riverside. It seemed like a lot of work.

Minori was playing on the swing in the snow covered playground. I didn't know why she wanted to do it in such a cold day!

Sampo Center
Was the biggest shopping mall and it was located in the center part of the city. I heard that the mall had been designed, based on the appearance of the museum "Arcticum". There was a big snowman, a big Christmas tree and a tower with a digital thermometer at the square in front of the mall. It seemed like a landmark of the town.

There was an another Santa Claus here. I felt I had seen thousands of Santa Claus after arriving in Finland....

Flaming red camisole dresses, gowns, stockings...everything, including underclothes, was full of the Christmas spirit!

Please notice the size of the snowman. It was pretty huge. ...By the way, why does a western style snowman have a three-tiered body? In Japan, a snowman is alway two-tiered since early times! I always feel funny whenever I see a western style snowman.