Strand Camping (Strandis)

1.                 Strand Camping (Strandis)
2.               Ice Swimming

3.    Winter swimming is the activity of swimming during the winter season, typically in outdoor locations or in unheated pools or lidos. In colder countries it may be synonymous with ice swimming, when the water is frozen over. It may also be simulated by a pool of water at 0 °C, the temperature at which water freezes. The International Ice Swimming Association requires that the water is colder than 5 °C for ice swimming competitions. In Finland, the ice swimming tradition has been connected with the sauna tradition, it is seen as a way to cool off rapidly after staying in a sauna and as a stress relief. Ice swimming (avantouinti in Finnish) on its own is especially popular in Finland, in fact there is an Avantouinti Society, and swimming holes are also maintained by other groups. Helsinki has several places for avantouinti, with dressing-rooms and sometimes with saunas.

4.   5. 6. 7. It was a new experience for all of us, also for the Finnish girls, because they had never tried it before. At the beginning, I was afraid about that, in particular about the fact to go into the icy water only with our socks and our swimsuit, while the temperature was -15 degrees. Once there, outside in front of the ice all around, the Hungarian boys came into the water  first, then the Spanish; we were the third with Finnish and Lithuanian girls. It was an unforgettable activity. We ran to the sauna to warm us, but after about 10 minutes, the temperature inside was so high, I think it was +80 degrees, so we had to go outside for another swim. I went into the water five times, it was a really beautiful experience to be done again!

                                           SARA MOHAMED 

  At the  first impact the water seemed warm because the outside temperature is near -20 degrees and the water temperature is 1 degree, but after 3/ 4  seconds I had to get out from the water ; immediately after I had to run into  the sauna again because of the cold ( you could feel the water freezing on your body). I was really impressed by this kind of extreme experience, better to say that I was terrified. It was something I’d never imagine to try. It was something very new for me, something I can’t try in my country; it will be difficult to try something similar in my life and I felt so lucky about that.

                            GIULIA MARZOCCHELLA