Finland Blog

Blog status

2010-06-21T12:19:00.003+03:00

Hi there people.

Im sorry to say that with my limited time ashore and current projects, such as writing my thesis for the my uni. degree has rendered this blog more or less defunct. Which is indeed kinda sad. However, once Im done with the thesis and (finally?) graduated, Ill shall see if Im going to continue writing this blog. However, I am planning on a more personal level photo and general stuff blog, for my own amusement and hopefully others as well. Ill let you guys know about it when I get into it. I shall however check the finlandblog email address every now and then, in case I can help someone out with stuff relating to Finland...

Cheers readers,
till next time.

Thy JT :)

Happy New year!

2008-12-31T15:49:00.004+02:00

Hiya readers,

a quick happy new Years blog update! :)

And a few pics for ya, went to Maretarium (a local aquarium), and took a few pics for you to see. It mostly hosts local fish - so many, if not all are genuine Finns :) Unfortunately had to take a few pics with the flash on, so they didnt turn up all that nice...but onward to the New Years Finn Fish Safari (tm) :)

Have a happy and fun New Year :D

Merry X-mas!

2008-12-25T11:51:00.006+02:00

Hi there dear readers,

Unfortunately it has been somewhat quiet on the blogging front due to being shipped out to sea once again, but back again for X-mas and thought Id write a mini post to wish you a merry christmas :)
Weather here in SE Finland has been rather ... well funky...kinda varies between subzero temps and a few plus degrees which makes it kinda nasty at times (ice paved streets, slush, ice, snow , ice, rain...). However I did manage to grab a few mediocre photos while at it, atleast to remind me of a so-called white christmas :) It's about -4C (~25F) at the moment and the sun is shining, which is nice :)

Oh and on a side not, christmas is kinda celebrated during the 24th on Dec here in Finland, sure the 25th is considered a celebration as well, but most of the chistmasy stuff happen on the 24th, ie. ham (turkey for x-mas is somewhat rare IMHO - for more info check out this site), opening of presents and so forth. Got a really nice turtleneck myself, which Im kinda a sucker for, if possible during colder weather - Im wearing a turtle :)

But enough babble, Merry christmas to you all and hugs on top :)

'Em pics:

A few trees caught some snow :)

Statue slowly being buried?

The street I live on during snow fall...

Chair in the park :)

-J "all hammed up" T :)

Fire and Ice teaser..

2008-11-13T11:56:00.004+02:00

Hi there readers,
I was planning on writing a proper post a tad later on, but happened to bump into this video by accident. Never heard of it before, but seems quite interesting and I'd actually like to see the whole film/documentary. Any of you seen it? Fire and Ice.

Here's the teaser/trailer:

On a more lighter note, I've always liked the lights on amusement park rides and such, not much of a junkie on 'em rides themselves but the atmosphere and details in amusement parks are interesting and fun. Found this clip on youtube from Linnanmäki amusement park at twilight, kinda wish it was longer but fun clip anyhow:

An another clip from the same amusement park, it's very own aquarium, which is kinda neat :)

-J "lightheaded" T

Back again :)

2008-11-07T12:30:00.002+02:00

Hi there people :)

"Finally" back home from sailing 'em seas. What was supposed to be a 3 week round, turned into a month. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, and thus no pictures :(

Have to take care of some business and a few odd ends, but an update is on it's way once Im done with 'em tasks. Plus, I need to catch up with local events and news, as I didnt have much time nor the opportunities to read news and such onboard. I did have my laptop and the ship offered an internet connection, but it wasn't all that reliable and quite slow at times, so unfortunately couldn't really blog..

Obama won the election, grats to him, wonder if Finland (or the nordic countries) will get any attention from him, wasn't he working in some sort of Nordic countries project in the past?

-J 'seadog' T :)

Using someones open WLAN.

2008-10-05T15:26:00.004+03:00

Hey there dear readers,

I recently read an article on someone being fined for using an open WLAN connection (here in Finland that is). I was really dumbfounded by this, and ended up asking myself how the hell is this possible?

So, thus I decided to write this "rant" on the subject to express my opinion on the matter.

First of all, I'd like to start with what the deal is. I recently bought a new laptop and while installing it found it extremely convinient to use an open WLAN connection (actually one of several open WLAN's) to finish the installation. Thanks to the fine people who offered such a choice knowingly or unwittingly. So what is an open WLAN? It's pretty much an internet connection which one CAN use free of charge and without either your own concent nor the owners concent or by his willingness. So how is this possible?

How can I NOT block and internetconnection? The thing is that who ever owns the internet connection is broadcasting a signal to every direction in the near vincinity. And this signal is in a sense a flashing a green light saying LOOK I'm here and usable. You think of it as a neighbour installing a wired internet connection to your home with a label saying the same. Its just there, unsecured by passwords or anyother form of locking. Now this happened either intentionally by this neighbour of yours, or he accidentally installed it without knowing or understanding what he/she was doing. And all this happened when you were not home, and you have no way of knowing who did it. Funky, huh?

Huh? So, now you have access to an internet connection, which advertises itself with a green light and a small message of usabilty. You dont know where or how it came to be, you dont know whos it is, and you dont know if it's intentionally there or not. Pretty much like walking on a privately owned road with no signs or gates whatsoever. Did the roadowner intentionally let people walk on it, or is he/she ignorant enough to not care or not willing to put up a small sign saying no tresspassing? Well, my opinion is that ofcourse you're allowed to walk on a road you dont know who owns, has no signs or gates or any other implication that you shouldn't be standing on it BUT does have a small sign which states 'open'. Why wouldn't you walk on it?
The owner has the right to deny access with gates or signs, but has not done so - until then you're free to use the road as long as you dont use it for illegal activity, host a party on it with all your friends or terrorize the owner by not letting him/her walk on it! Do you guys see my point with this?

Here's another example from my own life. I have 3 items which are are technically mine, but all the dwellers in the building may use them. One is a small stool on the backyard which I like to have my smoke on, and an old tin for cigarette butts. Feel free to sit on it or put out your cigarette in the tin. Just dont sit there 24/7, break it or deny me access to it. I even dont mind if I have to wait a moment for you finish your cigarette before I can sit on it. If I find they are used too much or in a nasty fashion, Ill simply take them back home. The other item is a small bucket and ladle in the public sauna. Same applies for them, I just thought it would be nice to have a proper sauna ladle instead on the old sh*tty one. Im certainly not going to make fuss out someone using them let alone start spewing accusations of illegal use of MY stuff. Same applies for my doorbell, feel free to ring it if you need to, thats the reason it there! You dont need to ask me for permission to use any of them, I would have somehow secured them If I wanted you to ask for permission, or simple removed them from being publicly available if I didnt want them to be used.

You know, this applies for the magic internet connection which just sits there. Dont use it for illegal activity (pirating software, hacing etc..), please dont hog all the bandwith with constant large downloads, dont try to terrorize the owner and lastly please dont use it 24/7 even if you could do so. However if it IS secured with a password or other form, it's clearly not for you to use. Just like my ladle, if I lock it in a drawer, it's not for you to use.

Now how is all this fuss possible? It kinda boils down to two types of people and attitudes:

1. The Ignoramus, congratulations - you belong to the cast Ignoramus if you bought a gadget you know next to nothing of, dont know how it works, dont know what it can do and you really arent interested in either learning and probably didnt bother with the manual. As if by magic you managed to get it to work or had someone do all this for you pretty much no questions asked style. Id keep my eyes open, because it just might be that you end up breaking something or even hurting yourself. You wouldnt drive car if you dont know how to work it now would you?

2. The Operator, congratulations - you are an operator if you bought a gadgets you have atleast rudimentary knowledge of, you approximately know how it works, know what it can do and you probably are interested in learning more or bothered reading the manual to a reasonably extent. You got the gadget working by knowing how to use it or by studying instructions. You also configured it in such a fashion which pleases yourself, or asked for help doing all this.

And two attitudes:

1. You arent focused on having all the power to yourself and generally speaking have a helping hand type of attitude and willing to share. You dont mind if the neighbour picks apples which fell on his side of the fence from your tree, and you help people out to a reasonable extent. If you dont need it all, you just might share it.

2. You are the power addict, helping out is probably a must task for you and makes you slightly sick. You'd like to have it all to yourself, sharing pretty much anything is hard for you. You probably curse the neighbor who picked your apples which fell on his/her side of the fence, you might even ask to have the two apples back. You need to have it all even if you dont need all of it and probably aren't gonna share any of it.

Thusly, dear reader, if you decide you want to share your your WLAN, which is rightfully yours, do so by any means. If you dont want to share it or just simply cant, thats ok too. If you dont know if you're sharing your access or not, you might want to think about going back to wired times, or atleast studying what you're doing and dont blame others if they use that open connection just because you weren't interested in what you were doing. Securing your connection is quite easy nowadays.

Please take this rant with a grain of salt and some humor, but this is basicly my opinion, with a few "provocative" rants :) And yes, nothing is so black and white, there are gray areas too :)

Enjoy and stay cool :)
-JT

Kauhajoki School shooting and more.

2008-09-25T10:49:00.006+03:00

Hello there dear readers.

The past few days have been quite difficult, or possibly some the hardest days to date for many. And me too. Has the world gone crazy? It seems that everyday the news spits out stories of death, war, financial crisis and other down right sh*tty things.

The Kauhajoki tragedy seems to have spawned a lot of debate and discussion in foreign media as well as Finnish media. Good or bad? I dont know, but it seems that many people are looking back at the 'good old days', sure things might have "better" back then, but the world has changed quite drastically. I personally think that instead goin' on about 'em good old days, people should incorporate what we have and turn our gaze forward - instead of backward. Like an old finnish (?) saying goes (roughly translated) It's ok to fall down, but one must not stay/lie on the ground. It's time to learn from what we experienced and act according to them.

Well, if this whole tragedy was not enough I experienced a heart wrenching loss myself. I had to have my beloved 16 year old dog put to sleep. No longer was she the happy little dog I used to know, several ailment troubled her and she was deaf and had impaired vision. No more pain, no more drugs, no more collars, no embarassing incontinence, no more infections. Sleep well dear Nita, I love you. She fell asleep in my hands on the 23 of September 16:45.

For all those suffering from whatever reason, hugs.

-JT

Finnish style tips for greener living!

2008-09-18T11:49:00.006+03:00

Hi there readers,
For quite some time I've been trying to live a more greener life, not a hardcore one but a considering one, and trying to keep it "simple". It does make one feel good to accomplish something for a common good and often enough, it saves money - sometimes one can even make money with a greener living. So here are a few tips, which I'd imagine work almost everywhere, but work fairly easily in Finland, and some of them might even shed a light on how a finnish mind works :)
so here we go:

Saving Electricity (and money):

Always use a fully loaded dishwasher/laundry.

If possible and reasonable use public washing machines, ie. one in you apartment building's basement, instead of buying a new washer. Same applies for dryers.

Dry your laundy outside if possible.

Use the lowest temperature possible for laundry items.

Try to use as energy efficient light bulbs, washing machines, fridges and so forth, check labels and research energy ratings and such.

Consider replacing old energy hogging appliances with new energy saving ones.

When cooking, consider using the microwave or water boiler for reasonable tasks.

When cooking on the stove, use a correct size pan and heater. Turn heat off immediately when no longer needed/use residual heat for finishing.

You really don't need a tropical climate in your home, try turning heat down and instead of walking around naked, wear some clothes ;)

Keep you heating elements/equipment in good shape. This applies for other hardware too.

Dont keep your windows open all day, efficient ventilating can be done by opening doors and such (especially during the winter).

Dont keep appliances/gadgets plugged in when not in use, ie. cell phone chargers and such, your hometheater amplifier etc.

If possible, turn OFF your computer and other similar stuff instead of keeping them on standby when not in use. Or simply unplug them, or buy one of those extensions with a switch.

Turn off lights when you dont need them. Utilize natural light as much as possible.

Old stuff and recycling:

Rules of thumb,
1. Check if the item is fixable or still usable, instead of running off to buy a new one.

2. If not, try to find some sort of new use for it, check DIY and craft sites. Ie. turning old furniture into something new & usable with a bit on handywork.

3. Sell, Give Away or donate stuff to charity which cant be reinvented or have no use for you.

4. Take to a proper recycling station, some even pay you for stuff like scrap metal.

Instead of rushing off to buy a new computer, check upgrading possibilities.

Consider installing a lightweight linux distribution on an older computer, you might be surprised how usable that old "junk" is.

Old sheets, t-shirts, other shirts, trousers and such have a zillion uses, instead of just getting rid of them, make a tote bag out of old shirts, trousers...or use old shirts as rags instead of paper towels...use old fabrics as gift wrappers...or as packing material....or cover an unsightly (flower etc..) pot with it...or make a quilt out of 'em...make pillows out of them...and lots more :)

A plastic bag can be used as a shopping bag for quite some while, so grab one or two with you instead of buying a new one each time.

Rycycle aluminium cans. (= money)

Recycle plastic bottles. (= money)

Recycle glass bottles. (= money)

Recycle old batteries.

Recycle milk cartons and such.

Recycle spam mail. (most finnish apartment buildings have 3 trash bins, one for paper, one for landfill waste and one for biotrash)

Compost or chuck used (flower) soil, food waste, tea bags etc. in the bio trash bin. (do use a biodegrable vessel for them, ie fold a news paper into a bag).

Most bought spice grinders can be used again with a little tweaking.

Use plastic bottles and such for storage, ie. I use an old plastic yogurt bottle for spare black peppers which dont fit into the grinder, I use a small plastic bottle(s) to store nuts and bolts and nails and such...feel free to cover them with what you like, ie. and old shirt, comic strips from old newspapers and so forth.

Think, be creative!

Other tips for a greener living:

Grow your own herbs and such on your window sill (it's easy!).

Better yet, plant things in your garden if you have one!

Use rechargable batteries.

Instead of buying a brand new [insert item here], check flea markets, second hand stores, ask friends...etc..I bough two perfectly good leather chairs really cheap from a 2nd hand store, I got two used (but nice) sofas from a friend for free..

Dont waste water, turn it off while brushing your teeth, dont linger in the shower, dont keep the sauna warm if not in use...

While washing dishes by hand, use washing detergents and such sparingly, put a little in a tea mug with some water and dab your brush in it instead of pouring detergents on individual dishes.

Sell or give away old books/magazines etc..

Before buying a new cell phone or such, ask yourself do you really need one.

Have a frugal day once a week or frugal week once a month. You might be surprised what one can make out of stuff stored in cupboards and kitchens.

Avoid buying heavily packed stuff.

Avoid buying stuff made from rare/threatened species of wood. Do research.

If possible, buy stuff grown/made locally/nearby.

Avoid using heavy chemicals for cleaning purposes, vinegar and baking soda or basic soap often does the trick. Lemon and such work too. Google for tips!

A car is often not a must, walk, bicycle, car pool or use public transportation whenever possible. I mean it, give it a go, sell your car if it isnt an absolute must have.

Use toilet paper and kitchen paper made out of recycled paper.

Dont print, copy or so stuff which isnt necessary, and use the back side of old prints for scribbles and memos. Recycle.

Buy stuff with green labels and emblems.

Keep your knives and such in good condition, a good knife or (castiron) pan might work a lifetime when kept in proper condition. (hint: a knife magnet rocks)

Always check or ask your garbage service provider what to do with stuff you dont know how to dispose of, ie. paints and such.

The freezer is your friend, freeze left over food for lunch and such, freeze left over wine in icecube trays or such for later use for cooking or punches.

DIY. Consider making something yourself instead of buying it.

Avoid plastic and one-use-only cups, take your own mug to the office.

Last but not least, THINK.

That's it for now :) Quite a long rant huh? Feel free to leave comments and ideas of your own, this by no means is a comprehensive list, but a few things I TRY to do, with varying success :)
Oh, and Ill be working on a ship next month (probably the whole month), so probably cant post, but Ill give it a try. And if you must know, it's ro-ro/passenger ship from Helsinki to Travemunde, Germany.

Cheers!
-your tree hugging friend, JT.
P.S Did my best to check for typos, but some of those sneaky bas****s might have survived. :)

Moi!

2008-08-27T08:40:00.004+03:00

Hi there readers!

I've been collecting a few articles off local tabloids and news papers, articles I was planning on discussing here on the blog. But lo and behold...I cant find them. Annoying, since just a few days back I was doing some cleaning as well as fumbling around with some furniture, which actually worked out pretty well. While it didnt change the look of my living room drastically, it definately looks more spacy and...uh...well more organized. :) Must have stashed my pinched articles somewhere safe OR chucked them into the grabage without noticing.

Anyhow, one of the articles was on rising food prices, while Im quite sure this is somewhat of a problem in other countries as well, this article was particulary interesting as it had food prices compared between Finland, Estonia and Germany. Now I cant remember exact differences but they were quite surprising. Finland was ofcourse the most expensive. While I do understand that some of the prices come from having to ship stuff here, perhaps moreso than to Estonia or Germany, as they're kinda closer to mainland Europe. The thing is that quite often when buying cucumber, a locally grown cucumber might be up to 3 times or so more expensive than say, one shipped in from..Spain. I know I know, it's quite a hassle to grow cuces here during the winter but anyway, as this isn't the only foodstuff with the such a strange ratio.

Anyway, the other thing I was kinda planning on mentioning is apartment sizes. Now, the thing is that I cant really say for sure, as I havn't "lived" outside finland. But often it seems that, people moving in say that apartments are rather small. Now Im not saying they ALL are miniscule showboxes. Anyone with more knowldge care to comment on this? Ex. I live in a 40m2 flat, a friend of mine lives in a 50m2 and a third lives in a 22m2 flat etc...while I think 50m2 is quite ample of a space for 1, it's ok for two, 40 is borderish for 2 and 22m2 works ok for one, if the space is wisely used.

Oh yah, and I have a few juicy links for ya,
First of all (have I linked to this before?) 6 Degrees is nice magazine to grab a gander at. Ex. see the mökki article in the starters section.

Aaaand the other one is an online store with finnish products online..Quite a wide range of stuff!

Till next time,
Cheers!
-JT

Yet more....Finn Music! :)

2008-08-18T09:35:00.005+03:00

Hey there peeps :)

I've been posting clips of finnish music in the past and thought Id introduce some more, but of different genre's/bands. Last night's thunderstorm kinda inspired me to think of music, dont ask why, I don't know - one of those things which just pop into ones mind :) Some of these bands have indeed (had) international fame (atleast some), so you might have heard of 'em before. Anyhow, music unites people, so here we go:

Kingston Wall - With My Mind:

Indica - Pidä Kädestä (Hold My Hand):

For some older stuff, 80s rock from Hanoi Rocks - Tragedy

Then for something a bit more unusual, Folk Music from Värttinä - Lemmenosto

And for some "classical" stuff Apocalyptica - Path

Hope you found something you like,
till next time,
-JT :)

P.S Changed layout a tad to make things more simple, and added a search function, which searches this blog and few other sites about Finland :)

Finnish Summer Cottages/Cabins.

2008-08-14T20:22:00.012+03:00

Hey there dear readers.
Long time since my last post, been quite busy with all sorts of stuff, unfortunately to such an extent that havn't really had time to blog, and when I did have time - had to tend other stuff :)

Anyhow, todays subject is a rather humble, but quite an important aspect of Finnish culture & society. As said on the post title, Finnish Summer Cottages & Cabins - "holiday homes". Unfortunately AFAIK many visitors/foreignors dont get to see this part of Finnish lifestyle, as it's often quite a "private" thing if you will. Cottages, cabins and all sorts of retreats are very common in Finland, so common that I'd guess most Finns have access to one, if not one of their own, but via family or friends. these so called retreats range from very basic, as in no running water/eletricity to deluxe hi-tech cabins. However my best guess would be that most are a in-between compromise of both aspects - as in some electricity and some running water, but with an outhouse and wood fired sauna and so forth. One can rent such cabins pretty much all over Finland, but I'd imagine the most authentic experience would be a family owned one, so should you have a chance to visit one - give it a go!

I actually tried to find some descent article on the subject, but couldn't really find one, which is quite surprising to say the least, as the 'mökki' or summer cottage is such a common phenomena. Basicly, a "mökki" is a retreat (often in the middle of nowhere) into which Finns dissapear during holidays to tend to the their souls (poetic eh? :)), chopping wood for the sauna, doing a little fishing and gardening and such, bar-b-qing and having a few beers in the midst of the forest and enjoying nature. Sounds odd? Somehow its a great way of kicking back and venting stress/relaxing, and forgetting the bustling city and enjoy festivities such as the midsummer (<- Ill try write a post on that in the near future).

Pics of and from a summer retreat I frequent:

One of the cottages...

Funky tree on the beach :)

This is where we quite often sit after a barbq and enjoy and ale or two, perhaps three ;)

As our retreat is on an island, boats are needed.

View of the surrounding area..:)

Our authentic finn smokesauna, almost ready to bathe in :) Splendid! :)

A few flowers gathered nearby, on the sauna dressing room window sill.

Chopped some wood, for the sauna etc.. :)

Found this old iron lying around, thought it was kinda cool :)

Found this little fella growing on a tree stump, pretty isn't it?

There you go, thats it for now, please do not use my pics without my permission :)
Btw. you can find other pics and stuff taken by myself here.

Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T10:50:00.009+03:00

Like todays topic suggest, Id like to wish a happy mom's day to all moms! :)
The history of moms day here in Finland isnt all that interesting, as it relates to the tradition founded in the states (Anne Jarvis?). Soo, I went for a longish walk yesterday (10km?) with me cam! Took a few pics of flowers and whatnot, it being spring and all! Remarkable the transition, awesome! :) Anyhow, since I cant congratulate any reader moms directly, have a look at these flowers instead! As said, Happy Mother's Day!

AFAIK - A few windflowers!

A dandelion to cheer you up! :)

Cant remember the name of this one, can you?

Haven't got the foggiest what plant this is, drop me a line if you do! Beautiful anyhow!

Cant remember what this is called either, very pretty though imho!

This one is of a tree near where I live, cherry perhaps or apple?

Mushrooms!

2008-05-04T14:35:00.004+03:00

Eep, looks like I made it through Vappu people :) Was ok, although felt a little sick (as in flu) so took it quite easy. Bad news is, I dont have any pics, well a few of my friends. The thing is, I have an Ixus 75 (canon) camera, which is pretty good - atleast I like it, but the damned thing doesnt seem to have any battery state indicator! Sure, it will start flashing a battery icon when it's low, but thats often quite (far) (too) late. So, thats what happened, annoying - damnit! :)

So, todays subject...Mushrooms. Yes, I love 'em - actually had some horn of plenty pasta just a moment ago - yum yum. So, since Finland has a Everyman's Right mushrooms are very common and quite plenty. All sorts of 'shrooms grow here, some of which are even exported. One of my very favorite dishes is...mushroom sauce/stew, particulary one made of chantarelles or false morels. Yes, you heard me, false morels - and no Im not writing this from the beyond. See false morels (Gyromitra esculenta) are eaten here, and sold fresh in stores (during season ofc). And yes, they are deadly - if not prepared correctly - after that, very yummy.

They must be parboiled several times in plenty of water, the water has to be discarded and 'shrooms rinsed in between and all of this has to be done in a well ventilated space to avoid poisoning. So, even preparation is dangerous, and I do NOT encourage YOU to try them in this fashion anywhere else. Canned false morels are parboiled and usable out of the can once rinsed and the liquid discarded (read label though, just in case). Or if you decide you want to try such a dish, go to a restaurant.Enough about 'em, quite a lot of different mushrooms are sold/consumed here, here's a few common mushrooms one might find here:

Different Boletes (porcini), inc. Brown birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum),Orange aspen bolete (Leccinum aurantiacum) etc..
Brittlegills (russulas)
Milkcaps
Family Cantharellaceae: Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)
Funnel chanterelle, trumpet chanterelle (Cantharellus tubaeformis)
Horn of plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides)
Yellow-footed chanterelle (Cantharellus lutescens, C. xanthopus)

Family Cortinariaceae: Gypsy mushroom (Rozites caperatus)
Family Hydnaceae: Terracotta hedgehog (Hydnum rufescens)
Wood hedgehog (Hydnum repandum)
Family Hygrophoraceae: Arched woodwax (Hygrophorus camarophyllus)
Family Morchellaceae: Conical morel (Morchella conica, M. elata)
Round morel, yellow morel (Morchella esculenta)
Family Polyporaceae: Sheep polypore (Albatrellus ovinus)
Family Tricholomataceae: Boreal honey mushroom (Armillaria borealis)
Fine-scaly honey mushroom (Armillaria cepistipes)
Matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake)
Yellow honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea)
...and so on...:)

Since Im going on about mushrooms, I might aswell post a recipe for...mushroom salad! Which is a common sidedish here:

Mixed Salted Mushrooms (buy 'em in stores here)
Smetana/Creme Fraiche
Onion (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Parlsey (optional or for decor)
Lemon Juice (optional - to taste)

Soak salted mushrooms in fresh water overnight (dont remove all the salt)
(Finely) Chop your onion.
Mix all of the ingredients together into a thickish consistency and season with pepper.
Cover and let sit in the fridge to season before serving.
Eat. :)

NOTE: when picking mushrooms NEVER pick something you are not absolutely sure of! A Destroying Angel might look yummy but will kill you.

Darn, now I feel like goin' pickin' mushrooms. :)
Till next time people!

May Day!

2008-04-26T15:54:00.011+03:00

Hello there readers!
How are you on a fine day like this? K, good.
Anyhow, a sunny day saturday here in Finland, grass is getting greener day by day and 'em flowers and whatnot are startin' to bloom. A sure sign of of the upcomming summer is near, Walpurgis Night aka Vappu - a public holiday and celebration. During this celebration, Finns tend to go nuts. An article on scandinavica.com depicts the holiday quite well: "Vappu means in Finland an opportunity to match the traditional springtime revelry with the modern street carnival and the Finnish enthusiasm for drinking. Vappu is the holiday when Finns do their utmost to behave contrary to their reserved image, screaming through the streets with masks in their faces and drinks in their hands." :) It indeed is one of the biggest celebrations, along with New Years and Juhannus (midsummer).

Every year on Vappu, Manta serves as a centrepiece for the celebrations. Students of the local universities put a cap on the statue on an elaborate ceremony. For many it is a "must see" event.

Whats it all about then? Historically the Walpurgisnacht is derived from Pagan spring customs. In the Norse tradition, Walpurgisnacht is considered the "Enclosure of the Fallen". It commemorates the time when Odin died to retrieve the knowledge of the runes, and the night is said to be a time of weakness between the living and the dead. Bonfires were built to keep away the dead and chaotic spirits that were said to walk among the living then. This is followed by the return of light and the sun as celebrated during May Day. Due to St. Walpurga's holy day falling on the same day, her name became associated with the celebrations.

Vappu can seem a little chaotic to foreignors, but should one be in Finland during Vappu, just think of it as venting of steam or a wacky (costume) party, one of the days when Finns "let go", join the fun! :)

Sima (mead) is often brewed for Vappu, which happens to be one of my favourite soft drinks (along with ginger ale). One can buy ready made and bottled Sima in local stores, but it isnt as good as homemade. Unfortunately I didn't have time nor a proper vessel to make Sima, but I might make some a little later on. Here's how (from recipesource):

10 qt Water;fresh pure
2 Lemons;fine
2 1/2 c Brown sugar
2 1/2 c White sugar
1/3 c Dark corn syrup;optional
1/4 ts Dry yeast
Raisins
Shave the yellow peel from the lemons, cutting very thinly so that as little of the white underlayer as possible is attached. Set the yellow slices aside. Then peel the bitter white underlayer off and discard it. Slice the lemons into very thin slices. Place them into a container and cover them so they don't dry out. Boil the water in a large kettle. Remove it from the heat and stir in the yellow lemon peel, the sugars, and the syrup. When the sugars have
dissolved, cover the kettle and let the contents cool to room temperature (25'C or 75'F). Then add the lemon slices and the yeast.
Leave it to stand overnight.
Place 4-5 raisins and a teaspoon of white sugar in the bottom of each of several clean bottles (wine or soda pop). Pour the sima into the bottles, straining it through a sieve to remove the lemon. Cap the bottle tightly.NOTE: use plastic bottles, exploding glass isnt healthy.
The sima will be ready to drink when the raisins rise to the top of the bottles, about 3-7 days depending on the temperature of the room where they are stored. Serve it well chilled.

So, do try Sima! Yum, I might have to by bottle or two of the ready made stuff, vappu without sima is no good :) Anyhow, a few pics from Finland to fuel your imagination, the first pics are taken while having a stroll, by myself. See you again after Vappu, Ill try to grab a few pictures and post about how horrible my hangover is :)

Statue from the harbour.

Cannon of sorts midst housing..

War Memorial statue near the shore..

Sama statue, diff. angle..

And finally a picture of the senate square in Helsinki (not taken by me), a bit out of context - I know, but I like the picture! Definately a place to visit when in Finland/Helsinki. :)

Secret stuff!

2008-04-19T16:38:00.010+03:00

Yello once again readers!

Today, Im gonna let you in a little secret!
Guess what it is? No really, close yer eyes for moment and try to guess! :)

Finnish store prices AND what I bought today! Im gonna let YOU know what I bought today from the store, partly to show what kinda prices we pay here and partly, because I think it's kinda interesting to know what people are gonna eat and so. By this I dont mean that Id wonder what people have in their bags on the streets or in the shop, but if I bump into a friend of mine, I might ask what he/she got :) Go ahead, tell me Im strange. :)

Anyhow, here goes. Todays shopping, from a local "supermarket":

1 liter of milk..0.79€
Potato chips/crisps (200g)..2.09€
1kg of laundry powder..3.79€
2 0.33l soda pop bottles..3.78€
2 x instant noodles..0.58€
2 x instant noodles..0.78€
500g Gnocchi Pasta..1.09€
2 250ml light cream tins..1.98€
One salad..0.99€
3 Avocados..1.68€
250ml Herb & Garlic sour cream..2.25€
290 grams of Cold smoked Salmon..5.63€
One Char Grilled Whitefish..7.26€
200g Shrimp flavored softcheese..2.39€
175g Sandwich pickle(s) tube..2.39€
260g Rye bread..1.39€
Maggi lasagna sauce powder..1.49€
6 Organic Eggs..2.09€
100g Italian rocket..1.45€
One chocolate Dessert pudding..0.35€
500g local tomatoes..3.90€
Bag o' carelian pasties..2.68€
2 40l shopping bags..0.32€
------------------------------------
Total:..51.42€
1% discount..-0.48€
Total:..51.94€

There you go! As said, groceries aint too cheap around this neck of the woods and I kinda splurged on the Whitefish - which I probably could have gotten cheaper somewhere else, "special" sodapop, crisps and so. It also contains stuff for several days, here's what I've got planned: the lasagna powder for a quick meal next week (I already have the rest), crisps for movie night, cold smoked salmon for pasta sauce tomorrow + whats left over - on rye bread. Carelian pastries and whitefish for todays after sauna indulgence and the rest for sandwiches, salads and breakfast/snacks and a few instant noodles as a plan B for a quick snack/meal.

Picture of the Char grilled whitefish, unfortunately the tail broke off in the shopping bag, so looks a bit stunted...

The two soda pop bottles, local brand from Laitila breweries, Retro style lemonade and cola. I kinda like them, not as sweet as coke and taste quite fresh.

Tradition Finnish (after oven) Rye bread, meaning the bread was baked "after firing the oven", thus long and steady in lower heat. 11% Fiber and quite potent rye flavor thus yummy and good for ya.

There you go, wanna see similar stuff again? Leave me comment, as I really enjoyed writing this!

Finland, what, where, huh?!

2008-04-18T09:34:00.003+03:00

Hey there readers!
Today Im going to (mostly) just offer my own thoughts and ideas, about being a Finn. It's kinda hard to explain what it feels like or what makes finns - finns. In some fashion Finland could be thought of as an enigma of sorts. Smack dab in the "middle" of northern europe, actually north eastern europe - sits a rather tiny nation of people; whom aren't really western in a strict sense nor eastern, speak a strange language, not really known for anything, no one seems to really know where this oddball people came from or how they ended up in this somewhat odd place, yet managed to get stuck in a situation of several wars over the past centuries and finally now independent.

So, I know Im a finn, and even I cant say for certain where we came from of who (the idiot? :) ) was the first finn or the fist ancestor(s) to decide, hey! lets put up a settlement here, it's cold, swampy, forests ridden with bears, reindeer and unbelievable amount on gnats/blackfly and what not. I mean surely somewhere warmer not so far away would have been nicer? Anyhow, thanks to 'em blokes - we know have a rather nice place to live - yet quite unknown. Why do I like to live here? Why have I not moved or decided that - k! I'll go to france - the land of gourmet. It's really hard to name any grand ideology that would describe what makes finns, proud to be finns.

So, I (might have to edit this post later :D) what I like about being here is:

Seasons (albeit the summer could be longer) - very beautiful transitions from green to almost total darkness with snow.

Simple things, tap water(The United Nations World Water Development Report: Water for People, Water for Life considers the water in Finland cleanest in the world. The secret is not only in the quality of raw water, but also in the water treatment methods) is generally safe to drink, everyman's right (the Finns believe that it is everyman's right to be able to enjoy the countryside, woods and lake shores free of charge and without the landowner's permission) - so one might go pick berries or mushroom anywhere.

People. Even though finns can be frustratingly hard-headed, cynical, quiet and so on, its quite easy to get along in Finland, be it that you want to sit alone and read the newspaper or want to go out partying with a few mates. Im kinda hoping my friend Craig would write something about this, as it's very hard for me to do (Craig you reading this? Start working!) :)

Midnight sun. Need I explain this?

Sisu. "Sub-zero temperatures. Sunlight for just five hours a day. Centuries of Russian aggression. The people of Finland have a word for their renowned fortitude and resilience. Could an outsider get in on their secret?" Read the whole article here. Very entertaining and interesting article I might add!

Thus, I shall leave you with an excerpt from Kalevala (RUNE IV.
THE FATE OF AINO) to fuel thy imagination:
"When the lone and wretched mother
Heard the sacred cuckoo singing,
Spake she thus, and sorely weeping:
"When I hear the cuckoo calling,
Then my heart is filled with sorrow;
Tears unlock my heavy eyelids,
Flow adown my, furrowed visage,
Tears as large as silver sea pearls;
Older grow my wearied elbows,
Weaker ply my aged fingers,
Wearily, in all its members,
Does my body shake in palsy,
When I hear the cuckoo singing,
Hear the sacred cuckoo calling."

Ps. Remember to smile today :)

Owl disrupts football match & Music Clips

2008-04-12T15:48:00.004+03:00

Spring is here! :)
I was admiring a few baby flowers sprouting this morning, when I noticed another sign of spring! My first bumblebee of the upcoming summer! How cool is that! Kinda like those furry fat creatures, almost never sting and have a much nicer attitude than yellowjackets/hornets.

Anyway, about a year ago or so, a Belgium-Finland football match was played in Helsinki, however smack dab in the middle of the match, an owl disrupts the game. While, yes this is old news, but fun clip anyhow! Magnificent bird. :)

While cruising through youtube, bumped into a few traditional Finnish songs, sung by Ville Valo (from a Finn band called HIM). While Im not really a big fan of HIM, his voice fits these two songs really well. Thus, Id like to introduce them to you:

Finnish customs and manners. PART II

2008-04-07T14:29:00.003+03:00

So, customs and manners of Finland. Like said in my previous c&m post, Finland isnt ALL that different from other western nations, but does have a few oddities. Todays theme will be public places and acting in crowds. Finns are often notoriously known for being silent and straight forward. While this is true to some extent (ie. almost complete lack of small-talk between strangers or not well acquainted people), it isnt perhaps due to actual dig for silence or not willing to talk, but out of respect for other peoples and their privacy. Finns generally wont want to bother you, or anyone else in your typical normal everyday life situations. Lets grab an example, say travelling in a bus or tram, you most probably wont be spoken to, unless you explicitly (try to) start a conversation. However, this doesnt mean that a Finn in the tram would refuse to help you find your way somewhere on the map. Sounds a bit confusing doesn't it? I know it is, it's just that its kinda Finn mentality to mind their own business, and not poke their nose in other peoples doings.

So, how to act in public places? Ie. trams, buses, pubs, restaurants and so. One thing which comes in to mind is that "Finns are anal about time" (quoting my friend Gregory from Canada), which is true. One is expected to be punctual, believe me - dont be late, and if you are going to be late, let them know that, not 20 minutes later, but as soon as you notice you're going to be late.

If waiting for something in line, ie. buying a movie ticket, dont push or try to cut, this is considered quite rude, so be patient and wait in line like everybody else has to :)

Making noise is often a thing I've noticed many Finns oppose to, so if you're sitting in a pub, having a coffee with friends or talking on the phone in a tram, try not to do it loud. After all, you dont need the whole tram to know how your mothers flu is. :) Another good tip is to turn your cell phone on silent mode or at least a beep mode in (dining) restaurants, movie theaters and such. Try to think of this from the perspective of the other people in the same room/area - you will want hear what your friends are saying, but probably dont need to know what the next table is discussing. So, in a nutshell, dont use a loud tone of voice and dont call attention to yourself, unless you really want to do so.

Interrupting in conversations in often thought of as rude or annoying, so try not to interrupt - listen to the speaker, wait for them to finish and then reply.

No smoking! Finland has quite strict laws on smoking, so in public buildings do so in designated areas, or go outside. If smoking is allowed in a cafe or pub, it's generally polite to ask your company if they mind or not.

Sounds harsh? Well, it might take some time getting used to, however dont be discouraged by this to try to meet a Finn. Whom are not very quick to invite people home or to go out with them in the evening. But most Finns will probably be delighted on your initiative, as long as it is done in a positive manner! (remember to ask if its ok to sit in the same table/free chair, when joining a group).

Hope this helps! Feel free to email me/leave a comment! As most of these things ultimately boil down to an individuals opinion.

Snow pics from Finland!

2008-04-06T13:38:00.002+03:00

Hey there folks!
Due to quite heavy school stuff going on, havn't really had time to blog. However, some cool stuff is to come soonish. Some time ago, we had heavy snow, so went for a walk with my camera. Here's a few pics of what is was like, quite nice dont you think? :) Im kinda hoping a friend of mine will have time to write a small post about his stay and views of Finland in general, being a foreignor here and so forth! :) But, onto the pics!

Ps. Please do not use pictures from this blog without my permission!

Monday monday..

2008-03-17T10:36:00.003+02:00

Right, it's a lovely (!) monday morning. I was just working with a few school projects, when I decided to check the Questions section email. Answered a few emails to the best of my knowledge, feel free to send more though, it's kinda on a test run, but so far so good. One email went on about my relative anonymity, well...this blogs point isnt really about myself. But, I might aswell post a picture of myself, for those intrigued :) At least you'll have some idea what sort of bloke is on the other side of the planet/blog. :)

So here goes, it's not the best pic from the album, but at least Im smiling in it, even though it was a rainy day in the archipelago:

There you go :) Anyway, I've been working with a new customs and manners article, however due to school stuff and a scottish friend of mine being around, it's still a bit of a mess, but should come out by the end of the week. I'll try to grab a few easter pics while I am at it. You know, I kinda started this blog as a collection of links for the aforementioned scottish fellow, but then
I decided why not just blog about, in hopes others might benefit from my ramblings as well. Hope so :) BTW, I gave this friend of mine a book called "From Finland with Love" by Mr. Roman Schatz, I highly recommend it, as it is a short/fun read about a german fellow living in Finland. I might hold a competition of sorts at some point, with a prize, that book might be a good one, we'll have to see :) Anyway, check back in a few days for more on Finn manners and such. Till then, have a good one :)

Happy Women's Rights Day!

2008-03-08T11:37:00.006+02:00

Nita having a nap in a cute & strange position :)

As the title suggests, I'd like to wish all my readers (women readers that is) a happy Women's Rights day! As some of you might know, Finland recognized womens rights quite early, amongst the first to do so. New Zealand was the pioneer, accepting women’s right to vote in 1893, followed by Australia in 1902, while Finland was the European forerunner in 1906. Finland’s thoroughgoing parliamentary reforms gave all adult men and women not only universal and equal suffrage, but also the full right to stand for elective office. This was unprecedented in the whole world.

Norway and Iceland were also among the peripheral, pioneering countries in which women received the right of vote in 1913. Denmark saw the reform carried out in 1915. The women of our neighbouring country, Sweden, like those of the US, Britain and many other European countries, had to wait until the beginning of the 1920s for the granting of parliamentary rights; in some instances, such as France, the reform did not come until after World War II.

Tulips and a few Iittala kivi candle holders

So, like a the true gentleman I am ( ;) ), I got some flowers this morning for two special women in my life, of which one is my dog :D Horrible cues in the store tho, did manage to get something I wanted, albeit not quite what I had in mind. I found this cool timeline about Finnish womens rights, which is quite informative and cool, so here goes:

1864 Single women attain legal majority at the age of 25 and the right to dispose of their own income from the age 15, and their own property from the age of 21, provided they notify a court of law.

1870 Upon her own application, Maria Tschetsulin becomes the first Finnish woman to pass the Matriculation Examination. Women are permitted to enroll at university with special dispensation.

1871 Women entitled to study medicine at university without special dispensation.

1878 Rosina Heikel becomes the first woman in Scandinavia to graduate as Licentiate in
Medicine. Today, some 60% of all physicians in Finland are women.

1878 Rural women granted half share of matrimonial property and half share of inheritance.

1882 Emma Irene Åström becomes the first woman in Finland to graduate as Candidate of Philosophy.Women become eligible to teach at girls' schools, but without the official rights of their office.

1889 Married women are granted the right to independently manage their own income. Women become eligible to instruct at institutes training women as elementary school teachers, and to fill positions at the National Board of Education.

1897 Women permitted to practise medicine.

1898 Women and men granted official majority from the age of 21. The guardian status of the husband is still retained in marriage.

1901 Women are permitted to enroll at university without dispensation, but university departments may impose their own restrictions.

1906 Finland becomes the first country in Europe to grant women the right of suffrage and the first country in the world to grant women the right to be electoral candidates.

1916 Women permitted to become university teachers.

1917 Implementation of Statute on Industrial Work, containing a section on maternity leave to be taken for four weeks after childbirth. Universal municipal voting rights.

1921 Compulsory general education decreed by law.

1922 Married women are granted the independent right to enter into contracts of employment under the first Employment Contract Act.

1926 Government posts made available to women with certain exceptions.

1930 Marriage Act granting legal equality of spouses.

1946 Working Hours Act bans night work for women.

1963 International Labour Organization's Equal Wage Convention ratified.

1970 ILO Convention on Discrimination ratified. Amendment to employment legislation requires employers to treat all employees on an equal basis regardless of sex. Grounds for abortion extended to include social considerations. Ratification of United Nations Convention on banning all discrimination against women.

1986 New Surname Act passed, permitting spouses to take the surname of either partner or to retain their original surname. Children entitled to use the surname of either parent.

1987 Legislation prohibiting discrimination by sex in general and in working life in particular, and obliging authorities and employers to promote equality (Equality Act).

1988 Women permitted to enter the clergy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

1990 Elisabeth Rehn becomes the first woman Minister of Defence in the world.

1994 Riitta Uosukainen becomes the first woman Speaker of the Finnish Parliament

1995 Voluntary military service made available to women.Amendment to the Equality Act stipulates a 40% quota of women in municipal select boards, municipal administration and government committees.

1996 Cabinet's Equal Opportunity Programme (1996-99).

2000 Tarja Halonen becomes the first woman to be elected President of the Republic.

Finnish Entry 2008 eurovision

2008-03-02T15:12:00.006+02:00

Just heard the finalist, and the artist & song which shall be Finlands entry in the Eurovision 2008 contest. Well, uhm...I cant say I would consider them a winner...:D I mean Lordi was Lordi, but this is a far cry from what Lordi was. I've always considered Teräsbetoni (which would translate into somesort of steel reinforced concrete) to be a "joke" of somesort, their songs are a bit silly IMHO. What do you guys think of the entry song? Drop a comment. Im still a bit skeptical wether Serbia will be able to host the next contest, as things seem to be a bit worrying in that part of the world.

See them play the aforementioned entry:

Here's a another clip from the fellas, should you be able to read the lyrics, you'd perhaps understand why I consider them a tad silly...:)

Dogs of Finland.

2008-02-29T11:09:00.008+02:00

Hi once again. Bit of a delay with posting since my last one, mostly due to the fact that it's been Ski holiday season here, and I've done a bit of relaxing myself. Since Im somewhat of a dog person myself, I thought Id write about finnish dogs. Or actually about two of them :) While I do have a dog, it isnt finnish breed. The two breeds are, the Finnish Spitz and the Finnish lapphund, of which the spitz is (probably) better known. There are others though AFAIK, the Lapponian herder, or raindeerdog, however im not too familiar with it, so Ill not go on about them and the Karelian Bear Dog, which claims to be a "national treasure of Finland" ...

So on the Spitz. They're quite common here, and often used for hunting. A description from the American Kennel Club, states:
"The Finnish Spitz is a medium-sized, squarely built, lively dog. The beautiful red-gold color and fox-like expression are the most important features of the breed. Small erect ears and a curled tail complete the picture. In appearance the male is decidedly masculine, usually larger and carries more coat than the female who is noticeably feminine.

Characteristics and Training:
The Finnish Spitz has been bred for centuries as a "barking hunting dog", bringing the hunter to him with his voice. It should be noted by prospective Finnish Spitz owners that while an asset in hunting, barking could cause an unpleasant situation if one has neighbors in close proximity unless the dog is taught that unprovoked barking is not acceptable. He is more a warning dog than a guard dog and rarely bites. He has acute hearing and makes an excellent watchdog, as he is protective of his family and will advise you of any unusual happenings. The Finnish Spitz is a wonderful family dog, as well as a hunting dog. He has a special love for children and will spend countless hours romping and playing. If the kids get too rough, he will simply walk away. He is a dog with a sense of family. He is slow maturing. Although a Nordic breed, he seems little concerned about heat or cold.

This is an extremely intelligent breed which becomes very much a part of the family and is a dog which should be allowed to share with the family. However, this is not the breed for every family. Households where there is tension, harshness or loud bickering should not have a Finnish Spitz. Because of his intelligence, he is an independent and strong-willed dog and cannot be bullied. He can be trained with a firm but gentle voice and touch, and responds better to praise than correction. He is easily bored, so training sessions should be kept short and interesting. Patience is a key word when training a Finnish Spitz. You may feel as if you are making no headway and all of a sudden he will surprise you. Many Finnish Spitz do well in obedience classes if trained with a praise and reward method, as opposed to a heavy hand."

The Finnish Lapphund
Quoting wikipedia:
"The Finnish Lapphund is an intelligent and active breed. Finnish Lapphunds take well to training due to their intelligence. Some owners and fanciers claim that "Lappies" even have the ability to think through actions first. Although small in number worldwide, a noticeable number of Finnish Lapphunds have excelled in activities such as obedience trials, agility, herding trials, and pet therapy.

The breed is friendly and alert, and makes a good watch dog, due to its tendency to bark at unfamiliar things. The breed was originally used to herd reindeer by droving, and barking helped it to be distinguished from wolves. Even when not herding, the Finnish Lapphund tends to bark with a purpose, and more rare cases of problem barking can normally be controlled by training.

The breed makes the ideal outdoor companion. It is active, cold-proof, and water-proof, and will gladly accompany people on walking or running trips. It is one of two breeds permitted to live outdoors in Finland.

In Finland, at least two dogs have won national championships for obedience (Obedience Champion Hiidenparran Tielkka and Fin and Nordic Obedience Ch Kettuharjun Elle, both owned and trained by Rauno Nisula).

Finnish Lapphunds are also suitable for agility. In the UK, Elbereth Taika has been awarded an agility warrant, and has represented England at the 2005 Kennel Club Nations cup, where she achieved a second place.

The breed adapts well to family life, including being responsive to children. Finnish Lapphunds have a gentle nature with children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

The Finnish Lapphund is a naturally healthy breed, and typically lives 12-14 years, although dogs of 16-17 years are not uncommon in Finland. The breed standard is 46-52cm at the withers (above the shoulder) for a male dog, and slightly smaller 41-47cm for a bitch. However, some variation is allowed, since the breed standard states that the type is more important than the size.A typical male of 49cm height normally weighs 17-19kg, but the breed has a weight range of 15-24kg, depending on size of the dog."

The two other breeds I mentioned (in pictures):
The Carelian Bear Dog

And the Lapponian Herder:

So, get up and go get yourself a Finn! ;)

Finnish "Gods", Mythology, Väinämöinen

2008-02-21T12:38:00.006+02:00

Recently I've been catching up on Finnish mythology, ancient "gods" and stories. Kalevala being an epic of many of them. So, I thought Id write about mythology, an interesting fellow called Väinämöinen being todays subject :)

So, who the hell is Väinämöinen? AFAIK the first mention of the fella is from a list of Tavastian Gods by a mr. M.Agricola in 1551. Väinämöinen was the god of chants, songs and poetry. In many stories Väinämöinen was the central figure at the birth of the world. He was floating at sea, while a bird came and laid eggs on his knee. The eggs were destroyed by a wave, but their pieces became the world; the upper cover became the sky dome, and the yolk became the sun. Some sources state that he was an ancient hero or a shaman of sorts from the 9th century. Anyhow, here's a wiki-quote about him in Kalavala:
"He possessed the wisdom of the ages from birth, for he was in his mother's womb for seven hundred and thirty years, while she was floating in the sea and while the earth was formed. It is after praying to the sun, the moon, and the great bear (the stars, referring to Ursa Major) he is able to escape his mother's womb and dive into the sea.

Väinämöinen is presented as the 'eternal bard', who exerts order over chaos and established the land of Kaleva, that so many of the events in Kalevala revolve around. His search for a wife brings the land of Kaleva into, at first friendly, but later hostile contact with its dark and threatening neighbour in the north, Pohjola. This conflict culminates in the creation and theft of the Sampo, a magical artifact made by Ilmarinen; and the subsequent mission to recapture it, and a battle which ends up splintering the Sampo and dispersing its parts around the world to parts unknown.

R.W Ekman: Väinämöinen

Väinämöinen also demonstrated his magical voice by sinking the impetuous Joukahainen into a bog by singing. Väinämöinen also slays a great pike and makes a magical kantele from its jawbones.

Väinämöinen's end is a hubristic one. The 50th and final poem of the Kalevala tells the story of the maiden Marjatta, who becomes pregnant after eating a berry, giving birth to a baby boy. This child is brought to Väinämöinen to examine and judge. His verdict is that such a strangely-born infant needs to be put to death. In reply, the newborn child, mere two weeks old, chides the old sage for his sins and transgressions, such as allowing the maiden Aino, sister of Joukahainen to drown herself. Following this, the baby is baptized and named king of Kalevala. Defeated, Väinämöinen goes to the shores of the sea, where he sings for himself a boat of copper, with which he sails away from the mortal realms. In his final words, he promises that there shall be a time when he shall return, when his crafts and might shall once again be needed.
In the original translation of Kalevala into English (by John Martin Crawford (1888)), Väinämöinen's name was anglicised as Wainamoinen."

Akseli Gallen-Kallela: The Departure of Väinämöinen

Last but not least, a clip from the holy Kalevala itself, Rune VI
"WAINAMOINEN, old and truthful,
Now arranges for a journey
To the village of the Northland,
To the land of cruel winters,
To the land of little sunshine,
To the land of worthy women;
Takes his light-foot, royal racer,
Then adjusts the golden bridle,
Lays upon his back the saddle,
Silver-buckled, copper-stirruped,
Seats himself upon his courser,
And begins his journey northward;
Plunges onward, onward, onward,
Galloping along the highway,
In his saddle, gaily fashioned,
On his dappled steed of magic,
Plunging through Wainola's meadows,
O'er the plains of Kalevala.
Fast and far he galloped onward,
Galloped far beyond Wainola,
Bounded o'er the waste of waters,
Till he reached the blue-sea's margin,
Wetting not the hoofs in running.

But the evil Youkahainen
Nursed a grudge within his bosom,
In his heart the worm of envy,
Envy of this Wainamoinen,
Of this wonderful enchanter."

Want to know what happens next? Admit that you do? :)
Read more, here.

Illustration from the Kalevala, by Akseli Gallen-Kallela 1896. Showing Väinämöinen with a sword, defending the Sampo from Louhi.

Finland 100 000 years ago? Prehistory

2008-02-17T14:04:00.008+02:00

When thinking about history, people usually think a couple of hundred years back. But when did people come here in the first place? Where and how? Well, it seems to be a bit of an enigma, who our ancestors actually were or where they came from. Most sources state, that settlement started around 10 000 years ago as the last Ice Age came to an end and the Finnish land surface began to emerge from under the receding ice. First signs of such seem to be from the mesolithic period (c. 8300-5100 BC), famous willow-bast fishing net (oldest fishing net is carbon dated at 10 000 years old. It was found in 1914 in Korpilahti swamp) complete with stone weights, bark floats and stone, bone and antler artifacts discovered at Antrea on the Karelian Isthmus (an area that Finland was forced to cede to the Soviet Union in 1944).

Well, then theres Susiluola (Wolf Cave), which however is disputed wether or not it shows signs of life as early as 100 000 years ago. Quote: "The results of archaeological excavation so far suggest that people were already living in Susiluola over 100,000 years ago during one or perhaps two of the interglacial periods. Interpretation of the discoveries to date has not been completed, but archaeological and geological exploration of the site is still continuing." So, did Neaderthal men roam around Finland, I guess that remains to be seen. Check out the website, or visit the cave yourself.

Heres a timeline I found online, truncated it to '95:

circa 9000 B.C. Finland emerges from the last Ice Age

c. 8000-9000 B.C. First traces of post-Ice Age habitation

c. 8600-5100 B.C. The Suomusjärvi Culture

c. 3200 - 2300 B.C. The Battle-Axe Culture - the first signs of agriculture

c. 800 - 1100 The Viking Age

c. 1157 Crusade of Prince Erik and Bishop Henry of Sweden into Finland

1227 Prince Jaroslav of Novgorod sends Orthodox missionaries to Karelia

c. 1309 Founding of the city of Turku (Åbo)

1323 Peace of Nöteborg divides Finland between Sweden and Novgorod

1397-1523 The Kalmar Union

1523-60 Reign of King Gustav Vasa

1520s-1593 Lutheran Reformation

1548 Mikael Agricola publishes the New Testament in Finnish

1550 Founding of Helsinki

1593 Uppsala Decree formally establishes Lutheranism in the Swedish kingdom

1595 Peace of Teusina between Swedish kingdom and Russia

1596-1597 The War of the Clubs peasant rebellion

1617 Peace of Stolbova between Swedish kingdom and Russia

1640 Foundation of University of Turku

1642 Full Bible published in Finnish

1695-1697 Crop failures and epidemics decimate Finland's population by a third

1700-1721 The Great Northern War

1713-1721 Russian armies occupy Finland

1721 Peace of Nystad between Swedish kingdom and Russia

1741-1743 The Hats' War between Swedish kingdom and Russia

1788-1790 Gustav's War and the Anjala League

1808-1809 The War of Finland, annexation of Finland to Russian Empire

1809 Porvoo Diet, in which Emperor Alexander I of Russia confirms Finland's laws and religion (March 25-July 19)

1812 Helsinki named Finland's new capital

1828 University moved to Helsinki from Turku

1835 Elias Lönnrot publishes The Kalevala

1860 The introduction of the mark as Finland's currency

1863 Language Rescript makes Finnish co-official with Swedish

c. 1890-1914 Finland's artistic Golden Age

1899 February Manifesto reduces Finland's autonomy

1904 Assassination of Governor-General Nikolai Bobrikov

1906 Creation of unicameral Parliament

1914-1918 World War I

1917 Collapse of the Russian monarchy, March 16 (old style, 3 March 1917)

1917 Finland's parliament passes Enabling Act (July)

1917 Bolshevik Revolution, November 7 (new style)

1917 Parliament approves declaration of independence from Russia (December 6)

1918 Civil War (January-May)

1919 Parliament ratifies republican constitution (July)

1920 Peace of Tartu (Dorpat) between Finland and Soviet Russia

1929-1932 Rise and fall of the Lapua Movement

1937 Social Democratic Party and Agrarian League form red earth coalition

1939 F.E. Sillanpää wins the Nobel Prize for literature

1939-1940 The Finnish-Soviet Winter War

1941-1944 The War of Continuation (World War II) against the USSR

1944-1945 The Lapland War against Germany

1945 A.I. Virtanen wins the Nobel Prize in chemistry

1945-1948 Big three Center-Left coalition Government

1946-1956 J.K. Paasikivi is Finland's president

1948 Finland signs Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assitance Treaty (YYA Treaty) with USSR

1952 Finland completes payment of war reparations to USSR

1952 Helsinki hosts Olympic summer games

1955 Finland becomes a member of the United Nations and the Nordic Council

1956-1981 Urho Kekkonen is Finland's president

1958 Finnish-Soviet Night Frost Crisis (August-December)

1961 Finnish-Soviet Note Crisis (October-November)

1966-1982 Big three or popular front Center-Left coalition

1975 Conference on Security and Cooperation (CSCE) conference produces Helsinki Accords

1982-1994 Mauno Koivisto is Finland's president

1987-1991 Social Democratic-Conservative (blue-red) coalition

1990-1994 Finland's economy in depression

1991-1995 Conservative-Center coalition

1992 Finland applies for European Union membership

1994-2000 Martti Ahtisaari is Finland's president

1995 Finland joins European Union

P.S Edited post due to horrid typos and such :)

Typical Finnish Pop Music

2008-02-11T11:37:00.000+02:00

I was discussing Finnish pop/hits/schlager music with a friend of mine, while neither one of us was a great fan on such music, it's just something one can often hear around here. So I decided I'd cruise through youtube in hopes of finding some for you guys. This is by no means, a best of or so, mostly just songs I could think of off the bat, some older, some more modern. Fellas studying Finnish might benefit of these, should they like the music :)

Here's a very traditional song, not necessarily pop, but something Finns 'often' sing in karaoke and so forth, Täällä Pohjan Tähden Alla (Here, beneath the North Star)

Another very popular song, by Yö (Night) - Rakkaus on Lumivalkoinen (Love is snow white)

This, too popular, often plays on the radio etc..by Eppu Normaali - Murheellisten Laulujen Maa (Land of sad songs)

Kirka (1950-2007) - Surun pyyhit silmiltäin (You wipe the sorrow off my eyes)

Katri Helena - Katson Sineen Taivaan (I look into the Blue Sky)

Duetto by Samuli Edelman & Sani (?) - Tuhat Yötä (A Thousand Nights)

Customs and manners of Finland, Greetings

2008-02-08T12:26:00.000+02:00

I've been researching, and trying to find stuff on local customs and manners, and general info how to "behave" in Finland. Sure, Finland isn't all that different from other, lets say western nations. But every country/culture tends to have its own quirks of sorts - which can lead to awkward situations or worse. So, first I thought I'd write a huge tutorial type thing with all sorts of stuff, but that ended up being too time consuming and bit too ambitious. So, I shall do it in parts, and tag each post with 'manners' and 'customs'. And no, they probably wont come in consecutively.

So todays theme, Greeting! Simple enough eh? Well, I remember several situations, in which I fumbled (abroad), or someone else greeted me in an 'odd fashion'.

The basic finnish greeting is simple, brief and to some extent 'firm'. That is, a handshake with no supportive gestures, ie. touching of the shoulder or such. So short, firm handshake with eye contact.

Embracing one as a greeting is not unheard of, but not all that common either, perhaps even rare between strangers. For example, I might hug a good friend of mine I havnt seen in ages, but would feel a bit uncomfortable if a stranger would greet with a 'hug'.

Yes, even Finns do kiss. But generally dont do so as a greeting. Again, not unheard of, but indeed somewhat uncommon.Cheek kissing between males as a greeting is something I would consider quite rare, and certainly a quite awkward/strange situation to be in. And a word of note, three kisses is often considered too much, two is enough, so one per cheek. Kissing on the mouth as a greeting is not really considered appropriate (unless perhaps by a couple).

Nods and bows, are very common. For example spying a friend of yours on the street or in a bar, a nod is often enough. Bowing generally indicates special respect for something or someone. One may also lift ones hat or touch its brim (and nod), if one wishes.

So there's a little info on how to greet people in Finland. However, keep in mind that people truly are different, and this little info is by no means the utter and complete truth, but more like tips and tricks to start off with. So if unsure, go for the nod or handshake. :)

Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights

2008-02-04T12:57:00.000+02:00

Im a great fan of Aurora Borealis, unfortunately though, due to all the light pollution in cities, they're not quite visible where I live, but indeed are in Finland, especially the northern parts. Im not gonna try to explain how they work, as Im no astro guru. However found a few videos, with explanations and cool pics of them, which I shall embed in this post. Wikipedia also has a good definition of them, here's part of it:
"Polar Lights; or aurorae, sing.: aurora) are natural different colored light displays, which are usually observed in the night sky, particularly in the polar zone. Some scientists therefore call them "polar auroras" (or "aurorae polaris"). In northern latitudes, it is known as the aurora borealis, named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas. It often appears as a greenish glow (or sometimes a faint red), as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis is also called the northern polar lights, as it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April."

Onward to 'em videos, quite awe inspiring images on them:

This one apparently has Finnish music in it, origin of pictures unknown.

And a video, with an explanation of the phenomenon.

And finally a link to pictures of Aurora from Finland, by a Mr. Jussila living near Oulu. (the page seems to be a bit on the old side, so drop me a comment or message if the link goes dead). Virtual Finland has a page on Aurora as well.

Finnish Leopard 2a4 tank clip

2008-02-01T14:01:00.000+02:00

Bumped into this clip while cruising youtube for something else, thought it might interesting (atleast to those interested in the military), or atleast a little different compared to my normal rambling :) It's clip of the aforementioned tank/crew in training. Enjoy :)

Moomin, aka Muumi

2008-02-01T10:19:00.000+02:00

Todays topic, the Moomin!
These little characters are quite fun, I remember "hating" them when being kid, but somehow the show and it's characters have grown into me in some strange fashion. Even today, I'll grab a gander at the show or examine stuff with moomins characters, ie. mugs, towels and so. So, what are they and why am I goin' about moomins in a Finland blog? Just so happens to be that, the Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Finnish writer Tove Jansson (originally written in swedish though). In a sense, they are a bunch of white furryish trolls, living in moominvalley in their very own blue moominhouse :) All sorts of interesting adventures and events occur in their lives, even slightly grim events (up to the point that they are/were criticized of being too grim/sad for kids - which I dont agree with). So, nice for kids and adults alike. The Moomins have since been the basis for numerous television series, a film and even a theme park. And the moomin boom, here's what wikipedia states about the boom:
"The Moomin Boom (muumibuumi in Finnish) started in the 1990s, when Dennis Livson and Lars Jansson produced a 104-part animation series in Japan named Tales From Moominvalley, which was followed by a full length movie Comet in Moominland. Moomin books had always been steady bestsellers in Finland, but the animation started a new Moomin madness both in Finland and abroad, especially in Japan. A large merchandising industry was built around the Moomin characters, covering everything from coffee cups and t-shirts to plastic models. New Moomin comic books and comic strips were published. Moomins were used to advertise Finland abroad: the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport was decorated with Moomin images and Finnair painted big Moomin figures to its Japan-line airplanes. The peak of the Moomin Boom was the opening of the Moomin World theme park in Naantali, Finland, which has become one of Finland's international tourist destinations.

The Moomin Boom has been criticized for commercializing the Moomins. Friends of Tove Jansson and many old Moomin enthusiasts have stressed that the animations banalize the original and philosophical Moomin world to harmless family entertainment. An antithesis for the Disneyland-like Moomin World theme park is the Moomin Museum of Tampere, which exhibits the original illustrations and hand-made Moomin models by Tove Jansson.

The Jansson family has kept the rights of Moomins and controlled the Moomin Boom. The artistic control is now in the hands of Lars Jansson's daughter, Sophia Jansson. Wanting to keep the control over Moomins, the family has turned down offers from the Walt Disney Company."

Onward to the (some of the main) characters:

Moomin(troll) himself:

Being somewhat the main character of the show, lives on the topmost floor of the moominhouse. Often mentioned as a favorite character of the show. Has a crush on the snorkmaiden and likes to fish with Snufkin :)

Little My(y):

Small and peppery, upto all sorts of mischief but not really malevolent, moominmamma tends to be a tad worried about her :)

Moominmamma:

Moominmamma is married to Moominpappa and is the mother of Moomintroll. She very rarely gets cross and takes even the most distressing circumstances (such as the arrival of a comet, or being washed away by a flood) in her stride.

Moominpappa:
Orphaned in his youth, Moominpappa is a somewhat restless soul who left the orphanage to venture out into the world but has now settled down, determined to be a responsible father to his family.

For more info/pictures and stuff about the other characters, click here! Apparently blogger restricts the amount of pictures per post?! (damnit.) All sorts of stuff revolve around the moomin theme, so google moomin mugs (made by Iittala) or whatever you feel like (books, comics, trinkets...etc..etc..) And finally a clip from the show (bad quality tho):

Nokia and Bochum Boycott

2008-01-22T08:11:00.000+02:00

You might have heard about Nokia (the cell phone giant) planning on closing their plant down in Bochum, Germany. It has started quite a row, with protests and boycott threats towards Nokia. Finns generally identify Nokia as a Finnish company (multinational though), and thus a part of 'Finnish Culture', so I've heard quite a lot of debate about the issue. While this blog of mine isn't really here for political issues, I just think this is just too juicy to pass. There's a rather hot discussion goin' on about the issue on finlandforthought, with comments getting a little out of hand (imho). So what are my thoughts on the subject? A similar 'trend' has been goin' on for quite a while with globalization - plants and what not moving to cheaper places & countries. Which is ofcourse understandable for business, cheaper is cheaper - after all it is BUSINESS. While the morality of people getting fired just because it's cheaper somewhere else is a bit on the sh*tty side imho, however today, that's the name of the game. Similar issues are current here too, Kemijärvi plant being shutdown, for example. And the Fujitsu-Siemens plant in Espoo (german owned as far as I know) was shut down in 2000, for very similar reasons - which did cause debate and whine but no protests. Ofcourse Im sorry for the people who are about to lose their jobs, but in todays world thats (sadly) the name of the game, and I dont know weather all this protesting and boycotting will do any good (surely it cant make investors or companies happy about moving in?)..Is it even possible to stop globalization, and would that even help?

Feel free to drop a comment(s) if you disagree or agree, but keep it nice and no slander.

Questions about Finland?

2008-01-21T13:26:00.000+02:00

Finally opened a new email account for questions, so should you have questions about Finland or this blog, send me an email or post a comment. Ill do my best to answer your questions, and post them on the blog for others to see too. Let's see how it works :)

Send emails to -> finlandblog (at=@) gmail.com
(remove and replace with @ inbetween, purely to avoid spam!)

Quotes and things said about finland!

2008-01-19T16:23:00.000+02:00

Found this great list of quotes said about Finland on virtual.finland. Thought I'd post it as it is quite entertaning. Read on! First apparently (??) said by Tacitus:

"The Fenni live in astonishing barbarism and disgusting misery: no arms, no horses, no household; wild plants for their food, skins for their clothing, the ground for their beds.."
Tacitus
(c. 55-120)
Germania

"The Finns are accustomed to skiing as fast as they wish, so that it is said that now they are close by and soon again they are far away. As soon as they have inflicted damage on the enemy, they rush away as swiftly as they came."
Saxo Grammaticus
Gesta Danorum
13th century

"It is said that Finland is a beautiful land."
Sebastian Munster
Cosmographia
1544

"The Finnish people are so experienced in the shipwright´s craft that they can build vessels which are as strong and durable, yes, perhaps even better than those which I have seen built by the Venetians with their brilliant gifts in this field."
Olaus Magnus
Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus
1555

"Finlande is called a fayre countrye, because it is more pleasanter than Swecia. Much wine is transported thither, out of Spayne, by the sea Balthic, which people of the Countrye much desireth, to exhillerat their myndes...
The Finnons have continual warres wyth the Muscovites in the arm or bosome of the sea Finnonicus: using in Summer the ayde of Shyppes, and in Wynther they combat upon Ice ..."
George North
1561

"This country abounds in corn, pasture, fish and fowl; and, finally, in such things as are most necessary for the life of man. The people are very laborious, and endure hardship. Of old they were esteemed the mildest among all the Scanzian people; howbeit, at this day, they are somewhat harsher.... They have a peculiar language of their own."
John Story
Travels through Sweden
1632

"Their character can tolerate cold and toil and what many a nation would consider to be insufferable famine."
Christian Friedrich Weber
Das veränderte Russland
1721

"The climate is severe; there is scarcely any spring or autumn, but there are nine months of winter in the year... The people ... live to a good old age when they do not undermine their constitutions by the abuse of strong drink..."
Voltaire Histoire de Charles XII (description of Sweden and Finland)
1731

"They try to cultivate the mind a little there, but bears and wolves come so close in winter that all thought is of necessity concentrated on how to attain a tolerable physical existence."
Madame de Staël
Dix années d´exil
1812

"Serious, reserved and fond of a retired life."
The Oxford Encyclopedia, 1828

"Nature´s unhappy stepson..."
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin
(in a poem)
1833

"It is a circumstance not generally known, perhaps, that among seamen, Finns are regarded with peculiar superstition. For some reason or other which I could not get at, they are supposed to possess the gift of second sight, and the power to wreak supernatural vengeance upon those who offend them. On this account they have great influence among sailors."
Herman Melville
Omoo
1847

"A noble race of seamen, second to none in the world"
News of the World
1854

"The large majority of the race desire to have Finland for the Finns and to form a nation independent of both Sweden and Russia."
The English Cyclopaedia, London 1854

"The Finns also have a bent for drink, even though there is no wine here whatsoever, except for illicit tavern keeping, which is harshly suppressed. But, all the way to St. Petersburg, the Finn will drink himself into forgetfulness, lose his money, horse, bridle, and return home poorer than a church rat."
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
Life´s Little Things
(Saltykov-Shchedrin visited Finland in 1886)

"The Finn is the most watery person in Europe... Here people take baths that last three or four hours and steep their bodies in water right down to their most secret selves."
Angel Ganivet
Cartas finlandesas
1896-97

"Finland is not the home of barbarians, as some folk imagine, neither do polar bears walk continually about the streets..."
Mrs Alec Tweedie
Through Finland in Carts
1897

"It would be difficult to find a town (Helsinki) of 80.000 inhabitants in England so clean, so bright, with such museums, libraries, and public buildings. Even Bedford is not as educational as Helsingfors (Helsinki), nor is Brighton so well served with social amusements, concerts and theatres."
A.M.C. Clive-Bailey
Vignettes from Finland, or Twelve Months in Strawberry Land
1895

"Few things are more surprising to the English visitor than that this country, situated further north than Caithness, should have a summer climate warmer than Devonshire."
A.M. Scott
Through Finland to St. Petersburg
1908

"The Finns are the most gifted of all people"
Sigrid Undset
(1882-1949)
in conversation

"Countries are like people: by their very existence they exalt or deflate the opinions one would like to have of oneself. When I return from Finland, I feel younger and livelier; I make great plans, I like many things in the world and, what is more, I like myself a little better."
Georges Duhamel
Chant du Nord
1929

"Finland alone - in danger of death, superb, sublime Finland! - shows what free men can do."
Winston Churchill
Broadcast speech
1940

"A nation which has fought so valiantly for its independence deserves respect."
Joseph Stalin, 1879-1953

"The Finn has a fresh, unspoiled, primitive side that exists in close harmony with nature. He feels stirring in his blood a special kinship with the wilder variety of nature - with virgin forests, unproductive fells, and the animal life that haunts them... Wherever his foot wanders in the city, however far fortune lets him ascend the wheel, his roots remain deep in the soil."
Hudson Strode
Finland Forever
1941

Weird Finnish Foods

2008-01-18T09:56:00.000+02:00

So, as we all know, most cultures (or clusters of 'em) have different styles of food, ranging from basic everyday staples to more uncommon, seasonal or just special meals. Finland too has such, so I thought why not tell about few of them. While some of them might sound a bit on the vile side, they actually taste pretty good, or atleast exotic in some sense, especially for non-nordic people perhaps? Some of these are seasonal, others more on common side, or related to some specific area in Finland itself. Here we go (in no specific order):

Lamprey (smoked/char grilled) (Lampetra fluviatilis)
Picture

Ranging from around 20cm to 30cm, usually found in a grilled/charred form during season. Basicly a parasitic "fish" (not really a fish as far as I know), which is one of my favourites, but indeed does divided opinions rather heavily, either you love 'em or hate 'em. Quite unlike any taste I know, when asked what does it taste like - I usually end up having to say that it tastes like lamprey. Definately something worth trying atleast.

Pickeled Herring:

Very common in Finland, eaten throughout the year - often with potatos or rye bread. Comes in a plethora of varieties and tastes. Something a visitor will most probably bump into. Depending on the spice selection, can indeed be very nice. Something I mostly consume during the summer time, with new potatos and ryebread.

Salmiakki or Salty Liquorice

A form of liquorice candy, made with generous amount of ammonim chloride. Has a quite potent flavor, which may be quite an acquired taste, but I do know several visitors who like it, so do give it a try! Found everywhere, in kiosks and stores.

Mämmi

Heres a realy crowd divider, some like it some hate it :) Im kinda on the neutral zone with this one, it's ok. Looks can be deceiving :D So what is it? Malt & Rye porridge, usually eaten during easter - with cream and sugar. Worth a try, even if it doesnt look very appetizing. You'll probably not be scorned if you dont like it, as many Finns hate it :)

Smoked Roach (as in the fish)
Couldn't find a good pic of this one, though it doesnt look all that odd, like smoked fish. So whats strange about it? Well, if you ever caught one or discussed it with someone, it's often called inedible due to its relatively small size and ludicrous amount of bones. Often found canned in stores here, not bad, quite potent smoky flavor, not one of my favorites, but not bad either.

Reindeer in various forms and the exotic raindeer heart jerky.
So yes, Rudolf on a plate :) Anyhow, very nice when properly done. Heres an article with a few pics for ya. What about the heart then? Well, it's kinda beef jerky, but heart jerky. Quite strong flavor and not too easy to obtain, though can be ordered online.

Kalakukko

Heres one of my favorites, especially when made with vendace. So its basically fish baked within a rye shell with bacon/lard + spices. Looks like a loaf of bread. I like it, simple good flavors. Must try if available :)

Lutefisk/Lipeäkala/Lye Fish
Doesnt look like much, so no pic for it, the wikipedia link does have a picture tho. Definately not one of my favorites, but I do know many who love it. Traditional dish of the Nordic countries made from stockfish (air-dried whitefish) and soda lye. Its name literally means "lye fish", owing to the fact that it is made with caustic soda or potash lye.

Thats about all I can think of now, Ill add more if something comes to mind, feel free to drop me a comment if you know of more and Ill add 'em.

Cheers!

Examples of Finnish heavy metal

2008-01-14T11:54:00.000+02:00

Im admit that, even though I listen to almost anything, I do tilt toward the heavy side most of the time, so I thought Id post a few EXAMPLES of what sort stuff Finnish metal is, and no they're not my favourites, as said, examples only...Enjoy. :)

Sinamore:

Sentenced:

Amorphis:

Nightwish (new singer)

Swallow the Sun:

Stratovarius (with Lord of the rings video):

Finntroll (sing in swedish tho):

Click here for more -> wikipedia list

Quick general info update - things to do

2008-01-14T11:28:00.000+02:00

Yellow ppl. Im once again quagmired with work, exams and essays and what not. But no fear an update is near - or actually here :) I've been surfing around in hopes of finding a nice page with lots of information, pictures, links and what not on activities and attractions. Well, no page is perfect, but Id manage to find one worth while mentioning, here's a quick quote from what they say:

"The world’s most renowned travel publisher, Lonely Planet, has listed Finland as one of the 10 countries to visit in 2007 in the new Blue List: The Best in Travel 2007. The Mammut Snow Hotel in Kemi was also named the most eccentric place to stay in the world, whilst the Polar Lights were listed as the world’s most amazing natural phenomena.

Lonely Planet introduces Finland as a “cool zone of design and fashion in Helsinki, surrounded by remote wilderness areas… Finland is a breath of fresh air on a European adventure.”

The guide lists seven life-changing experiences to enjoy during a visit to Finland, ranging from picking yourself a feast of delicious Arctic cloudberries in early summer to taking a snowmobile safari through the pine and birch forests. Other highlighted experiences are: spending a few days in a lakeside cottage, with a proper wood-fired sauna; hiking one of the country’s awesome trekking routes, and coming face to face with an elk; singing a sleighing song as a team of reindeer or huskies pull you across Lapland; learning about the Sami reindeer herders of Finland’s far north; and grabbing a canoe and heading out to spot a rare freshwater seal.

The Mammut Snow Hotel in Kemi in Finland’s Arctic north, which is located within the Snow Castle, was named the world’s most eccentric place to stay. The hotel, a giant igloo, maintains a temperature of -5ºC.

The Polar Lights, aka aurora borealis, are most visible in Finland during the winter months. In the Finnish Lapland, number of auroral displays can be as high as 200 a year. The Aurora is also visible in Helsinki, the far south, in areas of low light pollution as many as 20 times a year.

According to Lonely Planet, now more people are appreciating what this complex and idiosyncratic country has to offer as ever-more people search out some of Europe’s most remote wilderness."

So what CAN one do once here (other than kick back and have a beer :) ) Well lots, depending on what one wants, here's a quick list of examples (which is by no means exhaustive):

Winter:
Cross-Country Skiing
Dog-sled Safaris
Downhill Skiing
Icebreaker Mini-Cruises
Kicksledding
Nordic Winter Walking
Northern Lights Viewing
Outdoor Winter Swimming
Reindeer Safaris
Skating
Ski Centres
Snowboarding
Snow and Ice Sculpture and Architecture
Snowmobile Excursions
Snowshoe Walking
Winter Driving
Winter Fishing

Summer:
Boating
Canoeing
Country Holidays
Coastal Cruises
Inland Cruises
Cycling and Mountain-biking
Fishing
Golf
Hiking and Walking
Horseback Riding
Hunting
Motor Sports
Nordic Walking
Shooting the Rapids
Wildlife and Bird Watching

Sounds like fun, eh? Ofc, there's more, even stuff like "carry your wife competitions" and "throw your phone/boot" competitions. Interested, check out this site fore more information and pics (click on 'things to do on' the upper nav bar). Even I as a a citizen found the site interesting and fun, so I'd imagine you will too :)

Forum post

2008-01-11T11:07:00.000+02:00

Heya people, Im just on my way to an exam, but as I was reading the Lonely Planet thorntree, I found a pretty nice post relating to Finland, mostly about Helsinki though - and flights. I though it was quite informative, as it was written by someone who most probably does not or has not resided here for a longer period of time. It was apparently written by a Mr. Bob Harding and the whole post can be found here. Here's what Bob said in his post:

"5 reasons to visit Finland in summer

1: Cost: The first and most important reason for me was the cost of the flight from the UK. The flights were cheaper than expected and shorter than I realised. You just have enough time to get a cup of the air line special brew and fumble with the impossible milk containers and spill it over your new pants open your cheese and pickle sandwich and you’re already on the decent for landing in Helsinki. (Score 9/10)

2: Standard: I have visited many cities in my travels and Helsinki is possibly one of the cleanest I have seen. The architecture is magnificent with Russian and Swedish influences weaving their way in most of the buildings. Also on separate note, I only saw 2 McDonalds the whole week I was there. This could be a bad and a good point, but for me it was a good point because it was a sign of the quality of the food standard that was to come. There was plenty of eating out establishments and the standard was very high. I also had one of the best steaks I have ever eaten and to top it off it was in a Sea Food restaurant. (Score 9/10)

3: Weather: The weather was mind blowing average of 23 degrees Celsius and to top it all off the sun stayed out for 24 hours. Watching a sun set for 3 hours with a quality bottle of champagne will rank up there with the Aurora Borealis. For an armature photographer this is also an opportunity of a life time to take the perfect sun set photos and to be able to take your time is a bonus. (Score 9/10)

4: Activities: As a summer destination Helsinki is on my top 5 list for family holidays. There is plenty to do from mountain biking, hiking, sailing, fishing and for the more adventurous I suggest hiring a jet ski for a couple of days, Finland is known as The Land of the Thousand Lakes (actually there are 187888 lakes in Finland, of which 60000 are large) there is no shortage of places to go on water, so in one sense the majority of all the cabins a lake side properties. (Score 9/10)

5: Food: Ok now I am a fussy eater. Don’t like egg white, don’t eat my vegetables and fish is not on my list of favourite foods but the quality and variety of fish is amazing. I will guarantee you will find one fish that will suit your taste. The meat was spectacular with a massive variety of cold meats in most of the restaurants and hotels. One thing I must mention is always ask what the cold meats are as they do tent to like their wild game like reindeer and other exotic meats. At one great restaurant I had a very tasty salami only to find out afterwards that it was horse. So I do advise to ask the waiter what the meats are. (Score 9/10)

In a summery I would say that Finland is a spectacular Summer Holiday idea for the whole Family or as a couple. Food is excellent, weather is excellent and there is plenty to do.
Finland gets a score of 9/10.
Company used: The Mighty Fine Company"

I have no idea about the company mentioned, but you can probably google it should you like to give it a try! Im off to test my knowledge in that exam of mine, so wish me luck!
Cheers!

Finnish design!

2008-01-09T17:33:00.000+02:00

While im not really an expert on fashion and design, I must admit that some of the stuff you find here is actually quite neat. Ranging from coffee cups to candle holders, with some rather known brands like Iittala, Marimekko or Arabia. Heres a little article (and added links) I found on some of the more known brands (most link destinations have somesort of 'In english link on the front page):

"Aarikka
Aarikka's most important products include jewellery, gift articles, toys, games, Christmas decorations and mobiles. Through Kaija Aarikka's works, the beautiful adaptability of Finnish wood has found a new route to worldwide appreciation.

Arabia
Arabia products have been designed by the likes of Alvar Aalto, Stefan Lindfors and Kaj Frank. Arabia has both classic and modern collections of tableware, glassware, cutlery and cookware.

Artek
Artek's history and development have remained faithful to Alvar Aalto's basic values. Artek's product quality and design have remained top class since their beginning in the 1930s. Complementing the line of classic furniture, Artek produces carefully selected, well-designed and innovative products that preserve Aalto's spiritual legacy.

Iittala
Iittala glass products - including Alvar Aalto's vases – draw on nature’s shapes and themes, and are design classics that never go out of date.

Kalevala Koru
Kalevala Koru is the trademark for jewellery crafted from bronze, silver and gold according to the ancient tradition captured in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. Most of the Kalevala jewellery models are date from the Viking Era more than a thousand years ago, but some of the items in the broad collection are almost twice that age. All are replicas, variations or combinations of originals and are made in collaboration with archaeologists.

Lapponia
Artistic innovation, uncompromising quality and outstanding craftsmanship are the hallmarks of the unique Lapponia jewellery collection.

Marimekko
Marimekko Corporation is a Finnish textiles and clothing company established in 1951. There are three product lines: clothing, interior decoration and accessories. The bold and colourful designs, such as the ‘poppy’ pattern, have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years – another example of how the best Finnish design stands the tests of time and changing fashion.

Pentik
Ceramics, glassware, textiles, interior decoration items and delicacies contribute to the Pentik collections. Pentik items are popular in everyday use and make great gifts."

This article was quite nice as well, with a few pics. Archtours apparently offers design related trips in such a manner:
"Visit to Marimekko factory, to Arabia glass and tableware exhibition, and to Kiasma museum of contemporary art. Guided by an expert in design and art history.The success story of Finnish design is embodied in Marimekko and Arabia.Marimekko is a revolution in clothing and a celebration of colour, which we will enjoy in the stylish showroom of the factory. At Arabia, in the hub of the growing Art and Design City, we will learn about decades of Finnish glass and ceramics. Finally, we will admire contemporary design in the form of Kiasma, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Sanomatalo building, a monument of machine aesthetics. The tour is guided by a specialist in design."

P.S added a RSS feed for news stuff at the "bottom" of the right hand nav.

history & war

2008-01-07T18:21:00.000+02:00

Since my last post was a longish typed one, here are few movies of Finland's history and things relating to it's independence (winter war). I know, it is a bit long, but in 5 parts and quite good imho!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Sauna post :)

2008-01-07T15:46:00.000+02:00

Since my last post involved me goin' on about a sauna, I thought it might be time to talk about that as a more specific post. So what is a (finnish) sauna? Well its a hot room, with hot stones you're supposed to pour water on in order to generate steam. Very relaxing and atmospheric, and very common in finland. I might be bolf enough to say that finding a privately owned sauna is more common than having a bathtub. Most urban areas with bigger apartment complexes often have a public sauna for its inhabitants - either one everybody can attend to or one reserved for private use for a certain amount of time, but it's certainly not uncommon to find and apartment with it's own sauna built into. Nowadays such saunas are often electical, but one can find wood warmed ones in the countryside or more rural areas. I personally like the wooden ones more. However, since I sit in one once per week atleast, or try do so, it's kinda hard to explain it's magic and working in an objective manner, so as I was looking for info on the sauna by "3rd" person, I stumbled upon quite a lot of good articles. Here's one by a Mr. Thomas Oak:

"When people talk about the Finnish Sauna, they usually mean the Finnish Sauna experience. The Finnish Sauna begins with sitting in a very hot room, built just for such a purpose. It does get very hot, with temperatures ranging from 175 degrees up to 212 degrees. The heat is produced by heating rocks on a special stove, called akiuas, which then have water poured over them to make steam, making the already hot room hotter still. The Finns consider the saunas as an inseparable part of their daily lives and it also holds a rich part in their culture. Even if a Finn doesn't get time to avail sauna bath daily, s/he will at least have it once in a week.

Traditionally, at this point one would use the leafy branches from a silver birch tree to beat oneself upon the back, bringing the blood to the surface of the skin and relaxing the muscles. This is sometimes omitted these days, but it is a traditional part of Finnish Sauna.

When the heat has become unbearable, the one taking the sauna would then run outside and jump in a pool of water, a lake or in the winter time, a snow bank. Often, in the wintertime a hole would be cut in the ice of the lake and one would jump in there.

After getting out of the water or snow, it is then traditional to sit in the dressing room and drink a beer or soda in order to completely cool down, then one would begin the cycle all over again.

It is worth noting here that many Finns believe that just one sauna cycle has no noticeable effect, with 3 cycles not being uncommon, and, at some retreats, the Finnish Sauna treatments can continue well into the night.

In Finland, the sauna is not just a luxury, as it often is seen the North America. It is more a way of life. There over two million saunas in Finland, or an average of one sauna per household, and the sauna is a customary meeting place in business and Politics, with there even being saunas at the House of Parliament.

Finns see the sauna as a part of their cultural heritage and have a near religious severance for it, with the vast majority of Finns partaking in a Finnish Sauna at least once a week, with some preferring the more spiritual connotation of taking sauna on Sunday, while those who just want the physical effects prefer to take it on Saturday.

To the Finns, the sauna is not only a way of life, it is not only part of their heritage; they see it as a large part of their cultural identity, much like the role of the log cabin in American history. One thing is certain, however the addiction for a saunas might seem like a bit of eccentric to the people abroad, but being a typically cold country which stays under the snow half the year it is very logical for the people of that country to get obsessed by saunas."

So, that's it about the sauna, but how does one use one? I wont go into how to HEAT one, but Ill talk about how to act in one. I personally think that there is a certain code on how to be in one, but do think there are a few things one should do, approximately so:

1. Its generally a good idea to have a towel and a fresh set of clothes ready + a drink of sorts.
2. Disrobing is usually expected, but in some situations (ie. mixed gender sauna with unfamiliar people) its considered ok to wear a towel in the sauna.
3. Have something to sit on in the sauna, ie. small towel or a "pefletti" (a paper towel,which can often be found within the sauna premisis
4. Have a good shower before going to the sauna itself
5. Enter the sauna, if it's your first time, you might want to sit on a lower bench and test your heat tolerance.
6. Throw water on the rocks from time to time, to increase humidity and warmth
7. Have shower when you feel like, or go for a swim or whatever,have a drink should you need one.
8. Repeat cycle as many times as you wish, sometimes this can be a whole lot :)
9. Final shower and optional quick visit in the warm sauna
10. Clothes back on and off you go (clean up too, dont leave bottles and garbage lying around)

You can find a "guide" and info about saunas here.
Thats probably what you need to know for your first sauna session, feel free to try one :)

Weekend!

2008-01-05T18:59:00.000+02:00

Ah Finally the weekend, and unfortunately a very busy week to come. No good :)
And "finally" subzero temperatures, went for a two hour walk today around the bay and park area, then had cup of tea, a pepsi and a salmon sandwich at a nice coffee house near the bay (which cost me about 7.5€ - so not cheap but not horridly expensive either). Em' fellas were making a big hole in the ice next to the public sauna for people to go swim into. It's definately something to try should one be visiting finland! Atleast the sauna. Thats what I did once I got home (the sauna part, not the swimming), snacked on some karelian pastries with egg butter. Yum. Though I didn't bother to make the pastries myself, as they are quite cheap and ok ready made from the local store. Hit the spot after a longish stroll :) And the obligatory pic from me walk, of the ocean starting to freeze:

And as I needed something to quench me thirst after the sauna, here's what I bought...wasnt all that good, kinda like Jaffa (local orange soft drink made by hartwall) but somehow much more bland?

That's it for now folks, I promised a friend of mine that Id join him for a beer or two after I was done with my sauna session, and here I am happily blogging away. Oh, and the pub Im probably going to is this one, it has a small english section should you like to grab a gander + pics. A pretty standard but nice Finnish pub.Oh and a pint of local beer costs about (depending ofcourse, but generally in this range) 3-5€. I wont start listing local brands though, free feel to google 'em :) Lager like stuff anyhow.

Happy New Year to all!

2007-12-31T17:34:00.001+02:00

Sorry for not posting for now, been busy with me holidays, X-mas, and new years stuff. Once back on track Ill get back to proper posting :) Weather here is a bit dull for New Years, around 0 degs to slightly sub-zero temps and dark. But atleast the fireworks will look cool :)

So, Happy New Year and have fun readers :)

And the obligatory pic (which is of my dog) :)

Merry X-mas

2007-12-25T13:33:00.000+02:00

Merry christmas to all!
Unfortunately forgot to take my cam to where Im celebrating X-mas, so Ill have to (once again) grab a "random" picture for y'all - though it is of something very important to me (Merry X-mas & R.I.P George)!

Have a good one, and have fun with your family and friends (dont forget to eat well too :))

Day down in good ol' Helsinki.

2007-12-20T09:56:00.000+02:00

A little late on posting again as I had to travel to Helsinki to get some of my X-mas presents, which however did not go all that well. First of all I had to wake up at 5am, due to the fact that I couldn't find a suitable bus later during the day, well that went fairly well and actually managed to get some shuteye - which is nice :) So, but sometime around 10 am, I was having breakfest in Helsinki, and damnit chipped a tooth! Well, took me several hours to find a dentist's appointment, which I finally got from a private clinic and fixed the problem. But it was kinda late when things were done so I was in a hurry to buy my x-mas gifts. Rough day all in all, but did manage to pull off most of the things I planned on, except meeting a few mates for a beer, which ofcourse is sad :)

Instead of using the public transit system (in Helsinki) I decided Id walk, havn't done that in ages and found it quite nice (most of the trams and buses seemed loaded due to frantic x-mas shoppers). I wonder if tourist opt for walking all that often? Since Helsinki does have quite a good transit system which is relatively cheap. Check 'em out if you will www.hkl.fi and click the In English text in the upper right corner. As for maps click here for an older post of mine. Should you need to travel out of Helsinki to let's sayTurku or so grab a gander at Matkahuolto (for buses) or VR for rails. Both sites have an 'In English' clicker in one of the corners.

And finally a link about tourism in Helsinki, with events and whatnot, click here!

Here's a picture taken by me from where I live, I dont know the purpose nor the history of that thing, but it's a fun pic anyhow :)

Goin' Green?

2007-12-15T12:19:00.001+02:00

This morning I was reading about extinct animals after bumping into an article about Critically endangered animals. Sad isn't it? I generally try to be green as possible in terms of living and recycling and so forth, after reading about those poor creatures gone (forever?) Ill try to be more green. Currently I have no means to seperate my bio garbage from my other garbage as I dont have a proper vessel to put 'em into nor the space to accomodate such a container, Ill have to figure out some way to do that. The other thing I'll try, or am going to do is change all my lightbulbs into "greener" varieties as my old bulbs die out (are they really better in terms of the enviroment, they do consume less electricity, but what about manufacturing these "special" light bulbs? Drop a comment if you know!).

Todays link is about the endagered creatures of Finland.

Here's one of the endangered creatures the Arctic Fox Cute Eh? :)

Busy Day

2007-12-12T15:07:00.000+02:00

I was hoping that I'd have time to post a few things but unfortunately Im swamped with exams and what not, no good. Then again Ill have more stuff for my next update (hopefully). But till then a picture from my archives to get spirits up and a rather interesting "news" article from hs for you to read, a bit in the Independece theme though...Link!

Almost forgot :)

2007-12-11T15:10:00.000+02:00

Almost forgot, season's greetings to all my readers and friends out there!
Since I got my cam working ok, here's a little something :)

Climate Change :(

2007-12-11T14:41:00.000+02:00

Well, lots a' talk about the climate change for quite some time now.
Just this morning as I was walking to school I thought about it,
it's December, 11th in fact and very little snow, even some green patches
here and there. At least it felt like there was a hell of a lot more snow
back in the "good old days". Im not quite sure how I feel about it, I mean
I really like the summer, warmth and all the green stuff...its kinda nice not
having to put on ALL that winter gear, but still I miss the snowy look and atmosphere
with kids making snowmen and whatnot. Well, maybe by January then, Ill let you know,
with my luck we'll be back in the -20s again (bah). :)

Clip from the local news: (whole article here)
As a result of climate change, temperatures in Finland are predicted to rise and rainfall to increase.
Last weekend the warm weather, heavy rains, and melting snow raised the water level of Finnish rivers to exceptional heights - normally experienced only in the spring - in Southern and Southwestern Finland as well as in Ostrobothnia. In many places the flow rate of waters reached annual records.
"This is exactly what we can expect in the future, and we will just have to get used to this. In the winter snow melts, it rains and water levels rise", notes hydrologist Bertel Vehviläinen from the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE).
"At present, winter still comes to Southern Finland, while in the future, when there are no winters any more, the large central lakes will have more water in the winter than during spring floods", predicts Vehviläinen.

The measuring station in Helsinki’s Kaisaniemi district recorded some 25 per cent more rain during the first days of December than usually during the entire month of December on average, according to researcher Ari Venäläinen from the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
"The impacts of climate change have been predicted to be like this. Especially winter precipitation will become heavier, with the proportion of rains becoming bigger than ever before""

Youtube extravaganza :)

2007-12-10T12:24:00.000+02:00

Well, I ended up cruising through youtube...fun activity btw :)
Found a few more tubes to embed, one about the Finnish National Anthem and one, well an old 60 minutes video, before the euro time, dont take it too seriously - I find it more of a joke than a real fact ridden clip, so just ENJOY it. :)

The national anthem, with pics and a translation:

And then the 60 minutes clip from yesteryears:

Fun clip from a local comedy Kummeli

2007-12-10T09:23:00.000+02:00

Kummeli is a pretty tongue in cheek and odd show, but does have a few good episodes from time time to time, and almost has a "cult" status. Here's a fun clip from the show, around the theme of hangovers :)

Map of Finland, Finland Maps, Map!

2007-12-10T08:43:00.000+02:00

Need a map of finland? Here's a few links to maps which I personally use.

Map (interactive)

Map(s)

In Finnish - easy to use tho (type an address in the "osoite" field to find it)

Rather plain but shows most of the bigger towns quick n' easy

Virtual Finland map, active

Helsinki Tourist map

Those should get you started out with! :) Enjoy!

Independence Day.

2007-12-06T10:45:00.000+02:00

Happy 90th Independence Day for Finland, and ofcourse to anyone wishing to celebrate it!
I've been fooling around with my digicam all morning, hopefully got it working to some degree, as Im going to check out an Indepence Day parade a tad later on, I shall try to take a picture or two, provided that my cam actually works. So keep your fingers crossed :) Horrible weather tho :(

What? Where? How? Independence? A few links to quench your thirst for info.
BBC link

Yle link in english

Local news in General from the biggest local newspaper (in english)

World factbook - Finland

Virtual Finland topic and + the history section

and finally for those interested in the armed forces, the finnish military (in english)

Cheers!

P.S, Cam kinda worked, got in a bit late but a few pics for ya!

Kalevala, the epic

2007-12-05T14:06:00.000+02:00

Ever heard of the finnish national epic called Kalevala?
It essentially an epic "poem" of folklorish nature, some say it inspired Mr. JRR Tolkien!

I was supposed to rant about that but unfortunately something came up, so dont have that much time...but fear not I shall once again...link! :)

Wikipedia has a pretty nice not-so-long and boring article.

Here you can find an article about that inspiration I was goin' on about.

Perhaps a little more in-depth article(s), here and here.

And finally, some jewels in a sort of Kalevala theme, rather popular around here, and to tell you the truth, I kinda like how some of them look. (Click the 'In English' link at the bottom of the page)

Pictures!

2007-12-05T13:54:00.000+02:00

As many of you know, sometimes pictures are worth more than a thousand words.
So, what does Finland look like? My digicam is out of order for now, so I'll have to link you fellas to 'em pictures, as I really dont want to steal pictures from their rightful owners.

Once I get my digicam back online, Ill post a few pics myself, Im kinda interested in posting a few about local products. Atleast I tend to be somewhat curious what your basic food packs and so forth look like.

But onward to the links:

A bunch o' pics from finland in general!

Virtual finland is a great site with pics.

Travel journal offers a bunch too, though somewhat random in nature.

Some here too!

Alright, as said before, should I find more stuff worth posting, Ill add such. For the meantime, you'll probably get started with those fairly well.

Cuisine

2007-11-21T11:27:00.000+02:00

Finnish food...remember Berlusconi, Chirac mocking it? No?
Well, to tell you the truth finnish food is a bit hard to describe,
especially since Im eating it :) And no, it's not bad. Sometimes
just a bit...bland? Dont get me wrong, not everything is BLAND
to the core, some dishes, including raindeer and such could be
considered rather exotic if you will, or the much hated/loved local
grilled/charred lamprey. Both of which I enjoy.

And Im talking about FINNISH food, recipes
and so, not the fusion, asian or such stuff you find in restaurants.

Here's a clip from wikipedia:
"The cuisine of Finland is notable for the use of wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were substituted by the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

Modern Finnish cuisine combines traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dish from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms, of which especially the latter were introduced to the dining tables of the western side as late as during World War II by refugees from Karelia.

In the new Finnish kitchen, dishes are lighter, smaller, and generally contain several different vegetables. This mode of cooking is highly influenced by European and American cuisine."

The whole wikipedia article is actually a pretty nice read, even tells you about the critique and so, with a few examples of traditional meals and more.

So what do Finnish recipes look like? Id gladly post several, but decided on posting a few links, since choosing which recipes to post rendered the task quite difficult. I'll try to post more links to such as I find worthy ones. So here comes:

Finfood has an awesome list of recipes!

Nordic recipe archive worth a gander too.

Kutri has a few rather traditional meals.

Recipezaar might be worth looking at too.

Updated my first post!

2007-11-21T11:13:00.000+02:00

Added more links to cheap flights and the sorts to my very first post.
Check it out! Link

Hotels n' Accomodation

2007-11-20T18:04:00.000+02:00

Im not an expert in hotels around here, but this here are a few.
Check 'em out!

KlausK is a great hotel in Helsinki I myself like.

Kämp is a rather upscale and nice place too.

StayRes will prolly help you find hotels around this neck of the woods!

Washington Post

2007-11-20T17:41:00.000+02:00

Just had to add this link, fun to read and somewhat informative too!

WashingtonPostBlog!

About the Finnish language

2007-11-20T13:59:00.000+02:00

Been quite busy with all sortsa stuff so havn't had much time to blog :(
Anyway, here's an article I bumped into online, quite good original source here!

Finnish belongs to the Finno-Ugric family of the Uralian group of languages.

"Suomi", as the natives call it, has shared with Swedish its status as the official language of Finland since the year 1892. It is spoken by approximately six million people residing mostly in this country, as well as in Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Russia and Canada.

Due to the fact that Finland was under Swedish rule starting with the Middle Ages, it was only in the 16th century that Finnish appeared in writing. The first document written in Finnish was a translation of the New Testament.

Finland managed to break free from Sweden at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Until then, Swedish had been the official language of the Suomi population, a fact that hindered the development of their native language. However, Finnish managed to survive and, under the guidance of several cultural personalities, it underwent a process of modernization. The personality who contributed the most to the formation of the new, standardized Finnish was the philologist Elias Lönnrot, the composer of the Finnish national epic Kalevala.

Finnish is considered by many a difficult language to learn. One thing is certain - difficult or not, Finnish is different from all the other European languages (including its "sisters" Hungarian and Estonian).

Finnish is a synthetic language. Its verbs and nouns have many inflections (Finnish nouns fall in fifteen cases!) that have to be learned by heart. However, it has the advantage of being a phonetic language which results in a mostly regular pronunciation pattern. The alphabet used by the Finns is the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet. Consequently, its characteristic is the use of letters ö and ä.

A particularity of Finnish language is the vowel harmony. There are three types of vowels in Finnish - back vowels, front vowels and neutral vowels. The rule goes that all the vowels in a word have to belong to the same category.

Finnish vowels and consonants can be long or short and the difference of length between them is able to change the meaning of a word completely.

Other characteristics of Finnish are the assimilation of consonants at word boundaries and the fact that the main stress in a word always falls on the first syllable.

There are two varieties of language used in Finland: standard Finnish (yleiskieli) and spoken Finnish (puhekieli). The written form of standard Finnish is called "book language" (kirjakieli) and (it ) is used in almost all written texts. Spoken Finnish is used mostly on TV shows and in everyday conversation.

Linguists have separated Finnish dialects into two groups: Eastern and Western. They are mutually intelligible and differ mostly by pronunciation.

The Finnish vocabulary is not very varied. The main procedure of forming new words is derivation, Finnish being famous for its extensive use of suffixes.

In spite of being acknowledged as one of the most difficult languages to learn, at present Finnish is taught at over a hundred universities all over the world.

Finnish style clear fish soup

2007-11-06T16:27:00.000+02:00

I really like fish soup, CLEAR fish soup. With toasted rye bread and butter...yum :)
However there are as many recipes for it as there are cooks, so here's a basic version for you to try or modify as you will! Keep in mind that this really is a basic version, so add leeks/rutabaga or whatever you want. Do use homemade fish stock instead of the water and stock cube.

Fish soup (for about 2)
Around 5 dl of water
Half or one whole fish stock cube (depends on how potent the cube is)
6 All spice
1 Bay leaf
3 potatos cubed (bite size)
1 Carrot cubed
1 smallish onion finely cubed/chopped
~300grams of salmon cubes or other fish (I prefer salmon/trout)
Fresh Dill
Ryebread

Heat water till boiling and add spices, potatos, carrot and onion, simmed for approx 15mins till potatos and carrots are almost done.

Add your cubed fish and simmer for another 10mins or so till fish is done but falling apart.

Add dill sprigs on top

Check taste, add salt/pepper/other spices to taste

Toast your ryebread, butter and serve with soup, or cube the toasted bread and serve on soup.

There you go, quick n ' easy fish soup, bon appetit!

2007-11-06T16:00:00.000+02:00

Read news from Finland, in english + radio and a blog for today.

News

Radio

A blog about current events and such...

First Post! Updated, cheap flights, getting here...

2007-11-05T16:16:00.002+02:00

Hey There, the point of this blog is to supply information for people who are interested in Finland and/or planning on visiting Finland. Content will include links and my personal opinions/tips/thoughts on the matter.

Most people will be arriving by air, yes? So my very first post shall be about that.
Some of the links help with other-than-finland destinations too, so if you're looking for
cheap flights, check 'em out.

Finnair probably is the most popular choice so checking that out will definately be worth it.

Finland.com has a great page arriving too, worth checking out as well.

Lonelyplanet has a nice page on getting here too!

Amadeus.net might find you whatever flight you need!

Travellink might you help you with that too!

Seat24 worth a gander!

Ebookers might have what you need!

TravelNow for global flights!

I hope these will get you started, Ill add more as I find sites/info worth mentioning!