Finland, General

In finland the population is about 55 lakhs. The crime is very low. The bank of finland were the very stronger than the other country. This is only the country where there is no homeless people . There is archipilago national park which is situated near turku and it is established in 1983 . The cultures were related to swiden filand ruse. When you will go archipilago national park you will feel that you were stay at end of the earth. Helsanki is the capital of finland . From sight of tourism it is very good place . So go and enjoy in finland

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Guys, believe me, you know NOTHING about the extremal sleeps and hotels in Finland! I stayed at Kakslauttanen Igloo Village for 2 nights and I slept just under the ice and snow!

Have a look at the hotel here https://hotelyouwant.com/arctic-snowhotel-glass-igloos/ - it managed to get to the 10 most unusual hotels list on Blogher! Well, that wasn't cold in there, but very weird to see the starry skies(yes, terribly starry!) through the glass roof sitting in your igloo! I don't know how the things go now there, but I'm sure it's popular among travellers! Certainly a must-stay place!

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My own voyaging style surely does exclude staying in manors! I don't gain enough, and regardless of the fact that I do, I can't spend it on manors. I need to travel like clockwork, I surely don't win enough to stay at regular intervals in an elegant settlement. How I wish I could take only two excursions in a year and go overboard. In any case, that is just not me.

But I wound up staying in an estate! When I go on such treks, I do grope somebody there is watching out for me. For my #lumiainlapland trip I was staying at the Levi Spirit Villa in Levi, Lapland. In the wake of seeing a touch of extravagance on my welcomed excursions, I am kind of getting acclimated to it on the supported outings. Yet, at this estate even my eyes popped out.

To begin with, the area blew my mind, it was situated in a winter wonderland! Every estate has four bed rooms on the second floor and one room is in the storage room. We were four individuals from India who shared the villa.Levi Spirit Villa was sheer extravagance. With a pleasantly done living territory the estate had things that I couldn't even attempt in my two night sit tight. For instance I could never switch on the music framework with Bose speakers. I never figured out how to switch on the extensive family room TV also. So far as that is concerned I never figured out how to switch on the room TV. At that point down the stairs there was home theater, unfortunately that additionally went unused as well.

What I did utilization was the sauna and the open air Jacuzzi. Every estate had its own sauna and Jacuzzi. Now that was extreme extravagance for me. On the second night every one of the four of us went to the open air Jacuzzi and delighted in watching the snow outside. It was such amusing to be in high temp water while there was snow all over around us. Even better, observe the feature to see the manor virtually.With lager close by we went to the hot sauna(this one was an alternate sauna than the ice plunge frenzy) and I had such an extraordinary time. I needed to practically squeeze myself to trust that this was no doubt. For me my clench hand estate stay with the Levi Spirit has been such a noteworthy affair.

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Finlandofficially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.

Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern region.It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in Helsinki and local governments in 336 municipalities. A total of about one million residents live in the Greater Helsinki area (which includes Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa), and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Kuopio.

Finland is inhabited by the Finnish people, and 92% of the inhabitants speak the Finnish language. Finland was historically a part of Sweden, and from 1809–1917 was an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. The Finnish Declaration of Independence from Russia in 1917 was followed by a civil war in which the leftist side was defeated with German support. Finland fought World War II as essentially three separate conflicts: the Winter War (1939–1940), the Continuation War (1941–1944), and the Lapland War (1944–1945). Finland joined the United Nations in 1955, the OECD in 1969, the European Union in 1995, and the eurozone since its inception in 1999.

Finland was a relative latecomer to industrialisation, remaining a largely agrarian  country until the 1950s. Thereafter, economic development was rapid.  Finland built an extensive welfare state and balanced between the East  and the West in global economics and politics. With the best educational  system in Europe, Finland has recently ranked as one of the world's most peaceful, competitive and livable countries.

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Of all the countries in Europe the two countries that dared against USSR or soviet Russia the one and the only one that comes first in my mind is 1 Finland and 2 Poland.

Let me start with Poland first.oppurtunisitc people or nature in political were Poland politicians who occupied Russian territories after the world war first and never thought that one day their country will be vanished both by soviet Russia and also by birth enemy Germany.

Small nations never fear, this was Upto second world war. Being a small country was a great advantage in Europe, u can take for example, italy tried to occupy large place at north Africa, so also Germany till the end of first world war had its occupation in Africa and as they lost first world war they became impotent.

Finland such a small country dared Russia. yes they attacked Russia repeatedly and Stalin really feared such a small country and for decades finish people never said die, they would have occupied whole of soviet Russia if Hitler had found them as the best partner for war and spoils.

Fight to finish was the nature of finland people during second world war. if Germany had not made no war pact with Stalin for two to three years prior to the commencement of second world war, and if Germany had remained neutral and joined with Finland, the result would have been end of soviet Russia.

Finland trusted Germans as the best allie for them. yes FInland really trusted Germans to the end of second worlrd war, their very nature was fight fight always they were fighters since they lived on cold weather and nature was always with ice and snow as shield to protect their country, they nearly defeated Stalin but the absence of German support came too late and they had to stop fighting with Russia and temporary ceasefire took place, which gave so much breathing time for Stalin or Russia.

Today Finland is famous for telecommunication. a small country like Finland today has got vast income out of telecommunication. Lesson for India. it is time we Indians take time to visit Finland and understand the secret of success of Finland people and how the govt support Industries involved in Tele business. Punjab state is unique to be compared with Finland. fight to end, fight to win, fight at all cost is the nature of Punjabis, similar trait what u can find in finish people one can see in Punjabis.

IF PUNJAB IS GIVEN PREFERENCE IT WILL GROW LIKE FINLAND. MY thought goes for Punjabis they are dare devils just like fFinland people, if Punjabis try to read and learn the history of Finland they can emerge just like Finland. LET ME GIVE A CLEAN CHIT FOR PUNJABIS IN INIDA TO BECOME FINISH LEVEL.

I AM SELFISH, TAKING OR MAKING USE OF FINLAND TO GET PUNJABIS AS A PLACE ON WORLD MAP IN ANY KIND OF FIELD THAT FINALND IS FAMOUS. Since Finland is a small country and its akin nature to Germanic or Aryan Blood means they certainly like to assoiciate with India with full force. Resistance at all odds is by birth the nature of Finish people , hence india can learn to earn in Trilliions of dollars .

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In the year 2000-2001, I was in Finland on an official trip around the new year time. Perhaps for the first time I realized that Mother Nature has also been considerate to other countries as well besides our Indian subcontinent.

Well, the more I begun to know Finland and its people the more I started to believe that this certainly is one of the best place I have ever visited. Mother Nature has been really kind to this small place near the North Pole. At times, when the flakes are light and white, I have felt the snow flurries gently fall and get carried away by the gentle breeze. The flakes seem to kiss me as they go past brushing my cheek to form a white layer over everything. Even when you are feeling warm in your room, the temperature could drop away. Finland is a beautiful place no doubt, but people are the kindest and friendliest, that I have ever met. Finland is not only a place where nature meets compassion, it is much more than that. Finland is a feeling. There is something pristine about the whole experience.

I have always believed in Ruskin Bond's ideology of breaking away from routine and exploring something totally new. Like he did in "Time Stops At Shamli". So one weekend I decided to take a train and explore the countryside with no particular place to really visit. I like such adventures, going out to some place just to see what there is. The whole of train journey I saw the trees and a carpet of snow. It must have been freezing cold outside. I felt truly mystified sitting there and watching trees and snow. It was a good blend of green and white. It was a nice feeling looking at the vast wilderness of the Finland countryside. Once I had travelled for sometime and the train reached a station of some magnitude, I decided to get down. Before the train started chugging, I was already out of the station. I still remember the name of the place - Turku.

Turku is one historical place and not a major city like Helsinki. Turku was a small city but not as small as I had expected/ hoped. I had a good walk by the river and an old church. There was one old castle too, but I could not visit that place because it was closed due to it getting dark and cold. Anyway, came back to Helsinki by night time and remembered this day as one of the most beautiful days in my life.

Since Helsinki is at the southern tip of Finland, you could also plan a trip to northern Finland (and if you are lucky you could see the Northern Lights in the sky - or Auriora Borealis as they are more popularly known).

One aspect that I cannot comment too much about is the safety. I never faced any problem at all and nor did any others whom I met and interacted during my stay.

If you are lucky to be visiting Finland, then you can make best out of it by doing something similar to what I described above. There are enough good a places to visit in Helsinki, if you take their bus trip which takes you to all the places of relevance. I was put up in perhaps the best hotel I have ever stayed in - Hotel Kemp(I was lucky that my company paid for everything!). However, you can make the most of your trip by not just doing the regular trips in and around the city but by taking a trip to country side. Believe me - You will thank me later. Like me you will come back from your trip totally believing - Nature imparts to each season and place, a beauty of its own.

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Finland, ahhh! I don’t know where to start. It is like a fairy land. Beautiful rolling hills covered with dark green pine trees. And the people, beautiful as the land they tread on. I can remember my first day in Finland traveling on the train and looking out at the countryside rolling by. All I could think about was how beautiful everything was. A feast for the eyes, like the enchanted land that artists have for so long tried to depict in their paintings, and poets have strived to describe, but have been at a loss for words in their language, to convey the natural beauty of it all. I have one word for these artists and poets: Finland.

My Journey to Finland

In the summer of 2001, on the 13th of July, I embarked on a journey to the far away lands of Finland and Sweden. my purpose was to compete in three international Orienteering (see my Public Profile) events. The Fin5, a five day event in Turku, Finland, the Oringen, another five day event in Marsta, Sweden, and the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) / Tampere Games, in Tampere, Finland. The Tampere Games was a side event for the WOC, so that spectators could also run. It was a four day competition. The events were in the order I listed them in, and occurred one right after the other giving us just enough time to travel between them. Since the first two events were five day events, there was a rest day after the third day that gave us the opportunity to do some sightseeing. During the Fin5 we looked around Turku for a day, and during the Oringen we visited Stockholm.

Day One / My First Impression

Since I live in southern New York, my experience with airports is that they are rather large and full of people. Flying into Helsinki was a little weird. We arrived at about 9 on a Saturday morning, and the airport was basically empty. The only other people we saw were janitors and a few airport personnel. Customs was a cinch. They asked me what I was doing in Finland, I told them I was Orienteering, (everybody knows about it over there) and I didn’t have to say another word. The gate opened and I was in. The bags came through right away, and soon enough we found ourselves on a shuttle to the train station. The airport was so small and empty, I felt I had flown into some northern outpost way up in Lapland. Driving through Helsinki on a Saturday morning didn’t do anything to change my impression of Finland. The streets were empty, the place seemed deserted. I asked the driver if the Russians had recently attacked and everybody had fled the city, and he just laughed. He explained to us that everything closes down on weekends, and everybody sleeps in. What a country! It seemed like a dream land, (partly because I had not slept in 24 hours) cobbled streets with empty tracks running down the middle and wires overhead. All the buildings were old fashioned, and the little shops reminded me of my grandmother’s tales of Europe. We arrived at the train station and easily got tickets for the train to Turku. On the train I got my first peak at the people of Finland. I shared a car with a family of four. A young mother and father, and their young children. They looked like the ideal family. The ones you see on family oriented commercials. The train ride also gave me a great view of the countryside. We passed lots of little farms, nestled in between the pine trees. The only trees we saw were coniferous, and they made the forests look dark and foreboding. Everything I saw reminded me of the stories my grandmother used to read me of elves and gnomes and the good townsfolk. It was like a land out of the story books.

The Culture

Nearly everybody in Finland is upper class or higher. I rarely say anybody that looked less fortunate, and I didn’t see a single homeless person. Almost all the citizens are your typical Fin: blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful. I didn’t see much diversity in my stay there. This is not necessarily a good thing, but it definitely contributed to my fairy land impression. I don’t think it had anything to do with the Fins not being accepting towards other cultures, but rather the lack of emigrants to seek Finland for a new home.

Finland is still very much it’s own little country, staying away from the corporate greed of modern day US. That is not to say the Fins are not at the fore front of the digital world, every Fin carries a cell phone (Nokia is from Finland), and being middle class citizens, are up to date with the latest computers and software. But what I mean to say is that they have not seceded to the globalization of large companies such as Wal-Mart. The only American chain I saw in Finland was McDonalds.

All the shops are nice European style shops. None of the cheap Wal-Mart stores, but everything was set up nicely and a little on the fancy side if anything. Because of the exchange rate at the time of my visit, everything ended up being cheaper.

The one thing that definitely stood out in the cities, was a great love for ice cream. Every block had an ice cream shop on at least one corner. It seemed that every Fin had a cell phone in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. The ice cream is very tasty as well. Probably half of the ads I saw were for one kind of ice cream. I knew I just had to get it, and when I finally saw it at the grocery store I bought it right away. It is called Jattis. I could see right away why it was advertised so heavily, it was simply the best. The other thing the Fins seemed to have a fascination for was licorice. The stuff is pretty good, but when they mix it with their other favorite candy, ice cream, things go crazy.

The first advertisement I saw in Finland was for Lapin Kulta. I couldn’t tell from the advertisement what Lapin Kulta (the Gold of Lapland) was, but pretty soon I noticed it to be the beer of choice in Finland. The Fins are very proud of their alcohol, and it is a big part of their culture. I can’t say I am a big fan of beer, so I didn’t take the opportunity to try it out, but I can tell you the Fins certainly love it. The other popular beer was Koff which I believe is also brewed in Finland. Being so close to Russia, the Fins were big on Vodka, and they had their own brand of that too. Finlandia seemed to be the Vodka of choice in Finland. Since I am not a drinker I didn’t get to research the drinking scene first hand, so I can’t tell you a whole lot about it.

The Bottom Line

There is no question this is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited. The solitude of the country side, and the clean air made it feel like a dream. My visit was like love at first sight. Being back home in the US, I feel a longing to go back to Finland and make my home there. I keep thinking, just three more years of High School. If you have not had a chance to visit any of the Scandinavian countries, I highly recommend you do. But especially Finland. There is just something different about this country that makes me yearn so much to be back. It certainly is a fairy land out of the story books.

For information on Public Transportation, The Countryside, Weather, and Money, please see the comments section. Due to the 8,000 character limit on reviews, I am not able to submit the entire review. The remainder of the review is submitted under the comment section.

Note

Please also see my review on Helsinki:

https://mouthshut.com/readreview.php?rid=19947&r=1

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Hi Guys & Gals. I am in Stockholm for a week now and have just returned to Stockholm from a cruise to Helsinki and believe me it has been a very pleasant, memorable & informative experience.

Sweden to the west, the tip of Norway in the north, a long border with Russia to the east, and Estonia to the south, that is Finland. A northern country Finland is the northernmost country in the world after Iceland

Finland is land of islands (30,000) and lakes, almost 200,000 & two thirds of the country is covered with forests. The country was part of the Swedish realm for many centuries, then became part of Russia but in the 19th century became independent.

Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. The most widely studied foreign language is English,

Helsingfors (Helsinki, city that has often been called ''the Daughter of the Baltic'' is capital of Finland. It is the leading seaport and industrial city .Its green parks and waterways, fresh sea winds with seagulls flying over the busy fish market, and many open-air cafés make Helsinki a pleasant place to visit. The city retains a small-town feel: there are no high-rise buildings, and the fish market is still surrounded by 19th century architecture. Built on a peninsula, Helsinki is linked by bridge and ferry to Suomenlinna Island in the Gulf of Finland, which is perfect for picnicking day-trippers.

Every morning up to noon the market place is crowded with small stalls, in which diverse articles, mainly foodstuffs, are sold. The whole domestic life of the common people is illustrated here, and a most interesting hour can be spent among the booths, studying the quaint habits, and costumes, and fare of the people, and picking up some souvenirs.

The Esplanade is as wide as the market place itself - it is, in fact, more of a park than of a street. A broad expanse of trees and garden and lawn. In the center of the Esplanade a fine monument to the national poet, Runeberg, designed by his son, has been erected.

The sauna is part of the Finnish way of life, in fact, the word itself is Finnish. Saunas are found everywhere; in private homes, as well as in hotels, motels, holiday villages and camping sites. Finns think of saunas not so much as a luxury, but as a necessity

The sauna has to be experienced, because no attempt to describe its pleasures can get the message across fully. No visit to Finland can be complete without enjoying a sauna that is as real as it can get.

There is a small community of Jews in Helsinki. During the period of Swedish rule, Jews had been forbidden to live in Finland. Once the country became part of the Russian Empire, however, Jewish veterans of the tsarist army had the right to settle anywhere they wished within the empire. The Muslim community in Finland is even smaller than the Jewish community .The Muslims first came to Finland from Turkey in the mid-nineteenth century and has remained there ever since.

Salmon soup, sausages served with mustard and beer and reindeer stew are few of the delicacies of the Finnish cuisine.

Winter in Finland is a time to relax in peace and quiet, enjoying the snowy landscapes, lingering dawns and dusks with a short day in between, and snuggling down with candlelight, the fragrance of log fires

You are most likely to meet Santa Claus himself at his town residence on the Arctic Circle in Lapland if you venture a trip there.

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