Know Finland Before You Visit

Visiting the 8th-largest country of Europe was an exhilarating trip for us. At first, we were surprised by the sprawling lakes and the innumerable Finnish Islands we passed by, during our Finland expedition. By the way, there are about 187,888 lakes and 179,888 islands in Finland to explore! Followed by which, is the breathtaking scenic beauty you ‘just’ can’t-miss. But, Finland is so much more than just lakes, islands, and picture-perfect postcard scenery. Bordered by Sweden, Norway, and Russia, the sovereign territory of Finland is where the Baltic Sea meets the Gulf of Bothnia. Where Northern lights perform magic at Arctic province, and where national parks and Ski resorts mend the hearts. 

Enveloped in the essence of a socio-cultural environment, Finland conserves the best of its values since its freedom in nineteen seventeen. Which, can be observed at Helsinki, the southern heritage capital of Finland. Endowed with the finest of Finnish museums, galleries, historical monuments, restaurants, and shopping centers, Helsinki is where Finnish style meets modernism. In particular, the castle of Hameenlinna, Senate Square, Rock Church, Town Hall, Presidential Hall, Turku, and the Aland Islands are worth unearthing.

All through Finland, you will have an advantage if you know a few words of Finnish. Whether you want to interact with the locals or street vendors, learning these few phrases will surely get you what you want.

1. To say Hello                                       Terve or Hei or Halooo
2. My name is                                         Nimeni On
3. Good Morning!                                    Hyvää Huomenta
4. To say Good Night!                             Hyvää päivää
5. Good Evening!                                    Hyvää Iltaa
6. Good Night!                                         Hyvää yötä
7. Sorry                                                   Anteeksi
8. How much is this?                               Paljonko Tämä Maksaa?
9. Thank You                                           Kiitos
10. Help!                                                  Apua!

The food of Finland preserves its traditional farming and cooking techniques since the prehistoric times. The cold climate of Northern Europe does not allow efficient agriculture. Which, resulted in Finns relying on farmed fruits and vegetables, or dairy products and seafood. Meat hunting and farming emerged much later in the twentieth century. Even though, the cold climate largely-supports the stemming from staple tubers like turnips and potatoes. Other than that, Finns consume dark rye bread a lot, to go with fish and meat.

From our dining experiences in Finland, we could tell that Finns like to make the minimal use of spices to enhance the taste of food. Some of which are salt, pepper, dill, and chives. If you are visiting Finland anytime soon, do take out time to taste the traditional oven-baked hearty dishes like the Karelian pies, Grillimakkar sausages, lingonberry pies, and potatoes with Herring. 

Souvenir shopping is just as much fun in Finland. From traditional Kuksa bowls, handcrafted kitchen accessories, fur clothing, Lapp hat, wall hangings, to Fazer candies, the unlimited shopping opportunities will leave you spoiled for choices.