Finland

Finnish Flight Attendants Take Off to Bollywood

Finn Air ©Joi To celebration of India’s Republic Day, flight crew on the January 17th Finnair flight AY201 from Helsinki to Dehli donned Indian attire and danced down the airplane aisles to “Deewangi Deewangi” from the Bollywood blockbuster “Om Shanti Om.” The idea for the tribute came from Helena Kaartinen, who has worked for Finnair [...]

Photo of the Moment: Chains of the Sea, Helsinki

5 Surprising Foreign Laws

Forbidden ©ehnmark The recent arrests of a pre-teen in Bali, for possession of a small amount of marijuana, and an American blogger in Thailand for defaming the King, have brought extra attention to the fact that many foreigners are ignorant of the (sometimes bizarre) laws of the countries they are visiting. Luckily for most travelers [...]

Bathroom Break Leads to Finnish Ferry Wreck

Toilet © Editor B A Finnish ferry has run aground while its captain was stuck in the bathroom. One member of staff managed to slow the island-hopping tourist ferry down, but the vessel, carrying 54 passengers, slammed onto a rock near the shore of Helsinki, the Finnish coastguard said on Friday. The captain got stuck [...]

Photo of the Moment: Still Water, Calm Moment in Western Finland

Photo of the Moment: Christmas Day Sunset, Helsinki

Photo of the Moment: Hot Air Balloon Boozin’ Over Helsinki, Finland

Photo of the Moment: Fiery Sunset Over Helsinki

Finnish MP Proposes “Love Vacation” Law

© Mayr Here’s a law that would be hard to break. Finnish MP Tommy Tabermann has proposed a law that would enable couples to enjoy a week of “love vacation” time. The proposal, which has already been debated by Finish parliament, would allow couples to accrue love holiday time the same way they accrue summer [...]

Sleeping Under the Stars in Finland’s Glass Igloos

Sleeping on ice beds in igloos in the freezing North is almost passé. The new trend is glass igloos in the heart of Lapland that allow guests to enjoy the beauty of snow storms and the spectacular Northern Lights without having to freeze their butts off. These glass igloos are available for rent at the [...]

Artist Recreates the Scents of Helsinki, Budapest, Paris

Hungarian born artist Hilda Kozari has created an art installation consisting of three bubbles – one each for Helsinki, Budapest, and Paris – that she says represent what each city smells like. The bubbles are part of an Urban Olfactory Installation exhibit and have been created in collaboration with perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. The sense of [...]

One Finger on the Pulse of Helsinki Street Fashion

For good or ill, the web fills just about any niche. Looking to commiserate with tri-lingual Polish cello players named Chuck living in downtown Denver, there’s likely a blog for you. Curious about the state of Helsinki street fashion? Ditto – you’re in luck. Hel-looks.com chronicles Helsinki street fashion by stopping downtown passers-by in the [...]

Gotta Pee? Finland Introduces New ‘Texting Toilets’

Authorities in Finland have cracked the secret to preventing vandalism in public toilets. Last month, the Finish Road Administration authorities put into place a system that allows travelers to access toilets by SMS text messaging the number given on the door of the public toilet. There are instructions on the doors to toilets and shower [...]

Finland’s Shouting Men’s Choir

The northern Finnish town of Oulu has been described as ‘Just like Geelong, but colder and with more fish.’ It is home to, among other things, the World Air Guitar Championship. It is also the birthplace of the Shouting Men’s Choir: thirty men in black suits, yelling. Finns, by and large, are quiet people. Silence [...]

LumiLinna Snow Hotel To Open Its Freezing Doors on Jan 28th

The latest in a long line of ice hotels makes its freezing debut in Finland on January 28th. LumiLinna Snow Hotel boasts of a SnowChapel and SnowRestaurant, all made of snow and ice. At the SnowRestaurant, diners warm their butts on the reindeer skin that covers chairs and tables made of ice, and the 50 [...]