ray seva

I just got back from a 2=week visit to Finland. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask..and I'll give you some observations from a non-Finn perspective. We did it all: Helsinki to the Arctic cirlce (and even beyond)...stayed mainly in hostels...traveled by all manner of train/tram...even rented a car and roamed the roads. <BR> I know it's not as glamorous/popular as France/Italy/Amsterdam et al. But I had a BLAST!

katja

Hi Ray, <BR>I am a Finn and would like to hear what you found best in Finland. I would love to hear this because for a native it is so hard to know what tourists particularly like about Finland. If you give me insight into a tourist mind, it will be easier for me to direct someone else to "interesting" places when they ask. Just curious...

ray seva

I really loved strolling around Helsinki. I bought a Helsinki card and took advantage of the free unlimited transportation, admissions to various museums (especially the mansion where Saarinen, Lindgren & Gesellius lived...the one by a lake, with a sauna by the shore)...the ferry to Suomenlinna. The people there were all very friendly and spoke flawless English. They got a kick out of my feeble attempts to speak Finnish (Pyvaa and Kiitos are about the extent of it.) <BR> What I really loved the most was heading north...a train to Rovaniemi. Yes, we did the "tourist" thing and took our pictures at the arctic circle/Santa Village. But what I really loved was all of the trees, lakes and streams encountered along the way (very fascinating for this Southern California resident.) I'd never seen so much natural beauty in my life! From Rovaniemi we rented a car and drove further north, past Kemijarvi. Again, I was awestruck by all of the lakes & rivers. Another side trip I did was to drive from Oulu to a town called Suomussalmi. It's the town where a lot of my wife's side of her family can be traced to. The trains were all spotlessly clean and comfortable (especially the Pendolino train.) <BR> Back in Helsinki...we especially got a kick out of grocery shopping at that supermarket below the McDonalds near the train station. I just loved seeing ordinarly citizens of Helsinki doing everyday shopping. I think we were the only non-Finns there...and we drew quite a few polite-but-curious stares (my wife is a typical all-American girl; I'm a taller-than-average Asian-American.) Most of the clerks and employees at the supermarket and at stores throughout the country got a kick out of speaking English; I'm guessing most were very anxious to speak the language they had studied in College. <BR> One more thing we enjoyed: We visited my wife's aunt in Espoo. They took us to their summer cottage just outside Espoo: It was tucked away in the woods, on the lake opposite the mansion where the 3 architechts lived. At this cottage we took an authentic wood-fired Sauna...and then grilled Finnish sausages for dinner (complete with Finnish beer and Finnish chocolates for dessert! <BR> We thoroughly enjoyed Finland...and highly recommend it to anyone. <BR> <BR>PS Where in Finland do you live? What do you like to do in your spare/free time over there?

Mia

Hey Bro! <BR>Sounds great...can't wait to see the pictures and video!

Katja

I live in Espoo (in Tapiola), so you have seen my part of the country. I guess the freetime activities here are quite the same as yours: rollerblading, cycling, jogging, playing all sorts of games, going to the movies, concerts and theater.. ordinary life. In wintertime of course a little bit of skating and skiing (especially in the ice right by the coastline..). <BR>P.S. Nice to see that your whole family is enjoying Fodorīs site

Lisa

Hi. <BR> <BR>I'd like some more info on Rovaniemi. Me and two kids (ages 3 & 7) will be spending 2 weeks in Lapeenranta. We had considered taking the train to Rovaniemi. The kids are particularly interested in reindeer. Any advice?

Jon

Hi, I'm a new Englaner and am tweleve years old. Over the past year I have become virtually obsessed with Finland, My Parents love to travel so I have traveled to over 11 european countries, but not Finland. So all I ever seem to do is dream of traveling there, I would really like to know what the inside of Helsinki Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral looks like as well as Rovaniemi and Kemijarvii and Oulu, thanks.

Katja

Jon, I found an image bank covering all kinds of images from Helsinki. Unfortunately they did not have picture from inside the Tuomiokirkko (Helsinki cathedral church). See for yourself: <BR>http://www.comma.fi/helsinki/ <BR> <BR>If you have not found the official page of Helsinki: www.hel.fi <BR> <BR>Here you can find pictures of Mediaval castles in Finland (they are pretty rough and rugged compared to the beautiful castles in the continent Europe, but quite interesting..): <BR>http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/castles.html

Jon

Thanks, Katja. The pictures were Great!