The (young, female) Finnish Prime Minister came in for some ridiculous flak for being filmed letting her hair down with some friends. I can understand people wondering how at the point of filming Michael Gove giving it some some, but, hey good luck to him too.
The thing about the Finnish, though, is I was rather disappointed. I’ve visited many countries around Europe and beyond and there’s one thing that stood out for me about Finland. It’s nationally bonkers. A nation that invented and codified the sport of wife carrying has to have had a screw loose but if goes beyond that to a studied and bone deep daftness that no other country has, in my experience embraced. Perhaps it’s the half year they spend in the dark or the 800 kilometre border they share with with Russians. Whatever it, it delights me. So when they become prissy and bit English, the world loses something. We all need to be a bit more Finnish.
This is a post I wrote from a family holiday there a few years ago. It might give you a flavour of what I mean.
Why is it that, miles into a Finnish forest my phone had 4 bars of signal, 4G too whereas at home in south London it has nothing, nada, buggerall, zip? Are we rationed? Do the Finns have something we don’t? Maybe, I mused, as yet another email buzzed in my pocket, it’s the Nokia legacy. Not that we noticed much of that once huge company. Well, other than one of the two national sports being phone throwing, as long as it is a Nokia. Prescient really because I often wanted to toss my Nokia as far as I could.
(The other sport? Wife carrying.
We drove south from Kuppio and Eevantalo, intending to enjoy a couple of days near Mikkeli, on the shores of Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland.
It was a decent drive, the roads aren’t bad – there’s little traffic in truth – though there isn’t a lot to see beyond water and trees.
But one thing stood out on our route – The Museo Mekaanisen musiikin (mechanical music museum) near Varkaus. Believe me I’ve done weird but this is up there.
Partly it is the exhibits, these extraordinary machines that produce mechanised music using normal instruments but mostly it was mine host, a cracked German expat with a deep antipathy for Germans, Brexit and anything politically correct.
We laughed – a bit – we cringed – a lot and we had a quite splendid two hours.
If you do wander into this part of the world then do visit.
Just make sure you take a thick skin with you.
It seemed wrong to leave, oddly disloyal but the eco lodge we had booked into called us so off we set.
The lodge we were allocated was perfect. Idyllic really. On the lake, with trails and bike paths everywhere it promised lots.
During our first day we took time out to drive to Suomenlinna which is a chocolate box of a castle that sits in a lake and once guarded the Swedish-Russian border.It was worth the detour though, once again the fact we were out of season even in mid August threw us rather with a number of cafes and restaurants already shut.
At least, we thought, we had the eco-lodge and the promised fine food.
the wall of the restaurant in the eco lodge: yep, plastic ducks as decoration – you need to be Finnish to understand.
Hmm, we hadn’t banked on a storm, nothing particularly wild, that took out our power. Goodness are we dependent on power. And how are we spoiled in the UK with the sanctity of our supplies. I can’t remember a power-cut longer than two or three hours. Here it lasted 27 hours and was still counting when we left.
On the upside the toilets flushed. On the down we had four meals by candle-light with an increasingly frazzled waitress. We lost the boat that was tied up to our private jetty before the storm hit. But we did take some lovely shots of the 6 of us as couples.
In the end, despite the lovely scenery and plentiful time to read, it was good to set off south again and hunt out some power to recharge phones and ipads. If I didn’t know it before I am now fully aware that on a self-reliance scale of ten I barely make first grade.
Still I do appreciate my good fortune. It was a lovely holiday, especially with the whole family and other halves in tow. Now they are all in their 20s that is something of a treat.
TanGental 
I think I will visit it.
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Do it’s splendid
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I hope to one day
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This comes into you learn something everyday category of posts. Thank you, it was most interesting.
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It’s a very strange yet very familiar country
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Well worth repeating
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Thanks
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Absolutely stunning photos!
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Thanks. It lends itself to photography
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Despite its eccentricities…Finland certainly looks peaceful. I’m so grateful to have travelled years ago – there’s always somewhere pleasant to mentally visit from our settee… xx
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Yes that can cut out the travelling, the queues and whatever local bitey things enjoy feasting on your blood
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We seem to demand our politicians are “on the job” 24/7 and that they have no personal life, whereas we really need them to have experience of work, family, and social life. We get what we demand and look where that has led us!
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Quite we need a rule breaking boosterist rather than the dour academic
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I’m not sure that’s on the curriculum at Eton!
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I think a sauna would be in order. Of course, in August it might be too early.
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I’ve never seen the point of saunas, much like sherry glasses and vegan dog treats…
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Well I have had some wonderful times in saunas. Get all hot and sweaty and then jump in an ice cold lake. It gives new meaning to the terms ‘expansion’ and ‘contraction.’ I’m with you on the sherry glasses. Might as well use a thimble. I pity the poor dog with a vegan obsessed owner.
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One of several oxymoronic foods
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Or just moronic.
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harsh but fair…
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I loved Finland but then I’m strange. The countryside is a lot like upper state New York – which also closes down in the fall!
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I felt at home at times and at others it was like the love child of Faust and Woody Allen had scripted my life
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Jälleen kerran ilo lukea
💜💜
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What does that mean? My theodolite has herpes?
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Either that or ” it’s still a pleasure to read!
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Ah yes it might be that
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Lol 💜
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I have always been a south lover. I rather was too hot than too cold. But for a few years, I found my love for the northern countries. We went to Sweden and a week ago we have been to Iceland. Simply awesome! Norway and Finland are next on my list. Your post is so inspiring and makes me want to go there even more. Thank you for that, Geoff!
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Done them all. I saw the Iceland posts and was about to comment when I saw you’d seen the northern lights. I got frost bite in my spleen waiting on those puppies so my jealous gene kicked in..
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You know, I am more than aware how lucky we were, most of all at that time of the year. So, I do know, how you must have felt… lol
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I’m man enough to rise above the crushing unfairness… mostly
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I appreciat that a lot 😂
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Lovely photos. I did notice that all the wives were on the small and fit side – no porkers being carried about. Finland is a lot like Maine – closes down early for the winter!
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I did find August a touch early as a harbinger for winter
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Many Finns settled on the Oregon coast and fished and sawed trees. They established public baths, unheard of until then.
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They sound like the sane ones…
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Of course the prim locals thought they were insane.
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naturally… washing away all those natural oils..
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And good old Yankee smells!
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Are they marketed as a unique deodorant these days… leave you with Star Spangled armpits
..
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They are a quirky bunch, the Finns, aren’t they? Beautiful pics–love to see them again.
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Individually they seem perfectly average but clearly in a group they’re off the chart daft
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This was delightful! Your holiday had some quirkiness, but aren’t those what become the stories we remember and tell? Great photos!
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I love me a good weirdness. In truth, m wherever I go I tend to find absurdities dressed up as traditions
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I love it! Good thing I don’t live nearby, as we would have some fun parties. I child’s tutu makes a perfect adult headpiece, just in case you want fluffy pink hair at the moment.
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I’m not sure my tutu head pieces are up to date…
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😅
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