Finnish Priority Boarding Woes

A couple of weeks ago, I flew from Gdansk (Poland) to Turku (Finland), because that's the glamourous life I have. 

As I waited to board, I was witness to a very Finnish situation, which had me sniggering under my breath.

Polar Bear Pitching - Ending Death by PowerPoint

Let’s face it, we have all been on the receiving end of overly long and boring pitches and presentations, delivered by someone with the charisma of a sloth on Valium.

But help may be at hand for us poor victims. And it comes from Finland.

The Best Finnish App for Christmas

This time last year, I was celebrating Christmas in Lapland, having an amazing time that included a sauna on a frozen lake, a hot-tub under the stars and the Northern Lights on Christmas Eve.

That trip was also the first time I heard about one of the most useful Finnish phone apps.

Give pizza chance...

A few days ago, I had a sudden realisation: Finland’s national dish is not reindeer and mash, or pickled herring.

No, it’s actually pizza, aka “pitsa”.

Finnish Countryside Fashion

A few weeks ago, my friend Kirsi wrote on Facebook that she was relieved that her 3 year old daughter had finally grown out of her Crocs, as she thought the footwear was an "awful fashion-faux-pas".

I had to point out to her that she might be very mistaken about Crocs not being fashionable, as I had just returned from the Finnish countryside, and there, virtually everybody was wearing them!

The Dark Side of Mökki-life

No Finnish summer vacation would be complete without spending time at a mökki (summer cottage), and indeed sharing pictures on social media.

Mökkis are invariably lovely photogenic wooden buildings, set in the woods and close to a lake, a river or the sea. They are places to relax, go to [the] sauna, swim, barbecue food, drink beer, and enjoy life with friends and family.

But there is a dark side to this idyllic summer setting…

Random Top 10 List of Finland 2014 World Rankings

As 2014 draws to a close, I have to admit that it hasn't really been a great year for this blog (just one post so far!?!).  You know, excuses, excuses...

To be honest, it hasn't be a great year for Finland either, particularly on the economic front. But 'tis the time to be jolly and positive, so I thought I would share some good Finnish news from the past year.

Something Better for Eurovision

Recently, Finland selected the song that will represent the country in this year's annual celebration of kitsch and bland that is the Eurovision Song Contest. 

“Something Better” by Softengine is somewhat predictable and inoffensive, though not unpleasant. However, it does stand out for its frankly puzzling English lyrics.

The Finnish Festive Spirit

There are some things I feel that, as a foreigner, I will never quite understand about Finland and the Finns.

One of those is the Finnish Christmas spirit.