Wednesday 8 August 2018

13 Tips for Foreigners Invited to a Mökki

The Finnish vacation period is coming to an end, and with it so does the main mökki (Finnish cottage) season.

I have been lucky enough to spend quite a lot of time in mökkis, so I thought I would provide my fellow foreigners with some tips, should they ever be invited to one..

Monday 4 December 2017

Winning Over the In-laws - Finnish Style

If you are dating someone and it's getting serious, there comes a time when you need to meet the parents, and gain their acceptance.

This is always a tricky situation, and even more so if you are dating someone who is foreign.

Friday 14 July 2017

Finnish Milky Way

Despite being a small country, Finland leads the world in many areas, some of which I have previousy documented here.

But recently, I discovered that Finland is world leader in one surprising field.

Saturday 2 July 2016

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.

Friday 5 February 2016

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.

Friday 25 December 2015

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.

Sunday 18 October 2015

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”.

Sunday 2 August 2015

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!

Thursday 16 July 2015

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…