Welcome to our posts about Finland – that so-called cold country (it’s actually warm in summer) in the north of Europe. It’s the home of Santa Claus, the sauna, white summer nights, and a lot of dedicated ice-hockey fans.
Join us while we discover what Finland has to offer – from delicious food to funny incidents. Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any questions or thoughts!
Visited: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
We appreciate your comments and thoughts about Finland and our traveling.
Enjoy our stories from Finland!
Mäntsälä is a municipality and a locality of around 11,800 inhabitants in the Uusimaa region of Finland. The municipality as a whole has a population of over 20,000 residents. Its location along an intersection between several larger roads has been an important part of the locality’s more recent development. The old main road between Helsinki…
Badhusparken, or the Bath House Park, is one of the older tourist spots in Mariehamn. It also has another name, Engelska parken, the English Park. There are some rather prominent buildings in the park. It is home to the bathhouse pavilion, the Swedish consulate, “Doktorsvillan”, and Åland Maritime Museum. It is also one of the…
Earlier this year Susann received the news that she was going to the London Book Fair in early April. At the same time, I started to think about what Little A and I would do while she was gone. The first thing on the agenda was to request a week of vacation. The last time…
Ecerkö was once the westernmost point of both Finland and the Russian Empire. This is where the mail to and from mainland Sweden either arrived or departed. Local men rowed across the dangerous sea to make sure deliveries arrived at their destination. It is in their memory that the mail route monument stands on a…
The Old Mail Pier, or Postbryggan in Swedish, might not be the original or even close to that. The old pier, or jetty, might be gone but there is still a reason to read up on the history of this place while enjoying the view out over the sea. This location, in Eckerö, is one…
Close to the westernmost point of the Åland Islands stands one of the area’s most prominent buildings. The Mail and Customs House on Eckerö is a remnant of the Russian Empire and the mail route between Stockholm in Sweden and Turku in Finland. This was the border of Russia at the time and one of…
In the northern part of the Åland Islands is the island of Simskäla. The island is split into a western and an eastern part that is just connected with a small isthmus. The Swedish names, Västra Simskäla and Östra Simskäla, are based on their location and translated to Western Simskäla and Eastern Simskäla. On the…
Norra Sandö Ferry Slip is at the northern tip of the island of Sandö in Vårdö Municipality. The ferry slip provides a connection between the main islands of the municipality and the two smaller islands of Västra Simskäla and Östra Simskäla. The ferry connection goes under the name Simskälalinjen, Swedish for the Simskäla Line, and…
The Prästö Tower was the first in a series of 12 external defensive fortifications of the much larger Bomarsund Fortress. Even though the fortress and its towers were never complete, you can visit this historical sight even today. According to the plan, the tower would also have included residential space alongside the many canons. The…
Seffers Hembygdsgård is the local heritage museum on the island of Lövö in Vårdö Municipality. This is for the Åland Islands historical grounds, which played an important role in the peace negotiations between Sweden and Russia in 1718-1719 during the Great Northern War. The meetings that took place here at that time are known as…
The church in the parish of Jomala is dedicated to Saint Olaf. He was the former king of Norway, earlier known as Olaf II. It is a for the Åland Islands traditional church built with red granite stones. It is likely that it is the oldest of the stone churches on the islands. The Church…
Rödhamn is a harbor on the outskirts of the Åland Archipelago. The guest harbor is on the island of Långö, with the islands of Gloskär and Rödö right next door. It is a popular destination for many boat visitors to the Åland Islands during the summertime. Don’t be surprised if you see German or even…