finland

Destroy: that Finnish girl I met at the Star & Garter in 1996 who never wrote back to me; Monty Python.

xoxo

Finnish railways have special "pet carriages".

*flips through said bio, Dirty Pictures by Micha Ramakers, published last year*

Touko Laaksonen, born 1920, lived in Kaarina near Turku. There ya go.

Finland in general -- always sounded really cool, don't think I know any Finns though. Stuff like Pan Sonic, though -- yow.

It's still a million times classic, though.

To also give more background, Finland had been part of the Russian Empire up until the Revolution for about a hundred years if not more, and while semi-autonomous they happily took independence when the opportunity arose -- only twenty years previous to the 1939 conflict or so, so Russian domination was something well within the living memory of much of the populace.

My mother worked with some Finns, and maintains that they are a secretive, taciturn bunch who are always afraid that whoever they are talking to is a Russian spy.

I gather they drink a lot.

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3454567.stm

Take a group of men from the northern Finnish town of Oulu - population 100,000 - dress them in dark suits with black ties made from the inner tubes of car tyres.

Next, send them out on to the ice floes of the frozen Baltic and get them to shout - in choral unison - at a stranded 10,000-ton ice breaking vessel, and you have got something called Mieskuoro Huutajat.

Otherwise known as the shouting men of Finland, it is more than a bunch of Finns getting things off their chests by upping their decibels.

It is a new art form, and it is taking parts of the world by arctic storm.

U R NOT GAY TOM OF FINLAND RoXoR

the great thing I have found with Finnish people is that if I ever say to them "I hear Donald Duck is very popular in your country" they always respond excitedly that yes indeed, he is.

I have met a handful of Finns and while some are quiet and taciturn and others not, the ones who are not taciturn maintain that their Finnish friends are always making fun of them (in a quiet, non-verbal manner) about how talkative they are.

I like the idea that the Finns are our happy chatty friends from the North who have acquired a reputation for taciturnity on the basis of no evidence whatsoever.

Mike...we should talk.

Sign this!

I've met quiet Finns and not-so-quiet Finns. Remarkable, eh?

I love Finland.

Fade: Finland has it all...

/hurl

all yer pix make it look like finland = the most fun country in the world!

http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/aqkorhon/suomenlinna5.jpg http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/aqkorhon/suomenlinna6.jpg http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/aqkorhon/suurmetsa1.jpg http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/aqkorhon/suomenlinna2.jpg http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/aqkorhon/suomenlinna3.jpg

I doubt these pics are an objective representation of life in Finland, however.

MARIMEKKO!
http://www.outofvogue.com/images/marimekko.jpg

That's like the oldest stereotype evah, it might've been true 150 years ago. It's like saying that Americans fight each other with revolvers. We don't have much guns, either, they're forbidden except for hunting and shooting club use. Finns mostly fight with fists, like everyone else.

http://www.uwasa.fi/~h79228/muumi.jpg

http://entimg.msn.com/i/gal/Elf_stills/elf_col58-17_300x435.jpg

clerk/tourguide, pointing at reindeer in pen: "This is a reindeer."
tourist from Finland: "I know what reindeer are."

And Helsinki generally.

I miss all these things.

And all the crazy churches.

Geoff, I'm really sorry I never saw you when you were staying here. When you e-mailed me I simply wasn't in a state of mind to meet new people, and then I simply forgot about it. My apologies, should you come here again I promise not to be so rude.

Do you mean Suomenlinna? The fortress islands? They were part of Helsinki's defence during Sweden's rule. There's even an old children's song about "the Englishmen sailing our shores with three hundred ships" - can't remember what war that refers to...

I'm thinking Helsinki is off-limits for a while, due to obvious factors. However, if you find yourself in New Zealand any time, give me a shout.

Tell me about it. Also, Tampere.

shall i say yes?

Why not bike there? either via the oresund and the sweden finaland ferry, or through poland and tha baltics?

How'd you get this offer?

(x-post)

a v good finnish friend invited me the other day, her family owns this summerhouse and the family who've been using it won't be there this summer so she's got dibs on it - she's putting together some carefully orchestrated combination of people and we'll go off in search of excitement and adventure and really wild things. and drinking.

and thanks tuomas! when she was telling me about how to get there helsinki was mentioned as one of the transport options and if i'm going to be there i'd like to take a day and night to wander around and have a look, and i'd love to meet up - i've been there once before, with this same friend, but (omg) it was ten years ago... i just remember the harbour/docks area, a science park i went to, getting lost on the way home on the bus, and falling out of a nightclub at 2 or 3 and being TOTALLY CONFUSED by all the light.

You can e-mail me to "tuomas dot alho at helsinki dot fi" rather than the address above, both of them are valid but I check the Helsinki one more often.

Koskenkorva Viina is great without the salty liquorice.

I guess the best thing about food in here is that most of the bread is rye or whole meal or something like that. I don't much like white bread.

(x-post)

http://data1.blog.de/blog/k/kairokairo/img/uusivuosi.jpg

Are Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikonnen and Haiki Kovalainen really representative of how the Fins talk?

And why does Finland produce a disproportionate number of F1 drivers?

I wish Kimi Raikkonen would mention at a post race conference that "it's like the old Finnish saying, 'pussy doesn't wear out by using it'."

Are Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikonnen and Haiki Kovalainen really representative of how the Fins talk?

If you mean their English accent, I guess they are... You can hear an exaggerated parody Finnish accent in these "Markku from Finland" skits:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22markku+from+finland%22&search=Search

he doesn't sound as crackly and stilted as the f1 drivers. but i shall now hear all your posts in raikonnen's voice.

I don't think I have much of a Finnish accent actually.

that doesn't matter. i'm aiming for entertainment more than accuracy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071005/wl_nm/climate_nordics_dc

http://m.assetbar.com/achewood/autaux?b=M%5ea11f09b8576e606bcb5038dfdb92fb821&u=http%3A%2F%2Fachewood.com%2Fcomic.php%3Fdate%3D05132008

in before multiple questions from you-know-whom

time to apologise to tuomas

http://i38.tinypic.com/fdccax.jpg

http://imgur.com/BiHXo.jpg

To the tune of "More More More"

ayo Tuomas congratulations at your homo prez

or PM or whatever they have there

I am really bad at reading. It was Iceland. n/m

http://i.imgur.com/qlrHy.jpg

Haha, that's pretty much how this winter has looked like in here! There's been more snow than during any previous winter I can remember.

Finalist dies at World Sauna event in Finland

The annual World Sauna Championships in Finland have ended in tragedy with the death of one of the finalists, the organisers said.

Russian finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky and Finnish rival Timo Kaukonen were both taken to hospital after collapsing and Mr Ladyzhensky later died.

The event, which has been running since 1999, requires participants to withstand 110C for as long as possible.

I don't have any problem with people dying of stupidity -- extreme stupidity should be fatal -- I just hope they don't reproduce first.

is this a viral
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_doIsFnqeg

The end of times has come. Not in flames, but in mist.

It's not a viral, apparently there really was such a storm over Helsinki on August 8th (I was in Germany so I missed it), you can find other videos of it on Youtube. But that kind of a storm is not common at all in here, on the video you can hear people getting kinda scared by it and saying things like, "What the heck is that, that's not normal!".

Bump! I'm in Stockholm for six days and I'm considering doing a day trip over to Helsinki. Tuomas! What's going on around this time of year?

ayo Tuomas congratulations at your homo prez

― soft serve space age blap (The Reverend), Sunday, February 21, 2010 8:08 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

or PM or whatever they have there

― soft serve space age blap (The Reverend), Sunday, February 21, 2010 8:12 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I am really bad at reading. It was Iceland. n/m

― soft serve space age blap (The Reverend), Sunday, February 21, 2010 8:14 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol

What's going on around this time of year?

I don't think there's any special events going on at the moment, except some kind of a [[url=http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/port_of_helsinki/whats_new/baltic_herring_fair herring fair]]. Being a vegetarian I've never been there, so I don't know what it's like.

I can give some general tips, but it depends on what sort stuff you're interested in doing. Art galleries? Museums? Shopping? Pubs?

Whoops, sorry, I messed up the formatting, but the link still works.

Eh just have a look around. Though I just rolled my ankle last night so I am likely to be less touristy than planned.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/iltvurheilu/2012031603165506_v9.shtml

According to the text that video is from a Norwegian horse race, it was just reported in a Finnish newspaper.

Anyway, this is the proper thread for Finnish curiosities, I think:

Could someone please explain Finland to me?

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/138455

perkele!

Laulan, tanssin, soiton soitan,
revin riemun näistä teistä,
näistä teistä, elämästä
täällä Pohjantähen päässä .
Tääl' on miun kotopaikka,
tää on reissun päätepiste,
heposeni tallipaikka,
liinaharjan syntysija

hey can someone (tuomas) change these from first-person singular to first-person plural for me?

Laulamme, tanssimme, soiton soitamme,
revimme riemun näistä teistä,
näistä teistä, elämästä
täällä Pohjantähen päässä.
Tääl' on meiän kotopaikka,
tää on reissun päätepiste,
heposemme tallipaikka,
liinaharjan syntysija

but what does it all mean?

thanks, tuomas!

Hey, I'm going to Helsinki from like July 7 to teh 14th, but might spend an extra week since several people reached out on CouchSurfing to offer their hospitality. Hooray for kindly Finns! So, if anything is happening around Finland at this time LMK. Also wondering if I should venture out of Helsinki someplace.

davey you should definitely kick it with tuomas

Hi Gr80. I would love to kick it with mr. Tuomas if he's down to kick it with an ilx noob. he seems like a cool dude at least based on this thread. Yes, super stoked to see Finland... Tuomas if I see you I'll buy ya a round, just holler!

Hi, unfortunately I'm in New York from July 6th to 15th, so I won't be in Helsinki when you're there. But if you need any tips on what to do in Helsinki, I can certainly help.

As for venturing outside Helsinki, there are a few places I could recommend, but it depends on what you'd want to do. What I can tell you is Turku and Tampere, the two largest cities in Finland outside the Helsinki metro area, are both within a 2 hour train/bus trip, so a day trip to either city is certainly feasible. Tampere is generally nicer than Turku (it's more cozy and working-class, and less posh), but Turku might be nicer to visit in July... The river that goes right through the city centre has plenty of restaurant and pub boats, and there are more historical sites to see than in Tampere (Turku is the former capital of Finland). Anyway, either city is worth a visit, I'd say, and since July is the main summer holiday month in here, there'll probably be some cultural activities available in both of them.

Hey Tuomas. I'm staying in helsinki a while longer than first expected. I'll be here til wednesday the 25th, although I might take a day trip to Tallinn, and an overnight to Turku for the Turku Modern festival. I'm liking it here a lot so far. But anyway, what's up? LMK if you'll be out on the town or if there's something cool to do. Maybe we could chill, after all, as that would be neat. Cheers.

By the way if anyone visits Helsinki, do go to Fafa's restaurant in the Erottaja area. Best falafel I've had in my LIFE, and I hear the shawarma is also excellent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZphHGHiQ5w

Looks like I will be spending all of December in the country about 40km away from Tampere.

Please tell me everything you know.

About Tampere?

About anything relevant I guess.

I will have access to a car and a bicycle. Will it be snowy? I understand almost everyone can speak English? How expensive is a decent bottle of booze (say 700ml in Euros)? Interest geographical/historical etc. sites around or further afield. What should I do for Christmas and (possibly) New Years?

It's not always that snowy in December, it's not always that snowy n December. There'll probably be snowfall during the month, but it might melt away within a few days. Though Tampere probably gets permanent snow earlier than Helsinki (where I live), since it's further north and inland.

Almost everyone in their 40s or younger will speak English, yes, since practically all kids have learned it at elementary school since the 1980s. Most older folks know at least some basic phrases too, having picked them up from the TV and movies. So if you're doing shopping and other errands like that, you can do that in English, at least in bigger cities like Tampere.

A quarter litre bottle of decent vodka will cost you around 25 Euros. Due to Finland's heavy regulation of alcohol sales, you can buy wines and booze only at Alko, the state-owned chain of liquor stores. (The Finnish alcohol law is quite similar to Sweden, if you're ever been there.) Grocery stores and supermarkets can only sell beer, cider, and other drinks with no more than 5 % alcohol. If you're a youngish-looking feller, be prepared to show your ID, people get carded quite often when buying booze. (It still occasionally happens to me, even though I'm 34 and have a full beard.)

I'm a bit busy now, but I'll write more about Christmas and New Year later on when I have some time.

Whoops, the first sentence there was formatted badly, it should've read:

It's not always that snowy in December, it depends on the year.

A quarter litre bottle of decent vodka will cost you around 25 Euros

i presume 'decent' here means 'not toxic or disgusting' rather than some premium brand thing? because that is extortionate

That is why cruises / bus trips to Estonia and Russia are so popular, I guess.

sex tourism too

i presume 'decent' here means 'not toxic or disgusting' rather than some premium brand thing? because that is extortionate

Yep. The Finnish alcohol policy has been for decades that alcohol should be heavily taxed; the high price is thought to hinder excessive alcohol consumption, and the tax money is also seen as a way of covering the costs of alcoholism to society (since we have a universal health care and social security system, to which alcoholics are a burden).

And Sharivari is correct, the number one reason locals take the day ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn is to get some cheap booze from there. (Though ever since Estonia joined the EU the price difference hasn't been as high anymore as it used to be, and nowadays people do more general shopping in Tallinn as well, as there are many more Western stores and chains there as there were in the 90s.)

Basically the stereotypical idea of Finnish alcohol consumption is that Finns drink as much booze as they can get their hands on. And as a response to this, the stereotypical idea of Finnish alcohol policy is that the state should try to make it as hard as possible for them to get any booze. Things have become more liberal ever since Finland joined the EU, but I think it still has the second tightest state control on alcohol in the whole of Europe, only Sweden is even tighter in this regard.

"As drunk as a Finn" or variation on that theme is a common phrase in Russia. A lot of young people get trashed when they arrive in St Petersburg and realise a double vodka costs about a Euro.

Thanks for the info... Something may have been confused in translation though

--- A quarter litre bottle of decent vodka will cost you around 25 Euros ---

do you mean a quarter of a liter - ie. 250ml - will cost 25Eu? THAT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING I HAVE EVER HEARD

OR

a 'quart' as Yanks would say - 946ml (almost a litre) - will cost 25Eu? Pretty much comparable to Australia.

Planning on being in Helsinki for the last week of November to get acclimatised. How cold will it be roughly?

Whoops, sorry, I just realiced my typo there. The 25 euros is for three quarter bottle (0.70 litres) of good vodka, which is the common bottle size for vodka in here. So it's still expensive, but not as expensive as it may have seemed in my initial post. The cheapest available vodka in Alko seems to cost 16.98 euros for 0.7 litres.

What is the favored local Finnish liquor?

And I guess I should point out that even the cheapest vodka still tastes okay, none of the ultra-cheap Russian stuff is sold here, except on the black market.

Salmiakki is worth trying at least once.

What is the favored local Finnish liquor?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koskenkorva

Back in the 1990s there was a very popular flavoured liquor, where some salty liquorice was added to Koskenkorva; I guess that's about as Finnish as an alcoholic beverage can get. Then it was banned for some years, because there were fears that the "candy-like" taste made it popular among minors (the Finnish alcohol policy strikes again). Nowadays it's sold again, but it isn't as popular as it was in its heyday.

Is it legal to make beer and wine at home in Finland? I image those prices would encourage that greatly.

It is, and during the 1990s recession a lot lof people got into making their own beer and wine. I remember when my dad was unemployed back then, he was often brewing some homemade beer. Don't know if the current recession has brung this thing back in style, though.

"Brung"? Brought!

what would be the finnish equivalent of john or jane smith or jean(ne) martin or whatever, the most generic name

The Finns use then terms "Matti Meikäläinen" (for men) and "Maija Meikäläinen" (for men) for that purpose. Matti and Maija are very common first names, but Meikäläinen isn't a real Finnish surname, though it sounds like one... "Meikäläinen" translates to "one of us", so I guess "Matti Meikäläinen" is closer to John Q. Public ("a common man") than to John Doe ("an anonymous man"), though it can be used to signify the latter too.

that's somewhat more communitarian than the english ones then

http://i.imgur.com/u18KKvV.jpg

what is happening here?

It appears to be some kind of an union paper from 1897. The title of the poem is "The Downtrodden Are Fishing", and the poem below the pic says it's a bunch of public school teachers hoping for a raise in their wages and pension from the parliament.

I featured Finland on one of my blogs. Kinda got infatuated reading about the Sami indigenous people and how they're fighting to save their culture.

And then when I saw what these indigenous people looked like, my head about exploded.

I've never felt more part of a mixing pot or salad bowl or some weird macadam wall where some of the stones have been crushing some of the other stones for centuries. This is a culture thing, Tuomas, so I'm not trying to rag you or anything. I'm just not used to seeing oppressed indigenous people who are not only very white, but look pretty much the same (to me) as the rest of the damn country.

what did you expect them to look like?

I know, right? Maybe like the Inuvit? No, there's no landbridge or close vicinity to Asia. I just never thought about it too much.

Feel free to make me an embroidered pillow with that last sentence stenciled across it. I'll keep it in the den.

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/1750/lappish2pi5.jpg

x-p
When I was in Turku a few years ago I did notice about every third man was named Matti.

when i was toying with the idea of minoring in Swedish in college, i had a professor try real hard to talk me in to a semester-long study abroad program that was basically a 400 mile reindeer herding trip, led by Sami educators

What's a nice place to stay in Helsinki for the last week of November?

Do you mean like hotels? I've lived in Helsinki all my life, so I've never stayed at a hotel in here... Maybe some ILXors who've visited Helsinki can recommend something?

In general, if you prefer to hang out in an area with loads of nightlife and cultural activity,the Kallio district is pretty cool, it's full of artists and punk rockers and other bohemian types. It's kinda like the Williamsburg of Helsinki. (And like with Williamsburg, it's been accused of being a hipster den, which I guess it is, but if you want to get into "alternative" Helsinki, there's no other area like it.)

If Kallio sounds like something you'd enjoy, I guess I could recommend this hotel for you. It's in the district of Hakaniemi, which is right next to Kallio, but it's also within a walking distance of the city center. So you could walk both to the pubs and clubs in Kallio and the museums and historical cites of the center. There's also a tram and metro stop right next to the hotel. But I haven't stayed at the actual hotel, so I've no idea what it's like. It's part of a large hotel chain, so it shouldn't be too shabby at least.

Thanks for the tip. Will definitely be spending some time in Kallio then. Found a much cheaper hotel that still looks nice with a kitchenette a bit further south next to Katajanokan puisto tram stop.

If I'm going to be there for over a month, what's the recommendation on buying a phone sim card? Will largely be in remote/regional areas, but I presume there are some decent plans, I mean, I have to drive through the town of Nokia.

Damn, going to miss out on restaurant day!

http://www.restaurantday.org/en

So...

What must I check out in Helsinki? What can I do without seeing? Is the zoo any good?

Would like to post more thoughts on this amazing place when I have time, but what's with people who wouldn't look at you during the week getting absolutely paralytic on the weekend, pissing everywhere and unable to walk. The two extremes are incredible. Also caught the ferry from Tallinn, big lols at bulging suitcases full of spirits and trolleys with crates and crates of beer wielded by virtually everyone.

See you if you're out tonight, Tuomas!

http://i.imgur.com/stpZV75.gif

I got most of this, but can someone (Tuomas?) provide a full translation? Specifically, what is so funny about the two machine guns and who is the woman before the last Kekkonen?

Erm, this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuWvAvCcnts

The first machine gun is a Finnish design, famous for being used by the Finnish troops during WWII:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomi_KP/-318

As for the other gun, no idea.

The woman became famous for being involved in a sex scandal that lead to the resignation of the then-foreign minister in 2008. After that she became a fixture of tabloids and gossip mags, and is often called "the most useless celebrity" in Finland:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johanna_Tukiainen

Tuomas did you celebrate Saint Urho's Day?

What's that?

Lol

I googled it, apparently it's something invented and celebrated by Finnish-Americans? So it's not really known in here. The majority of Finns are Lutherans, saints in general are not a part of Finnish mainstream culture in any way.

http://www.hs.fi/blogi/kuolemantanssi/a1305994842242

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_still_the_happiest_country_in_the_world_says_un_report/10698146

Finland has it all

both my boys are asking re getting a finnish passport.
lucky buggers.

ooops, posted too soon.
part 2 …

the problem was that I had never informed the relevant finnish authorities of the death of bh, so the lads are unable to get processed until she has been registered as dead.
currently in the process of that, and then will start the ball rolling re getting them dual nationalities.
amazingly though bh had clearly informed finland of the lads existence, as they have their details on record, which makes things easier by all accounts.

How old are your boys? As you may know, unfortunately we have mandatory military service (or civil service, if you don't wanna go to the army, obviously I chose that) that you're supposed to between ages 18 and 30, if you're a citizen and live here permanently. Though there are ways to avoid it, especially with a dual citizenship.

16 and 22.
we checked, and there are exemptions for non-nationals.
that's why BH and me never went through with the process years ago when they were born as there weren't any such assurances re national service, but the embassy advised all would be ok for them now.
pretty sure they wont be moving to Finland to live permanently, just means they have the EU FOM status, and the option to move there if they decide to later in life.

Impressed..

The government of Finland https://t.co/yOH9po5x7o pic.twitter.com/F6KlxMsppw

— Spanish Art Restorer (@lib_crusher) November 14, 2020

That's not the whole government though, that's the the prime minister and three other ministers, all whom are leaders of the parties in the government (from left to right: Left Alliance, Centre Party, Social Democrats, Green Party). Also, people like to share that shot instead of another one taken at the same time, which includes the leader of fifth party in the goverment (the Swedish Party), who's also a woman, presumably because she's middle-aged and not in her thirties:

https://d1ddzfo1d7bgrb.cloudfront.net/aamulehti/f1e2e414-2133-592d-a394-c3706bdc1c37-800x_.jpg

Also also, that image is from last year, and since then the leader of the Centre Party has changed, here's a more recent image of the five party leaders:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhVFabsXcAELRtV.jpg

👍👍👍

I love Finland. Were it not for the stupid rona I’d have visited again in May and would be going again to Lapland in February. Another year hopefully.

Finland has a Swedish Party?

Not dogging you all. Just wondering why we can't have a Swedish Party too.

The area now known as Finland was a part of Sweden for centuries, so there's a notable Swedish-speaking minority here, something like 5 % of the population.

Sibelius was Swede-Finn?

Only 5%?

Is there a Finland Party in Russia?

Yeah. The area of Finland was kind of a backwater in the Swedish empire, so not that many people moved here from Sweden proper, and when Russia conquered the area from Sweden in the 19th century, presumably some of them moved back.

(xpost)

And Sibelius was a Swedish-speaking Finn, yeah. As was Tove Jansson, the creator of the Moomins.

I know I could just go look this up, but are the Swedish Party in favour of returning Finland to Sweden? Or a party specifically pushing policies representing Swedish Finns? Or is it just a name left over from history?

The second one, my friend lives on the east coast and they learn Swedish there and have a decent number of Swedish speakers (as you’d expect given proximity).

Finnish universities have special chairs for Swedish-speaking professors who can ensure a sufficient number of courses in Swedish. It amounts to affirmative action for the Swedish-speaking community.

In reverse Swedes seem to have been a whole lot less appreciative of Finns, though most of my knowledge of historic Swedish-Finnish relations come from reading and reading about Strindberg, which is not as ideal as he hated everyone.

Yeah, that's true. Because the area of Finland was colonised by Sweden, the Swedish-speaking minority that lived here were largely landowners, aristocrats, administrators and other members of upper classes, and they retained much of their wealth and power throughout the Russian rule and all the way to 20th century and the era of Finnish independence. Because of this, they were able to negotiate very good minority rights and benefits for themselves, right down to Swedish being the second official language of Finland. The Swedish Party is mostly dedicated to ensuing those rights and benefits continue to exist. The Finnish-speaking minority in Sweden, in contrast, is largely working-class people and their descendants who moved to Sweden for work, and their official rights and benefits aren't half as good as what the Swedish-speakers have here.

Any suggestions for [English language] children's fiction (10-ish) set in Finland or with a Finnish theme? Ta.

I'm not very good at "reading ages" - what kind of age are the Moomin novels aimed at?

10-ish is perfect for Moomins imo

I looked at some english language versions of Moomins at the library awhile back and they were translated into rhyming verse - but the originals weren't in verse, yeah?

def not

Thanks Sleeve/Andy.

Some of the early ones were in verse I think - “Who Will Comfort Toffle” for example, but I think of the prose bits as the main thing.

Any other suggestions, not Moomins? I guess "adventures in snow-y landscapes" sort of things?

Looks like are some reddit threads about Finnish children's literature

not Finnish, but Pippi Longstocking maybe?

Also not Finnish, but "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils".