[narlus]

i will be there next week for work...too bad there will only be about 6 hrs of light...and it will be cold...but still it should be cool to see the land some of my ancestors came from.

on the off chance anyone's been, what is there to see and do in Helsinki?

 

[SkaredShtles]

We spent just a day there. There's an island fortress that's pretty cool out in the bay. We also went to see the crazy stone church downtown, but it was closed.

The waterfront area was pretty cool what with shops, a market, crazy Russian circus performers, etc.

 

[stosh]

Alvar Aalto Architecture

 

[stosh]

 

[stosh]

 

[stosh]

 

[firetoole]

my sis lived there for a year all I can tell you is get a reindeer drivers license and go see the real Santa

 

[SkaredShtles]

Finland, Finland, Finland.........................

The country where I quite want to be.............

 

[Rainer Wolfcastle]

In Scandinavia the Fins are know to be the the strange people. Strange customs like whipping eachother with birch branches in the sauna, making strange films and drinking lots of vodka.

Mtb film from Finland

http://www.extremevideo.fi/dirt-street/finnishmafia/joonas_vinnari_finmafia2.wmv

 

[Andyman_1970]

Rally of Finland and the Ouninpohja stage..............

 

[valve bouncer]

Most of the Finns I've ever met have been raging pisstanks. Get stuck in Narlus.

 

[sunny]

I lived in Tampere (about 2 hr north by train from Helsinki) from Jan - May 1997.

If the water is frozen, try to get to a place they have an avanto (hole in the ice near a sauna for bathing).
This is the nutty Finnish national pasttime - going from the hot sauna to the frozen avanto for a refreshing dip.
Be sure to bring your wooden mug and vodka.

Sunny at the avanto, Feb 1997. All that white stuff is snow and ice.
They had an air compressor blowing air into the water to maintain the hole. Yep. Freakin cold.

I loved Finland.

 

[narlus]

i think i'll avoid the 32F water, but thanks for the tip.

 

[SkaredShtles]

i think i'll avoid the 32F water, but thanks for the tip.

Those Finns are crazy, crazy people.

There's quite a bit of Finn in my ancestry.

I wonder if I could blame the Finns........

 

[Yossarian]

i think i'll avoid the 32F water, but thanks for the tip.

and the wind. Brrrr!

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I've been there 3 times. I used to live in Sweden and I visited there when I could. I used to date the most beautiful woman from Finland and man she could drink. This was my early 20s and man she almost had my number. Anyway, I've been there in both the summer and winter and I loved it in both seasons. Helsinki has some kick ass pubs and the ferry between Stockholm is always a blast (and cheap and great for singles). Have fun. I'm jealous!