Hauska laskiainen!

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or how they call it here in Finland Laskiainen. Did you already slide down the hill today at Kaivopuisto? Or did you skip that due to the rainy weather?

Well, in any case you shouldn't miss out on a delicious if also a little unhealthy laskiais pulla. The pastry with either jam or marzipan and loads of whipped cream can be bough at supermarkets, bakeries and cafes.

Enjoy and have a nice laskiainen!

A beer to rock on

Would you like to try a new beer over the weekend? Try the Rock And Roll Hurriganes Lager Beer then. It is truely Finnish. Not just because it is brewed by the Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas Micro Brewery from Western Finland. But also because it is named after the famous Finnish rock and roll band The Hurriganes.

And after all it is actually quite a good beer. So give it a try and have a rockin' weekend!

What is your Finnscope sign?

Everyone knows their zodiac sign. But wouldn't you also like to know your Finnscope sign? Maybe you are a shy reindeer herder, an impulsive shaman or maybe a passionate gold hunter. You can find it out on VisitFinland's new Finnscope generator.

Have a look and find out more about your very own sign. The page provides lots of additional information and you can learn something new about Finland, its culture and its people. Give it a try right away on the Finnscope website.

Eat with the firefighters

Are you searching for a real lunch gem? Then check out Pompier. It is well hidden in a backyard on Albertinkatu and extremely popular amongst locals.

The owners took over a 150 year old former firefighter club house and turned it into now one of the most original lunch restaurants in Helsinki. Grab some good home made Finnish food together with some delicious salads from the big buffet and sit down at one of the old wooden tables in the big canteen like room.

Pompier is definately wort the visit. And the food is great. The restaurant is open only on weekdays from 11 until 14:00. Be prepared to queue for a few minutes before getting in.

10 facts about Finland

What where the things that surprised you most when you came to Finland for the first time? Here is a list of things that might shock first-time visitors. Do you agree or have something to add?

Looking forward to your comments!

Learn Finnish with Santa

How good is your Finnish? Not that good? Well, there is someone that can help you. At least with the most important phrases. And pretty surely you know that someone quite well. It is Santa Claus.

Hyvä itsenäisyyspäivä!

Happy Independence Day! Today is one of the most important Finnish holidays. The day where the country got its independence from Russia in 1917.

Unfortunately this year it falls on a Saturday. So no extra free day this time. But keep in mind that except for a few supermarkets everything is closed today. So enjoy the day with the family at home (the weather is anyway not supposed to be that great today). 

And of course don't miss the president's big reception tonight. This year it is back in Helsinki in the newly rennovated President's Palace. The whole event will be covered live on Yle 1 starting at 18:15.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Finnish-American art of brewing

Beer fans listen up. There is something you should try. The Finnish Sinebrychoff Brewery started a cooperation with the Brooklyn Brewery from the US.

Together they created the Two Tree Porter. This dark malty and fruity beer has a slight taste of chocolate and coffee. It is one of the finest Finnish beers you can find. Give it a try and enjoy!

Nokia for your feet

Today Nokia is going to announce a new customer product on Slush. Let's see what that is going to be and when it is going to come to the market. But did you know that already today you can buy real Nokia products everywhere in Finland?

Nokia (or rather Nokian) rubber boots are probably the most common and most popular rubber boots in Finland. And even if Nokian is now independent they have common roots with the network and former cellphone Nokia.

Check out their shoes. They are available under the brands Nokian and Hai and are really good.

Fingerpori also in English

Fingerpori is one of the most popular comics in Finland. It is published in several Finnish newspapers around the country. Unfortunately for expats and tourists the jokes of the comic strips stay hidden if your Finnish skills aren't excellent.

But the good news is that now also non-Finnish speakers can read Fingerpori. An English version of selected Fingerpori comics has been published in the book "Fingerpori from Finland". You can get it from book shops everywhere around the country or online. The price ranges from 15 to 20 €.

Have fun with Fingerpori!

Street puuro

Finns love their pordige in the morning. The so called puuro is the probably most popular and definitely one of the most traditional breakfast meals in Finland.

Following the next street food trend in Helsinki the well known Finnish poridge brand Elovena offers puuro to go this year. Located right next to Vanha Ylioppilastalo it is ideal for for people working in the city center. Apart from poridge with different topings the Elovena Puurobaari of course also sells coffe. If you still want to grab your cup of puuro, be fast. The truck will just be in the center till the last day of September.

Porvoo's sweet treasure

Up for some sweets? If you want to enjoy some really nice chocolates and candies and at the same time support local products then give Brunberg a try.

Brunberg Oy is a small sweet manufacturer from Porvoo, around 50 km east of Helsinki. The company has a 150 year old tradition and has a produces things such as truffles, Alku caramel fudges, jelly sweets, liquorice and of course the famous Brunger kisses. You can get their products in most supermarkets in and around Helsinki. You can also come to their outlets in Porvoo and combine the trip with a walk around the beautiful old Finnish town.

FYI Brunberg does not believe advertisement. They rather invest that money in their employees salleries and in improving their production.

Give it a try and enjoy!

How the Aalto vase is made

You probably all know the famous vase from Alvar Aalto with its distinctive curved shape. But have you ever asked yourself how it is actually made?

This infographic from Finnstyle explains it quite well.

Hyvää juhannusta!

Today is Midsummer, or Juhannus how it is called in Finland. The name refers to St John, who is also celebrated that day. If you look out the window you will realize that Juhannus is also a flag day. And a very special one even. On Juhannus the flag flies the whole night through till the next day.

Most Finns leave the cities for their Midsummer celebration and go to their mökkis on the countryside. But for those of you that decided to stay in Helsinki there is also lots to do today.

The most traditional way to celebrate Juhannus is to watch a bonfires in the evening. There are two big ones in Helsinki. One is on Seurasaari (you have to pay entrance here and tickets are apparently already sold out) and one on Pihlajasaari (take a ferry from Kaivopuisto or Ruoholahti). There are also cruises offered by several boat companies that bring you close to the bonfires during a normally three hour long boat trip.

Finns love to dance in the summer. So if you like join one of the Midsummer dances e.g. in Linnanmäki, at Kuudes linja and at Club Kaiku. Or why not take a Juhannus sauna?

To find out more about all the options you have today check the Midsummer post on visithelsinki.fi. For more information on Juhannus I also recommend Rusty Snyder's article on thisisFINLAND. More also on visitfinland.com.

Have a great Juhannus!

Birdwatching with the Finnstick

The birds are coming back to Finland. That's the time that all birdwatchers have been waiting for for months. Now they go out into the nature whenever they find time to watch the homecomers.

But holding up your binoculars for several hours can be quite tiring for the arms. That's why Finns invented a simple device that is now famous among birdwatchers all over the world: the Finnstick.

It is basically just a wooden stick with a small cylindric nose on top that can hold the binoculars. That way you just have to hold the end of the stick. The idea is simple and at the same time genius. You can buy one or also very easily build one yourself.

Enjoy the birdwatching!

Pimp your Finnish for free

You have the feeling that your Finnish could use a little freshen up? The Finnish e-learning company Skilltize offers free conversation lessons (level B1 = intermediate) for several languages right now. You can already enroll for Finnish and German. Spanish, English and Chinese are still to come.

The class takes place in a virtual classroom in small groups of up to six participants and a teacher. Check it out!

Find your inner Finn!

What would you be called if you were a Finn? The Finngenerator from VisitFinland.com can tell you.

Finngenerator by visitfinland.com

Just type in your name and let them know if you are male or female and you will find out. The web app that is going viral at the moment also tells you what your Finnish name means.

Try it out and share the result with your friends on Facebook or Twitter. You can also download it as a picture in case you were planning on putting it up on the wall.

Which way should I go?

I love those two Finnish signs at a parking lot in Espoo. I always imagine how helpless a tourist might feel here that doesn't know a word of Finnish.

What the signs are trying to say is, if you want to go up, go left and if you want to go out, go right.

Happy Friend's Day!

Today is Valentine's Day. In Finland it's called Ystävänpäivä though. This translates into Friend's Day and has a broader meaning then in just to be a day for lovers.

So, all you singles outside there don't get frustrated but rather spend the day with a good friend. And all you couples have a romantic Valentine's Day. And of course all of you have a great start into the weekend!

Hyvää ystävänpäivää!

Runebergin Päivä

Johan Ludvig Runeberg is considered one of the most important Finnish poets of all times. As every February 5 his birthday is celebrated today with a flying flag and of course with Runebergin torttu.

You shouldn't miss out on them. They are available in supermarkets, cafés and restaurants and are quite delicious. Runebergin torttu is made with almonds, icing and raspberry jam.

Hyvää Runebergin päivää!