FINNISH TRIVIA

Delightful People, Delightful Country

Neutral during WW II, Finland resisted two Russian attacks and emerged from physical devastation with strong economic and military policies.

            Once a dirt poor country many Finns migrated to northern Minnesota.  Between 1809 and 1917 Finland began to industrialize and most of Helsinki’s great buildings were built during that time. 

Since the end of WW II Finland has become a modern country with successful timber, paper and telecommunications industries.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, about 20 percent of Finland’s trade disappeared.

Finland had been ruled by both Sweden and Russia before its independence in 1917.

            Although thought of as a Scandinavian country, Finland is really more Nordic. Finland is a republic. One third of the country is above the Arctic Circle.

In 1906 Finnish women were the first European women to be given the vote, and now women make up 40 percent of the parliament.

The Finnish language, related to Estonian and Hungarian, is a difficult one.

            Finland is well known for the Nokia phone and the familiar orange handled Friskers scissors and tools.

Street signs are in both Finnish and Swedish.

People were once paid in onions, potatoes, or vodka. The society was drinking itself to death, so since the 18^th century all liquor has been sold in state stores.

Lakka is a cloudberry liquor schnapps that I found quite good.

Finns are quiet stoic people, and are suspicions of small talk.

They like licorice that comes in many flavors, but they are not chocolate candy eaters.

They also prefer to suck or chew snuff to smoking cigarettes.

Helsinki is the smallest city to ever host the Olympics.  The films Gorky Park and Dr. Zhivago were filmed there.   

A Helsinki shipyard made ice breakers in the 1980s. In the 1990s it made cruise ships, many for Carnival Lines. The dry-dock is as wide as the Panama Canal.

            Helsinki is very pedestrian friendly, but the drivers are not!
            I liked Helsinki a lot and had a great visit there.