"Fortunately most Finns speak English but even so."
I escaped my vegan paramour to get myself a burger, but none of the staff spoke English so I pointed at a photograph of a burger on their menu. They looked at me dubiously before serving me a child's happy meal with a little plastic toy. I saw a Sami woman buying reindeer steaks from a supermarket - what, no relatives? All the old folk walk around with ski sticks even before the snow comes.
Definitely under-reported are Finnish fascists/ ultra nationalists - they are effing huge, and think they won WWII by swapping sides at the last minute. And then there's the Commies, if you are into WWII/cold war memorabilia then their flea markets are a boon.
During Covid lockdown English people can only buy booze until 10pm. Scottish folk only ever could buy booze 'til 10pm. Finnish folk can only buy booze from government stores 'til 5pm.
Plus the language and the nudity. Don't wear clothes to a sauna. It's pronounced sow-na, not saw-na.
I'm not trying to put anyone off, go for it. It's like being on a foreign planet from a different dimension in an alternative timezone.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
