Finland

[Spartana]

I tried to learn some Finnish before I went - I already speak fluent German and other European languages - and found it incredibly hard! I really wished I'd made a bit more effort.

What a lovely picture!!

My grandparents are from Sweden and my mom is from Germany and I just can't figure out what in the world Finnish is related to! It doesn't sound Scandinavian at all - doesn't sound Russian or even European at all. Actually sounds Polynesian. Even the last names of my friends there are long weirdly spelled and unusual sounding. Now I'm curious and will have to google the it.

[iris lilies]

I am getting a yen to visits Scandanavian countires. All of the films I see from that area shows gorgeous countryside and a populace that is close to nature, they love swimming and hiking and being in the lakes and outdoor areas.

[iris lilies]

Terry, Just got back from Prague. Be prepared to walk on cobblestones. A lot. Check out Rick Steve's and eyewitness guides for good places to eat. Watch the following movies filmed in Prague:immortal beloved, operation daybreak and Amadeus. I went to the Jewish museum but did not go to the local concentration camp. I am glad I went but had nightmares that night. The architecture is stunning. Also, many of the churches and the Rudolphinium have wonderful concerts and operas. Well worth to familiarize yourself with Mozart before going. I was surprised how many people spoke English. More casual dress than I suspected
haven't made it to Finland, thinking of maybe Holland next.

Prague is definitely on my list!

[Spartana]

I am getting a yen to visits Scandanavian countires. All of the films I see from that area shows gorgeous countryside and a populace that is close to nature, they love swimming and hiking and being in the lakes and outdoor areas.

Yeah my favorite area of Europe but expensive! I just googled Finnish stuff and came across this pic on Wikipedia - guess it was from Narvik, Norway (1500 miles from the North Pole and 150 north of the Artic Circle) and not Finland. Very cool place though and worth a visit - oh and the photo looks a bit familiar :-)!

[SiouzQ.]

My ex-father-in-law emigrated from Finland after the war. My first trip to Finland was in 1985 (?) with his son (my boyfriend, and later my husband). FIL paid for everything! We toured through France, Germany, and Switzerland for two weeks, then swung back north to pick up FIL in Hamburg and then drive to the ferry that would take us to Denmark, drove through Denmark and Sweden, then another ferry across to Finland. FIL has a beautiful cottage on the Baltic about an hour from Helsinki. The first trip I was gone 6 weeks, the second trip was a belated honeymoon in which we took the train as far north as it would go into Lapland, then hopped on our bikes and proceeded to bike our way up into Norway near the Russian border (this was before Perestroika). Took a ferry around the fjords of Norway until we find a bikeable road road to head south on. I have to say that bike trip was THE hardest thing physically I have ever done! But so worth it! It was stunningly beautiful, and I remember we climbed Mt. Sana (sp?) at midnight but the sun was still up and by the time we went to sleep in our tent it was 3am and bright sunlight. That was weird...

We happened to be at the cottage the year when Gorbachev was ousted. That was weird and interesting to see the reaction of the Finnish people; I remember we were in a bank in Helsinki exchanging money and this big black diplomatic car pulled up real fast and these men in dark business suits with attache cases rushed in and were whisked away for some "important" business. I've always wondered what was going on with that. The news headlines at that time where huge, but I couldn't read or understand much of it. We relied on the nightly BBC broadcast to find out what was going on!

I think I went back one or two more times while I was still married into this family. I really treasure those opportunities my ex-FIL gave me. It was very generous. My daughter just *might* have been conceived on the sun-warmed rocks of the little island where the cottage was located...two summers ago my ex FIL, who is around 88 years old, invited his grand daughter (my daughter) and grandson (my ex-husband's son from another relationship) to visit Finland with him. Again, extremely generous on his part. She loved it!

[Packy]

The question of the origin of the Finnish People is one that has been given many wrong answers. A lot of people figure the Finns have Asian ancestors, think they look Asiatic; but with the possible exception of indigenous Lapp People in the far north of Finland, it just isn't so. Finns, are Scandinavian, geographically, culturally, and genetically. Just a little different, prolly due to the extended isolation of far Northern Europe . . It is possible that some Lapps have intermarried with European Finns, thus contributing to an inaccurate stereotype of them being all being Asiatic. Personally, I've observed that a lot of people living in the North Central USA who have a lot of Scandinavian in them--Danish, Swede, Norwegian, as well as Finn, have broad flat faces with high cheeks. But, I don't figure they are Asian, and neither do anthropologists. Sure don't. Sorry.