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I pulled this from the Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. Check it out on the Learn Finnish page. Some key words to remember if traveling to Finland:
(credit for this post goes to the Helsingin Sanomat)
Anteeksi = Sorry / Excuse me
En puhu suomea. = I don’t speak Finnish
Hauska tavata! = Nice to meet you!
Hyvää huomenta! = Good morning!
Hyvää iltaa! = Good evening!
Hyvää päivää! = Good afternoon!
Iso tuoppi! = Could I have a pint of beer, please!
Kiitos! = Thank you!
Technorati Tags: Finland, Finnish language, Learn Finnish
So, I’m in Finland and it wouldn’t be right to not make any mention of the greatest drink on the planet! Golden Cap Cider.
Finnish Cider comes in many different styles and brands- like Coke, Pepsi, etc. My favorite is the brand Golden Cap (click on Kylla if over 18, EN if younger for those of you who don’t speak Finnish- you won’t understand the site but there is an English link here). If you want a comparison, the closest thing to the taste of Golden Cap Cider is Smirnoff Ice but it is really not the same- for one Golden Cap is sugar free and not as sweet. Finnish cider is rather expensive though- about $3 a bottle. I can’t say much else other than I LOVE IT especially since I’m not a big drinker all and just like things that taste good- this tastes great and you can’t taste any alcohol. The worst part is that you can’t get it in the U.S. so don’t even bother asking me to share what I bring home because I won’t!
Feel free to read more about Finnish Cider if you’re interested!
Technorati Tags: Finland, Finnish Cider, Finnish Drink, Golden Cap
So, I have made previous posts about reindeer stew in previous blogs but it always seems to bring about questions by just about everyone so I thought another posting couldn’t hurt. Matti’s mom made reindeer a few nights ago so we were able to take photos of the process. Reindeer comes prepared in many forms. The two that I have liked it the best are in burger form and as a sauteed, “stew” form. Reindeer stew is not actually a stew this is just what people seem to call it so I’ll go with it. In its most common form, reindeer stew is reindeer chopped up into tiny pieces, sauteed on the stove and served on top of mashed potatoes. Matti’s mom adds tiny pieces of bacon which not everyone does (I love it this way!). You can follow the photos below on the process
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STEP 1: The reindeer is thawed (if cooked from previously frozen package- think hamburger meat thawed to make burgers or something) and cut up into small pieces. Bacon is added to the mix in this version as you can see to the right of the reindeer.
STEP 2: It is them tossed into a pot/skillet on the stove where the reindeer and bacon saute together to make one of the best smells ever (as soon as technology allows for smells to transmit over the internet you’ll be able to smell this piece of heaven!)
So, today is a holiday in Finland called Ascension Day. I am REALLY going to make obvious my lack of religious practices and understanding but I will do the best I can to describe the event (and link you to information that can explain it better- should be a relatively short post 
“General understanding of the Christian doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven in the presence of his apostles, following his resurrection. The term heaven is generally believed, by practicing Christians, as referring to a physical reunion with God the Father, as opposed to a spiritual transformation and experience of the Divine which is common to the mystical traditions of other world religions. It is narrated in Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9-11, and Ephesians 4:7-13. This is affirmed by Christian liturgy in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.” Read more on Wikipedia
Apparently, this year, it is the same day in the East and the West (in the past and for future dates it is observed weeks apart) so feel free to celebrate wherever you are! In Finland, it is recognized as an official, public holiday (translation- no work, no school, banks are closed, etc.) But it is not a Finnish Flag day (you’ll hear more about what that is later on a holiday that is a Finnish Flag Day).
Matti and his family are not very religious so we are celebrating Ascension as just another day off. His twin brother Pekka is in town and his mom is taking the opportunity to celebrate their shared birthday from May 8th. That is how we are celebrating. If anyone does celebrate this holiday feel free to post and let me/us know what you do. Enjoy the day!
Technorati Tags:
Finland, Finnhish holiday, Finland Ascension Day
I wanted to let everyone know that I have uploaded more photos to flickr (Rovaniemi, Finland; London, Paris and Shanghai photos- yes this is kind of a Finland blog at the moment but until I get my other sites up and going, all photos will be listed in one flickr ccount). I also added a section on the Finnish language. and updated the ‘Calendar/News’ section with links to local Finnish news and info- Finnish events in the U.S. will be added as I hear about them. Look for a ‘Finnish Culture’ section coming soon and more language lessons! When the weather clears up I’ll add a couple of videos for you as well- maybe in the next couple of days. Any requests/suggestion for content are welcome. I am in the process of working on a section dedicated to food but that will take some time (none of the ingredients are in English and it is hard to find translations) STAY TUNED!
Good morning and Happy Mother’s Day (well day after Mother’s Day). I thought everyone might like to see what a Finnish Mother’s Day is like, at least for the Koivula family. We started the day at the cemetery around 11:30 where Matti’s parents planted flowers on Matti’s grandmother’s grave (his dad’s mom). There were a ton of people at the cemetery doing the same thing. We then went to Matti’s other grandmother’s house (mom’s mom) where we met with his mom’s siblings and kids and had coffee and cake with his grandmother. Matti’s mom is from a town about 8 miles outside of Rovaniemi so it is always nice to see a new corner of Finland.
After the visits we headed for an early dinner at the Sky Hotel, Ounasvaara. Below are some pictures of the meal:
On the left is sesame salmon. Matti and his parents chose this one and said it was great. There was one with white sesames the other with black sesames (he had already eaten the one with white sesames but you get the idea. Second from the left is asparagus soup with a chunk of shredded beef packed into the middle. I thought this was very good. The meat with the asparagus soup was strange (because I had never had anything like it but it was surprisingly good). One interesting comment to add is that Matti informed that Rovaniemi just got fresh asparagus for the first time this season about a month ago (very short asparagus season here). Every time I have come I have asked about it and it has never been here so I might have to try cooking it now just to see if there is a difference between Finland asparagus and asparagus from the U.S.
The Eurovision Song contest has a more than 50 year tradition in Europe. You could compare it to American Idol on steroids for us Americans who follow the cultural phenomenon. This year, the contest was held in Helsinki, Finland as the result of last year’s contest winner, Lordi, being a Finnish native (the country the winning group represents gets to host the following year). For Matti and his family and friends, the contest last year and this year was particularly important because Lordi is a band from his home town of Rovaniemi and Matti’s older brother is best friends with the lead singer. I have had the “pleasure” to see the band perform and…well…let’s just say it’s interesting… You can view their website here- beware, make sure your speakers aren’t blaring!
Last night was the Eurovision Final with the 24 remaining countries down from the original 52 or so. Though Finland made it to the finals it was Serbia who came out victorious in the end. If you are interested in learning more about the Eurovision competition you can read the excerpt below and follow the link to the Eurovision website.
Read the rest of this entry »
Click on the map to view our trip details from Columbia, MO to Rovaniemi, Finland. Personally, swimming from the U.S. to Stockholm seems like the most fun!
Technorati Tags: columbia, mo, Rovaniemi google map, rovaniemi, finland, google map, Finland
Last night at about 7:00pm Matti and I landed in Rovaniemi,Finland to an announcement by the pilot that there was a possibility of snow flakes….SNOW FLAKES!! So, not the best start…we got off the plane to the cold air and I was not happy. It was cold, not cool, cold. I have been to Finland before in the cold..that was December. It is May. Granted, Matti’s dad told us that it was not normal and not expected (similar to the late cold we got in the US in April) but still…cold… When you aren’t prepared it is a bit of a shocker. It was a shock because just a few hours earlier we were enjoying amazing weather in Southern Finland.
Matti and I landed in Helsinki, Finland yesterday afternoon at about 12pm. We met up with Matti’s brother, Pekka, who met us at the airport and took us out to lunch in a town called Porvoo which is about 20 minutes outside of Helsinki. Lunch was good, a simple Tuna salad for me and pineapple chicken for Matti and the weather was beautiful! It was sunny, it felt like it was in the 60s, it was nice…I should have enjoyed it more. At about 5:30pm we headed to Rovaniemi…did I mention the cold?? Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m about to head off to Minneapolis in August so cold should not bother me BUT, it is May! Minneapolis is even celebrating 70s and 80s! This is crazy. I do have to say it is not Matti’s fault for sharing this with me. If you check out pictures from two summers ago when I was in Finland, pictures dating to May include me in T-shirts and even capris so…this isn’t normal, but…I was not happy. I pulled out my coat, pulled out gloves and stepped into the 35 degree weather.
We got to Matti’s house around 7:30pm and his mom had made a ham quiche and blueberry pie for us. It was during my second piece of quiche that I became okay with the weather. I sat at the table with Matti and his parents. I assume they were all catching up because I couldn’t understand a word any of them were saying (haven’t quite learned Finnish yet) but I looked around the house, looked outside and I could almost hear a pin drop. I remembered just how much I love this place. Even better is to not feel like a tourist but to feel like I’m “vacationing.” Wouldn’t choose this weather for a vacation but with quiche and blueberry pie in my tummy and the BEST pastries on the planet…I’m a happy girl! This weather will be gone in a couple days and this city is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been (and the food will just keep getting better!)
Technorati Tags: Finland
