finland i nsider 1 finland i nsider Contents 5 About Me and Finlandinsider 29 Food and Sauna 5 Suomi-Finland...What is that? 29 After Sauna Snack Food Ideas 5 Enter Reality! 30 An after Sauna Snack 6 ...We'll Everything Did Not Go As Planned! 30 Preventing 'After Sauna Chills' 6 To Think It Is Possible? 30 The Finnish Smoke Sauna 6 From 9 to 5 to Small Business 31 The Finnish Home Sauna Operator 31 Feeling the Heat in a Modern 6 Dawning of Success Finnish Sauna 6 ...Another setback follows! 31 The Finnish Public Sauna 6 At the doctor's office 31 A Blissful Sauna Practice 7 About finlandinsider.com? 31 A Finnish Sauna Vacation 7 What Food in Finland would you try? 32 What to See in the Area? 32 Finnish Sauna Atmosphere 7 Typical Sweet Yummy Tasty Summer Delight 32 Unique, Crazy and Fun Finnish sauna types 8 Fresh Food in Finland from the Bottom of a Lake 33 The Best Sauna in Finland - Finnish Ice Swimming Sensation for Everyone 8 Typical Finnish Foods Fresh - Finnish Fish by the roadside. 33 Here is how Locals do "The Best Sauna In Finland." Get Ready to Feel Refreshed. 9 Out to sea for typical Finnish Foods 34 Inside the best sauna in Finland - The Rau- 9 Typical Finnish foods - haniemi Kylpylä sauna A tastebuddy healthy treat! 35 Hot enough... 10 Typical Finnish foods Aura’s Mom Prepares - A Distinctful Home-Made Taste Unique to Her 36 Can You Feel the Head Rush? Personality 36 Cooling down at the best sauna in Finland 10 Typical Finnish Foods Summer Favorites at is just as important... Juhannus When the Sun Does Not Set 37 Small Sauna Warmdown At the Best Sauna 11 Typical Finnish Foods Celebrating Christmas in Finland at an ABC Service Station 37 Rauhaniemi's best sauna in 12 Finnish Crepe Pancakes Recipe Finland Tip...? Typical Finnish Dessert Or Snack 38 The best sauna in Finland opening season 15 Expert Finnish Pulla Recipe and times 22 Finnish Cheese Attraction in Jalasjärvi on 38 Ice swimming season our drive back to Tampere - Buy fresh cheeses 38 Shops in below store price Finland Under a Single Roof and in One 25 Cheese production in Finland Building 25 How to make Finnish cheese 38 Shops in Finland -another large shopping 26 Spoting a deal food shopping in Finland! center 27 The Finnish "Way of Thinking", About 38 Lets go inside Ideapark's Old-town section Finnish sauna 39 Fun for Children at the best shops in Fin- land. 27 Adjust your thinking 39 When to go to Ideapark and how long to Finnish Sauna Health Benefits 27 stay? Walking the halls of Ideapark 28 The Lakeside Sauna Landscape 2 finland i nsider 40 Driving in 61 Education in Finland Finland Experiences, Pictures and Favorite Routes 61 Architecture in Finland 42 Insurances 62 The Northern lights as seen in Finland 42 General information about traffic & road 63 National Parks signs 43 Parking a car 64 Finland's National Parks - An overview of 43 Safety items to consider while driving in the best parts and Finland. driving directions 45 Food and eating 64 National Parks in Finland locations from 46 Driving routes with scenic north to south of Finland. landscapes of Finland 65 General Information 47 Short scenic "driving in Finland" insider 66 Lemmenjoki National Park drives. 66 Urho Kekkonen National Park 48 A guide to what is attractive about Finland? 67 Pallas Yllästunturi National Park 48 Why live in Finland or travel there? 68 Pyhä-Luosto National Park 48 Attractive in Finland & What You'll find- at 68 Oulanka National Park tractive about Finland. 68 Riisitunturi National park 49 Scenic Finland 69 Syöte National Park 49 The west coast of Finland is flat with few 69 Bothnian Bay National Park lakes. 70 Rokua National Park 50 The Four Seasons Adds Spice to Life 70 Hiidenportti National Park 50 Finnish Culture 71 Tiilikkajärvi National Park 50 Finnish Design 71 Salamajärvi National Park 51 Language 71 Patvinsuo National Park 51 Moose and Bears! 72 Koli National Park 53 Finnish ruska 72 Pyhä-Häkki National Park 54 Finland Pictures - nature Trips in Vesilahti 72 Petkeljärvi National Park During Summer and Fall 73 Kolovesi National Park 55 On we drive for some Vesilahti Finland pic- 73 Kauhaneva- Pohjankangas National Park tures of Laukko Horses. 74 Helvetinjärvi National Park 56 Winter - time Pictures 74 Leivonmäki National Park 75 Linnansaari National Park 59 Winter-time activities for the family. 75 Seitseminen National Park 75 Lauhanvuori National Park 59 Snowmobile riding 76 Isojärvi National Park 59 Cross Country Skiing Pictures in January 76 Puurijärvi-Isosuo National Park 60 Ice-skating and hockey fun in the evening with Tomi and Rosa at school. 77 Päijänne National Park 77 Repovesi National Park 78 Kurjenrahka National Park 78 Torronsuo National Park 78 Valkmusa National Park 79 Liesjärvi National Park 79 Nuuksio National Park 3 finland i nsider 79 Eastern Gulf National Park 106 What Finnish Hotels Are Like -a Finland 80 Ekenäs Archipelago National Park Hotels Guide! 80 Archipelago National Park 106 A Guide to Hotel Costs Finland Hotels Guide - 5 Star 81 Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi - Our Tour 107 Finnish Hotels 82 Gift shopping inside the Santa Claus Village 107 Finland Hotels Guide -4 Star 84 The Santa Clause Village Christmas Exhibi- Finnish Hotels tion. 108 Finland Hotels Guide - 3 Star 85 Images of Santa Clause Finnish Hotels 85 Next stop at the Santa Clause 108 Finland Hotels Guide -the "Private Hotels" Village...Santa's Main Post Office! brand in Finland 86 See a real elf at work. Boy is she fast! 108 Finland Hotels Guide to Spa Hotels 86 Santa Clause - proof that he exists 108 Economy Hotels in Finland 88 An Award Winning Smoke Sauna Experi- 109 Our Family Moomin World Review ence in Finland 109 Getting to the World of Moomin 88 Around our smoke sauna 109 Classic workshop activities for kids at the experience Moomin World Island 88 The warming of the smoke sauna - The same 110 Our Moomin world review of the Moomin day around 7 am morning Island 89 A three storey smoke sauna. 112 Our Moomin world review of the Moomins 90 Going inside a real Finnish smoke sauna for blue house the first time 113 Our Moomin world review of going into the 91 Kids can get used to the gentle steam of the Moomin family house smoke sauna. 114 Our Moomin world review of the the Hatti- 91 The smoke sauna experience is different to a fatteners trail Finnish home sauna. 116 Our Moomin World review of sights around 91 We get dressed and head out the island 91 Order your first smoke sauna experience in 116 Our shop stop inside the shop! It's...Sniff's Finland. Here is how! Shop! 92 Our mid-May trip to the 117 Our Moomin world review -what else can Sarkanniemi Adventure Park in Tampere you do on the island? 117 Our Moomin World Review. 92 Entrance tickets and prices Leaving the island. 92 Inside the Sarkanniemi Adventure Park 118 What else can one do in Naantali? 93 Traditional Rides at the Sarkanniemi Adventure Park 95 Food and Eating at the Sarkanniemi Amusement Park 95 Tomi's favorite Sarkanniemi Adventure Park rides FinlandInsider - Insider Tips from The Land 97 Rides for Children 120 cm and Up of the Midnight Sun by Jeff Elliot 97 A picture tour of Tampere in September. Layout by Hannes Nachtigall 98 Let's go walking around Tampere in Septem- ber 2013 4 finland i nsider After selling our small row-house, I purchased an emp- ty lot and decided together with Aura to build a house About Me and like our Finnish neighbors! Every family needs a home, so, might as well build a Finlandinsider house (With help of the bank). All our neighbors are either school teachers or builders by profession. A Suomi-Finland...What is that? joke of course! Aura is a school teacher. She teaches kindergarten through 5th grades at a local school here Suomi means 'Finland' in 'Finnish.' My name is Jeffer- in Vesilahti. son. Yes, you heard right, like Thomas Jefferson (the third President of the United States). I am an expat liv- Our triple storey house in 2009 ing in a tiny country village in Vesilahti, Finland. I think I have it real good. Why? Everything is so clean around me. Country air, E.L.N.L. (Extreme Low Noise Level), and according to annual surveys by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, Finland is top-ranked among least cor- rupt countries in the world. Having traveled to over 20 countries prior to moving to Finland, and having worked in the United States; I still think the Northern climate with it’s definite four seasons makes Finland a unique traveling pleasure. Determined to live in Finland and raise our children Many Finns try to build their own house in Finland as here. My dream has come true. much as possible without hiring professional services like a bricklayer or carpenter/builder. This is a DIY Our family -Left to right: country. The reason is simple. Labor costs for profes- Me, Tomi, Aura and Rosa(covering her eyes) sionals in Finland are high. With the help of friends, supportive relatives, and a local retired carpenter, we built the foundation for our house. !!Phew!! The top half (Where the grey blocks end) is a ready-built or pre-fab part. Our bottom floor is an apartment. The upstairs/attic was left hollow -to be built later as you'll see next.