Ep. 27 - Helsinki, Finland
Frozen tundra? Check! Well, maybe not all the time, but destination 27 is undoubtedly a "coat on" city - Helsinki, Finland. This city isn't tropical, but it brings to the table a great combination of history and adventure. Join us on a five minute adventure to this "cool" (pun intended) and must visit locale.
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Transcription:
*Intro Music*
Hey friends, welcome to the 27th episode of The Friday Take Five! It’s another week, which means we are adventuring to yet another cool destination. I’m Mark, and in this 5ish minute podcast I uncover the stories of incredible places from around the world; giving you a renewed appreciation for history and a new travel destination to add to your bucket list. We’ve got another great one today - Let’s get discovering.
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Frozen tundra? Check! Well, maybe not always, however our adventure today takes us to the coldest capital in the Nordic region of Europe. With average max temperatures in July of only 73 F (23 C) and a record low of -35 F (-37 C), Helsinki, Finland is definitely in my opinion a “coat on” kind of city. However, that doesn’t make it any less worth seeing.
The city has plenty to do and the country has plenty going for it to keep its citizens happy. Finland has now for the 6th year in a row been rated as the happiest country in the world. Despite the cold, Helsinki is quickly becoming a great place for both Finns and expats alike to enjoy the happy country.
Helsinki has officially made it on our travel bucket list. With a complex history and a host of activities to experience, I’m excited to make it there. Just maybe not in the winter. One of the top items on my list is taking a trip to Loyly - A self described unique and experiential Sauna restaurant and previously listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 greatest places in the world. But taking in the natural beauty of the locale is also high on my list. With Helsinki being right on the coast, it’s easy to take in some amazing seascapes. Not far from town are lush forests and tons of great hikes to allow any traveler to enjoy both the city and deep woods in just a matter of minutes.
For some of the more committed explorers like myself, it might be worth taking on Repovesi National Park, which is chuck full of natural beauty, and just a couple hours out of the way.
After making it back to Helsinki, there are some more adventurous foods I’m also looking forward to giving a try, like, and I’m gonna butcher this… karjalanpiirakka, which are rice pies and kalakukko, fish pies, along with some sweeter treats like korvapuusti, which are cinnamon rolls, but much better than the American kind.
Helsinki has plenty to do and plenty to eat, but it also has a complex history, which makes me love it even more!
Finland has only been an independent country since 1917. For thousands of years, people have inhabited the area, but it wasn’t until the 1500s that the city was founded by order of a Swedish King. The Swedes wanted to counter the influence of the neighboring town of Tallinn from across the gulf. By founding Helsinki they ended up creating a thriving trading Hub and a great hitch to mainland Europe. That relationship continues into today, with upwards of 70 ferries going between Helsinki and Tallinn each week!
In the 1800s however, Helsinki and Finland fell to the Russians. The area was allowed to operate autonomously and Helsinki was made the capital of the area, but it would be more than 100 years before Finland truly became free.
In 1917, amidst the Russian revolution, Finland also pushed for independence, before falling into a civil war almost immediately. Blood was spilled, and the keys to the country switched hands back and forth between conservative and communist hands and German and Soviet allies from the respective sides.
Since independence, relations with Russia still definitely haven’t been great.
After the conclusion of WW2, Finland, though not formally aligned with Nazi Germany, was forced to pay reparations to the Soviet Union as they were “co-belligerent” with Russia throughout the war time.
But since the war, Finland has transformed. Peace and happiness abound. Helsinki shot to the international stage with the 1952 Olympic games and as an arbiter of peace during the cold war.
Today, it’s a great place with great people, great things to experience, great food, and a whole lot of happiness. I can’t wait to check this awesome looking Nordic destination off our bucket list.nI hope you’ll join me.
*Transition music*
Hey there, thanks for listening to another week of The Friday Take Five. If you like what you’re hearing, give us a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share this episode with a friend. Got feedback or recommendations on places or stories for us to cover? Follow us and shoot us a DM @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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