What to do?

[star]

Hi everybody I´m new here so I dunno if this post should really be here, if its not supposed to, can someone please move it to a more appropriate thread?

Anyway. Im movin to Finland for a couple of months this summer for work. But what do I do in my spare time? No offence, but dont really see Finland as a very exotic country, so I cant really come up with anything in particular that I HAVE to do or see... Is there anything that I mustnt miss??

I enjoy photography (Urban Exploring "light" abandonned places, architecture like grand churches, castles and such), animals & nature (but no hiking, Im a city girl ), american football is the sport for me oh yeah, and paintball of course if it counts as a sport *lol*, cars/motorcycles (any big meets or anything?), shopping *duh* (Im a sucker for Marimekko & Iittala), music/party/festivals (missing out on sonisphere *cry like a baby*) and so on.

Hit me with the best you´ve got, and Ill see what I can make of my summer. I need all the tips I can get, cause I´ve got nothing right now.

Oh, and to make this task a little harder on us all Im gonna be pretty far away from Helsinki Closer to Vasa actually.


EDIT: your tips on my "to-do-list"
1. sauna
2. eat: rye bread, karelian pirakka with butter-eggs, kalakukko, salmiakki, poronkäristys or hirvikäristys, leipäjuusto with hilla
3. drink: dry cider
4. enjoy the archipelago
5. visit Närpes, Vasa, Oravais, Seinäjoki, Helsinki, Kauhava
6. dine @ Faros
7. learn finnish

[onkko]

Anyway. Im movin to Finland for a couple of months this summer for work. But what do I do in my spare time? No offence, but dont really see Finland as a very exotic country, so I cant really come up with anything in particular that I HAVE to do or see... Is there anything that I mustnt miss??:

And were proud of that, only thing you shouldn miss is sauna. Its hard to say what someone finds exotic since my normal way to walk in forest and pick some blueberries was really exotic to some visitors. And drinking from well in my great grandfathers farm was really exotic. Hell even normal casual coffee making over campfire was exotic. That what i did all my youth like walking top of hill and just sat there with all quietness and random bird noises and enjoyed it was exotic. This picture from hill next to my home is probably excotic to someone, to me is norm.

[star]

Onkko: what a beautiful pic!
Ofcourse every country is exotic in its own ways for someone who´s not used to it! But for me who lives in Sweden Finland doesnt seem that different from where I live. What I meant was things to do and see that are special for Finland, special "attractions", "touristy" things to do, you know what I mean? I think Finland is too close to home, I havent really heard much about Finland and what to do or see. I dont even know what to do or see in Sweden, cause I live here, Im so used to it. Eeeh... *lol* I really suck at explaining

Anyway, more tips, please

[interleukin]

You should enjoy the wonderful rye bread (not the sugary stuff that is called bread in Sverige)
You should make sure to eat some karelian pirakka (make sure to get butter-eggs on top), try to get kalakukko, and enjoy the fact that you can get a really dry cider anywhere (again not like the sweetened stuff in Sweden). Salmiakki is a must of course although you CAN get that Ruotsissa as well.
Unless you live in the Swedish skärgård, you should enjoy going out to the islands on the west coast and just enjoy a nice serene day bathing and drinking lightly roasted coffee.
If you want to hear what really strange Swedish sounds like, go to Närpes for a visit.

And yeah, the sauna

[onkko]

Well according to my own personal experience only language changes. Thats what i have seen in norway and sweden when my mother worked there and i visited there, i know its not same as living there but she agreed with me. Mainly same with some oddities so no huge cultural shock (most cultural shock was that i couldnt get food what i was used to eat, not big thing tho).
Dont you already have saunas or was huge immigration of finns failed to add that to your culture, we will take over your no sauna attitudes!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korsholma_castle could be one place good to visit, never been there tho so i dont know. Vaasa is too swedish area to me, i had oppoturnity to move there for work but i didnt like the idea.
There is http://www.vaasa.fi/Pa_svenska/Forsta_sidan to look out some happenings etc what you could like to see.

[star]

You should enjoy the wonderful rye bread (not the sugary stuff that is called bread in Sverige)
You should make sure to eat some karelian pirakka (make sure to get butter-eggs on top), try to get kalakukko, and enjoy the fact that you can get a really dry cider anywhere (again not like the sweetened stuff in Sweden). Salmiakki is a must of course although you CAN get that Ruotsissa as well.
Unless you live in the Swedish skärgård, you should enjoy going out to the islands on the west coast and just enjoy a nice serene day bathing and drinking lightly roasted coffee.
If you want to hear what really strange Swedish sounds like, go to Närpes for a visit.

And yeah, the sauna

*lol* I dont even know what that eatable stuff you said is. For all I know it migt as well be poo or anything But, untill I know better, its on my to-do-list
Actually I´ve never been in the archipelago at all, so that is exotic for me. And i will try out the sauna, but considering I cant even make it more than like 2 minutes in the silly swedish ones, I have no high hopes of surviving any longer in a finnish one But I will try!


Thanks Onkko. hehe, sure we have saunas, but the "sauna-thing" isnt such a big thing in sweden, so I´d have to try on a real sauna

[sinikala]

music/party/festivals (missing out on sonisphere *cry like a baby*) and so on.

I assume you mean you are missing out on your local Sonisphere. There is one in Pori in July.

http://www.provinssirock.net/
12-14.06.2009 in Seinäjoki 80 km or 1hr SE of Vaasa

http://www.partycamp.fi/
18-20.06.2009 in Pori 190km or 2.5 hrs south of Vaasa

http://www.porijazz.fi/
11-19.07.2009 also in Pori

http://www.rockperry.fi/
17-18.07.2009 in Vaasa

http://fi.sonispherefestivals.com/
25.07.2009 also in Pori

[onkko]

If food is one what you like to try add poronkäristys or hirvikäristys and leipäjuusto with hilla

[star]

music/party/festivals (missing out on sonisphere *cry like a baby*) and so on.

I assume you mean you are missing out on your local Sonisphere. There is one in Pori in July.

Yeah, Im missing out the swedish Sonosphere. I wanna go to sonisphere in Pori so bad, se Linkin Park & Metallica, but I havent been able to get a ticket. And its pretty far to travel from where Im gonna live so it complicates things. thanks for all the links btw


Onkko, Im a chicken when it comes to eating new (wierd?) things, but you gotta try everything at least once right?
the first pic looks like kebab, mashed potatoes, cucumber and lingonberries. Is it??
the second one looks like some kind of pancace (or cheesecace?) with cloudberries. ??

[onkko]

Onkko, Im a chicken when it comes to eating new (wierd?) things, but you gotta try everything at least once right?
the first pic looks like kebab, mashed potatoes, cucumber and lingonberries. Is it??
the second one looks like some kind of pancace (or cheesecace?) with cloudberries. ??

Well my late mom would slap me if i wont atleast try something new so yes
Its far from kebab, taste it.
Well pancake from cheese can be near but to me its almost tasteless thing you eat with something what gives taste to it, and its nothing like edam or any cheese you normally put on your bread etc. (well i dont think that hapankorppu has strong taste so dont take this statement as face value, im just used to it. i found out that hapankorppu is really disqusting for some in this forum)
You live only once so try everything except folkdance and cousin

[Upphew]

the first pic looks like kebab, mashed potatoes, cucumber and lingonberries. Is it??
the second one looks like some kind of pancace (or cheesecace?) with cloudberries. ??

The first pic = Poronkäristys
The second pic = Leipäjuusto
When in doubt, trust google.com and wikipedia (with a grain of salt..)

[Bavarian]

If you're in Vaasa, you're not that far from the Tango Festival in Seinäjoki (July 8-12).

[Jukka Aho]

I enjoy photography (Urban Exploring "light" :P abandonned places, architecture like grand churches, castles and such)

Here’s a couple of sites which you might find interesting then:

• Taivasalla.net (Try the “Select month” menu in the “Archives” box)
• Unohdetut (“Forgotten”, click the Kuvat link on the front page)
• Urban Exploration Resource: Finland

Oh, and to make this task a little harder on us all :P Im gonna be pretty far away from Helsinki ;) Closer to Vasa actually.

If you’re interested in architecture, check out the so-called “Aalto Centre” of Seinäjoki – a number of public buildings, including a large modern church and a bell tower, designed by the architect Alvar Aalto. (Speaking of churches, the church in Vaasa might be interesting too, as well as the one in Mustasaari (Korsholm). See here and here for more information.)

In Vaasa, you might want to pay a visit to the sea-side campus area of the University of Vaasa, or ship restaurant Faros, or Restaurant Gustav Vasa for fine dining. Nightclub Sky (on the 9th floor of the Rewell Center building) offers views over the market square and the rest of the city. You could also go and see a svenskspråkig play in Wasa Teater. For more information about the night-life destinations, check out this page. (And there’s RockPerry coming up, though I’m not sure if you’re still around by that time? For other festivals and gigs, see Tapahtuma.tv, keikat.net, Meteli.net, and Live Nation. There’s also the Tangomarkkinat tango festival [see here and here to get an idea] at Seinäjoki...)

Close to Vaasa, there’s also the Raippaluoto (Replot) bridge – the longest bridge in Finland – with a restaurant/café at the other end.

If you happen to pass by Jalasjärvi, my former home town, there’s a moderately large outdoor museum area preserving the local heritage with buildings you can enter and guided tours. (It’s not a fancy “professionally run” attraction though; there are probably some local school kids hired to show you around.) In that case, make a stop at Juustoportti, too, and you might want to check out the linen products of Jokipiin Pellava, which has a factory outlet in Jalasjärvi.

Check out the tourist information on the websites of the City of Vaasa and the City of Seinäjoki for some more hints. Turism Österbotten, Österbottens Turism (I’m not sure why there are two different yet so similar sites, but the latter seems to cover a larger area!), the “Sights” list maintained by Etelä-Pohjanmaan Matkailu Oy, and VirtualTourist might be helpful too.
 

[Pursuivant]

Im gonna be pretty far away from Helsinki

Darn, I could've given you a tour of these

[star]

Jukka: wow, with that list Im occupied for the rest of the evening. Thanks

You live only once so try everything except folkdance and cousin

If you're in Vaasa, you're not that far from the Tango Festival in Seinäjoki (July 8-12).

hmm, dancing.. not such a good idea for me

When in doubt, trust google.com and wikipedia (with a grain of salt..)

Couldnt possibly live without google! How did people manage before?