I’m a list person. An excel person. A roadmap person.
And within the last few years, I have also become a ‘Say a goal out loud, work hard and watch it happen’ person.
When I was 15, I made a dream board.
I cut out magazine pictures and texts which resonated with me. I glued my perfect world on a cardboard. Then life happened. I enjoyed my adulthood; studied, dated, traveled, worked and moved ten times in the next 15 years.
Two years ago, I found the dream board in a storage box. That moment was magical.
I was looking at my white wooden house, my Arabia ‘Paratiisi’ tableware, my book piles, my recent Japan trip and my other half (The pic of Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, I’m not joking!). Pretty much all the things on the board had come true. It’s a bit scary even.
With that offbeat introduction, I’d like to tell you my suggestions about what to experience in Finland. What I would like to show you here. Here is the Finland Bucket List to enjoy Finland like a local.
I hope some of the items resonate with you. I hope dreams bloom into plans.
The Finland Bucket List
1. Try to catch a snowflake with your tongue.
2. Ride the tram in Helsinki.
3. Go to an ice-hockey match.
4. Drink a palmful of natural spring water in the forest.
5. Eat warm Karelian pies with egg-butter.
6. Grill a sausage on a campfire.
7. Walk on the smooth rocks of the archipelago.
8. Drink coffee in an Arabia cup.
9. Drive a car and pass a walking reindeer.
11. Make a snow angel.
12. Spend lazy days at the cabin.
13. See the sunrise of the white night in the summer.
14. Row a boat.
15. Surround yourself with Marimekko.
16. Eat salmon soup.
17. Pick berries.
18. Admire wooden architecture.
19. Go ice-swimming.
20. Kill a mosquito (or a couple).
21. Spot a Moomin.
22. Hunt Auroras.
23. Play mölkky, a Finnish throwing game with wooden pins.
24. Walk on a frozen lake.
25. Visit a site by Alvar Aalto.
26. Find a swamp and listen to the silence.
27. Eat sautéed reindeer.
28. Play a round of Finnish lotto.
29. Recycle a bottle in the bottle deposit machine.
30. Smell the sun-kissed scent of a summery pine forest.
31. Dip your toes in a lake.
32. Eat blueberry pie.
33. Conquer a fell.
34. Try Finnish beer.
35. Sing karaoke with Finns.
That’s my list. That’s my Finland. If you want to add a daily dose of Finland to your life, let’s be friends on Instagram!
Do you already have a Finland Bucket list and what’s on it? Let me know in the comments!
Looking for more information about Finland? Check out some of my other posts:
Warm wishes from Finland,
Varpu
After Finnish Culture Compass, you’ll…
...feel connected with the Finnish culture (even if you aren’t in Finland)
...be confident with the Finnish communication style (even when it’s filled with silence)
...be prepared to meet and get to know Finns
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Hello there!
I’m Varpu. One blonde,
travel-loving,
Finnish engineer driving this site.
I’ve always wanted to find any cousins I might have, they would be on my mothers side, Aini Niemi from Kouvala,and yes visit Finland some day
Hei Henry, thank you for commenting! I hope you are able to find your cousins and visit Finland!
Sauna! Blueberries! And above all… Cinnamon buns, they taste heavenly!
Thank you, Iva! <3 <3
Here’s one for you: try sampling all 91 varieties of salmiakki at the Helsinki Salmiakkikioski to see which one you like best (if at all!). https://finland.fi/life-society/specialising-in-fierce-finnish-liquorice/
Several Finnish cousins introduced me to their favorite kinds and now I order about once a year to keep supplied, until I can get back to Suomi and stock up again in person.
Hi Rich! Salmiakki is delicious; I agree! To my understanding, the Salmiakkikioski is unfortunately closed. Let’s do this: I’ll count how many flavors I can find in a large hypermarket and return to these comments to tell you! Maybe that’s almost as many as in Salmiakkikioski.
Hi Varpu,
Nice list. I showed it to my colleagues and they mentioned a missing item; Kalsarikännit 🙂
😀 Fantastic! A true add from us Finns, heheh!