Finland and Sweden from 24 June 2009.

For the 10^th time the Midnight Sun Golf 90 Holes Marathon Tournament is to take place on the unique Green Zone Golf course. The national boundary between Finland and Sweden falls across in the middle of a green. During every round of this non-stop four day and three night tournament golfers cross the time zone and the border. 

The golf course is situated near the towns of Tornio and Haparanda. The first round starts on Wednesday afternoon on 24th June.

This tournament consists of teams, with six players in each team and two substitutes are allowed. The tournament is played under the scrambling scoring system.

Throughout the event there will be get-togethers for the players and the event will be rounded off with an evening of festivities to mark the grand finale in the "Land of the Midnight Sun".

This will be at Tornio City Hotel where the evening will start with a prize ceremony followed by a delicious dinner.

For further details click here

In the beautiful Finnish Lakes region.

Tammerfest is an urban city festival in Tampere, in the Finnish Lakes region.

From 08 – 11 July 2009 Tammerfest spreads the message of summer, joy, music and festival atmosphere to the whole city. Everything happens in the heart of the city whether it’s in a park, a cruise, a club or on the street. Music flows out from every corner and there is always something going on somewhere.

There are over 20 locations to see and hear music. Tammerfest is music clubs and events, outdoor concerts and performances for children and adults - happening from noon till late!

For further details click here.

In Tornio and Haparanda, the gateway to Lapland.

Kalottjazz & Blues Festival is the largest jazz celebration in the far north and this truly international event takes place in Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden) where Finnish and Swedish cultures quite literally come together. The festival offers four days and nights of jazz and blues, with artists from around the globe performing in concert halls, in a jazz marquee, in town squares and in clubs.

Programme 2009

Please note! Local time (Vital to keep this in mind as Haparanda, Sweden is one hour behind Tornio, Finland)

Thursday 25.6.

18.00 Opening Art Exhibition, Aine Art Museum, Tornio
John Court festival artist 2009
Ethio Jazz

19.30 Opening Concert, Musiikkitalo, Tornio
Vocal Group Rajaton

20.00 BumbleBeat, Cult Cinema & Cafe, Tornio
Safemode, Passion Lane, SomBy, Kuuradio

21.00 Jazz Club, KGB, Haparanda
Lointi Brothers

Friday 26.6.

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Summer Market, Tornio
Tribute to Tori Amos

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Haparanda Market
Ranen Pumppu - Tribute to George Benson

20.00 Blues Night, Folkets Hus, Haparanda
Sven Zetterberg Blues Band
Erja Lyytinen, Ian Siegal

24.00 Blues Club, Haparanda Stadshotell
MRQ feat. Elina Malkamäki

Saturday 27.6.

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Summer Market, Tornio
Ranen Pumppu - Tribute to George Benson

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Haparanda Market
Tribute to Tori Amos

14.00 Art & Jazz, Aine Art Museum, Tornio
Felix Martinz, vibraphone

16.00 Pikisaari Jazz, Tornio
Prylf
Oulu All Stars Big Band feat. Johanna Iivanainen & Johanna Kurkela
Jouni Järvelä Group feat. Marzi Nyman

18.00 Children choir from San Francisco, Haparanda kyrka
California Fresh

21.00, Night Music, Tornio Church
Paroni Paakkunainen & Choir
"We have a dream - Old Psalms and Sacred Hymns"

21.00 Swing at Statt, Haparanda Stadshotell
Kåge River Jazz Band
Wentus Blues Band
Harri Ihanus Trio feat. Jeff Andrews & Jukkis Uotila
The New Blues Band

21.00 Stadshotell, Tornio
Welma Kelly Jazz Trio

Sunday 28.6.

14.00 Pikisaari Jazz, Tornio
JimJamMurMur
Tight Lines Quartet - Jazz and Flyfishing
Rebecca Törnqvist

21.00 Jazz Club, Kerhoravintola, Tornio
Kåge River Jazz Band

Butterflies arriving from Africa in large numbers.

It was reported last week that the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly was being spotted in exceptionally large volumes in Finland. Their parents had set off from North Africa in February / March, reproducing en-route, with their offspring reaching Finland and Northern Europe. 

The Painted Lady is a large butterfly (wing span 5-9 cm) and is identified by the black and white corners of its mainly deep orange, black-spotted wings. It has 5 white spots in the black forewing tips and while the orange areas may be pale here and there, there are no clean white dots in them. The hind wings carry 4 small submarginal eyespots on dorsal and ventral sides. Those on the dorsal side are black,

     
The Painted Lady butterfly is a regular visitor to Finland, but it is not able to winter in the country.
The migration volumes vary greatly from one year to the next. Last summer only a few individuals were spotted in Finland.

23 – 26 July 2009.

The sailing competition, The Tall Ships' Races, is an annual event held in European waters with the Tall Ships visiting the Baltic Sea region only every fourth year. For the third time Turku, in southern Finland, will be one of the host ports.

The big sailing ships will be berthed along the Aurajoki River’s banks from Thursday to Sunday 23-26 July 2009. The vessels will start racing from Gdynia in Poland to St. Petersburg and will then arrive in Turku. The vessels will continue racing from Turku to Klaipeda in Lithuania.

On the previous two occasions when Turku hosted the event, 1996 and 2003, they attracted nearly a million visitors and were the biggest events in Finland that year.

100 magnificent class A, B, C and D sailing ships are due to arrive in Turku at the end of July. The vessels are some of the greatest sailing ships in the world. Many of the ships are open to the public during their stay.

The event area extends from the Martinsilta Bridge towards Turku Castle on each side of the Aurajoki River. The official opening of the event takes place on 23 July 2009 at Varvintori Square. A full and free programme will take place around the visit.  Highlights will include the Crew Parade, the Prize ceremony and the race start at Airisto. Top concerts, stalls and different performances will be arranged along the banks of the river, at the Varvintori Square and on a stage which will be set up in front of the maritime centre, Forum Marinum.

Once again their promises to be an amazing line up of Finnish and International bands at Provinssirock this summer. The festival takes place in western Finland just outside the city of Seinäjoki. This relaxed festival attracts huge crowds for three days of music and art across several stages and tents.

It is being held in the Törnävä Festival Park for the 31st time. The park is located 4km from the city centre. This is approximately an hours walk alternatively festival buses run every 15-20 minutes also stopping at camp sites and temporary school accommodation.

Last years 3 day event attracted a record breaking 75,000 people!

As well as a host of top Finnish bands the event also features bands from the UK, US, Australia, and Scandinavia. British acts include the Ting Tings (pictured above), Placebo, Supergrass (pictured below) and Baddies. See below for the complete listing.

Finnish Railways (VR) put on additional trains on the Friday and Sunday for the event. Visitors are encouraged to use public transport to the event.

For further details about the festival including tickets and accommodation click here.

Festival Time Table

Friday 12 June 2009

Placebo (UK)

Volbeat (DEN)

Black Stone Cherry (US)

August Burns Red (US)

Baddies (UK)

Children Of Bodom

Von Hertzen Brothers

Kolmas Nainen

Samuli Putro

Regina

Maj Karma

Nicole

Celesty

FM2000

Joensuu 1685

Snow White's Poison Bite

Saturday 13 June 2009

Manowar (US)

Opeth (SWE)

Supergrass (UK)

Emiliana Torrini (IS)

Raised Fist (SWE)

Veto (DK)

Hot Leg (UK)

HolyHell (US)

Apulanta

Kotiteollisuus

Stam1na

Amorphis

Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo

Don Johnson Big Band

Rubik

Risto

Le Corps Mince de Francoise

The Conscript Band of the Defence Forces feat. Veeti Kallio

Brüssel Kaupallinen

Anssi8000 & Maria Stereo

Zacharius Carls Group

Time Traveller

Murena

Asa & Jätkäjätkät

Sunday 14 June 2009.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (AUS)

Editors (UK)

Seasick Steve (US)

Ting Tings (UK)

Hjaltalín (IS)

Vesa-Matti Loiri

Egotrippi

The Crash

Sunrise Avenue

Anna Puu

Callisto

Sara

Soul Captain Band

Joose Keskitalo & Kolmas Maailmanpalo

Hamilton Groove

Wedding Crashers

Pop over to Tallinn or Stockholm with Viking Line.

If you are planning to be in Helsinki this summer make the most of the location and build a few days into your itinerary to hop over to one of the neighbouring capital cities. Stockholm in Sweden and Tallinn in Estonia are on Helsinki’s doorstep. A major deciding factor should be the opportunity sail on one of the amazing Viking Line ships which are very much part of the holiday experience rather than just an arduous journey from A to B.

Visiting Stockholm.

Viking Line’s MS Gabriella or MS Mariella sail from Helsinki harbour each evening at 17.30 and arrive the following morning in Stockholm at 09.40. Both harbours are very central, allowing easy access to the ship and for sightseeing. The ship sails through the stunning archipelago for those wishing to take in the views.  While on board choose from a range of restaurants, the most popular and competitively priced being the Viking Dinner buffet where the numerous dishes featured include sumptuous local sea food. The Viking Buffet menu price also includes wine or beer.

Following dinner relax in one of the many bars listening to live music, take in the show or dance the night away in the massive nightclub.

You can visit Stockholm for just a day, returning on the ship to Helsinki that evening or pre-book a competitively priced hotel package and explore for a day or two.

A return sailing allowing the day in Stockholm and 2 nights on board the Viking Line ship starts from £164 per person based on two sharing an inside cabin. The Viking buffet dinner is £28 per person including wine or beer. Stockholm hotels start from £68 per room per night.

Visiting Tallinn.

Hop on board Viking Lines newest vessel that combines the features of a ship and a catamaran – Viking XPRS for the 2 ½ hour journey from Helsinki to Tallinn. Those in a hurry can pop over for the day. The schedule gives you 4 hours to experience the highlights of Tallinn.  

If you have more time, we strongly recommend using more of it to explore this beautiful and historical city. You can do this by taking the Viking XPS evening sailing, having dinner and overnight onboard before disembarking early the next morning for a full day in Tallinn or buying a crossing and hotel package.

The day visit (4 hours in Tallinn) costs from £27 per person.

The night on board and full day in Tallinn costs from £40 per person based on two sharing an inside cabin for the outward journey and returning as a foot passenger.     

Hotel packages including the Viking XPRS return ticket and accommodation start at £65 per person based on sharing a twin room for one night.

To check availability and prices contact our reservations department on Tel 0844 499 0880 or email info@emagine-travel.co.uk.

For summer fine dining and relaxation.

In Helsinki, Finland, a sign that May has arrived and summer is on its way is that ferries start to operate to the nearby islands and will do so until September.

Locals flock to the archipelago to sun bathe, swim, fish, and to make the most of the wonderful summer cafes and restaurants.

The pretty island restaurants serve a wide range of cuisine from traditional seafood snacks to cordon bleu gourmet dishes.

The cafes and restaurants get very busy at weekends so book ahead.

Chez Dominique named on the Worlds Top 50 restaurants List.

Hans Välimäki and his team at Helsinki’s Chez Dominique restaurant will have been celebrating this week with the publication in Restaurant Magazine of the list of The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009. The restaurant was listed 21^st, an increase of 18 places from last year.

First and second places remained unchanged, El Bulli in Spain and The Fat Duck in the UK, respectively.

Chez Dominique was established in 1998 and along the way gained and retains two Michelin stars. The modern cuisine combines Nordic and French influences.

For further details about Chez Dominique click here.

To see the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009 full list click here.

Taking place in Åland.

This year Åland will host the 13^th Island Games from 27 June to 07 July 2009. It is going to be the largest event in the history of the games.

The ‘Inter-Island’ Games were born in the Isle of Man in 1985, with the intention of bringing together a number of small islands from different parts of the world in friendly competition as part of the Isle of Man’s Year of Sport.

The first event was such a success it was agreed the festival would continue every other year with the island taking turns in playing host. Since 1985 ten more island have joined the event and the number of sports has increased from 7 to 15.

Venue	Number of sports	Number of Islands	Number of Competitors
1985 Isle of Man	7	15	700
1987 Guernsey	9	18	1049
1989 Faroe Islands	11	15	800
1991 Aland	13	17	1500
1993 Isle of Wight	14	19	1448
1995 Gibraltar	14	18	1214
1997 Jersey	14	20	2000
1999 Gotland	14	22	1858
2001 Isle of Man	15	22	2020
2003 Guernsey	15	23	2129
2005 Shetland	15	24	1658
2007 Rhodes	14	25	2343

This years host Åland is an autonomous and unilingually Swedish region in Finland. Åland is a beautiful archipelago made up of 6,500 islands and skerries, of which 6,400 are larger than 3,000 m2. The largest island is the main island of Åland, which makes up 70 per cent of the Islands' total land area and is home to 90 per cent of the population. The population is approx. 26,700 persons, almost half of whom live on the only town in Åland, Mariehamn.  Åland has its own flag (blue with a yellow and red cross), licence plates and stamps. A special stamp will be issued in July in honour of the games.

At this games the sports include: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Judo, Sailing, shooting, swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Windsurfing.

Stunning medals have been designed especially for the event winners.

The islands participating this year are:

Alderney, Bermuda, Cayman, Falklands, Faroe Islands, Froya, Gibraltar, Gotland, Greenland, Guernsey, Hitra, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Menorca, Orkney, Prince Edward Island, Rhodos, Saaremaa, Sark, Shetland, St Helena, Western Isles, Ynys Mon and Åland.

For further details about the event click here.

23 August – 10 September 2010.

Twelve National Women’s teams will meet this summer in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2009.

The first match kicks off on the afternoon of 23 August 2009.

The national teams that have qualified for the event are

Group A

Finland, Ukraine, Denmark and Netherlands

Group B

Sweden, England, Russia and Italy

Group C

Germany, Iceland, Norway and France.

The matches will take place in Turku stadium, Tampere stadium, Lahti stadium, Helsinki Football stadium and Helsinki Olympic stadium.

The group fixtures will continue until 31 August with the top two teams in each group going through to the next stage. The final will take place on 10 September 2009 in Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

For further details of fixtures and ticket information click here.

In Oulu and Kuusamo during May and June 2009.

Ready for the busy summer ahead.

The Tourist Information Centre in Helsinki has been completely renovated at the beginning of 2009 and now offers more spacious and functional surroundings in which they can serve the 400,000 or more customers that pop in each year. Customer service has been taken to a new level thanks to impressive state-of-the-art information solutions.

The Tourist Information office is now connected, via a passage, to Café Jugend (a cultural café) in the neighboring Jugendsali Hall so visitors can ponder over brochure material and interact with the locals.

Tourist Information is open during the winter season on weekdays 9am-6pm and weekends 10am-4pm and during the summer season (2.5-30.9) on weekdays 9am-8pm and weekends 9am-6pm.

Pohjoisesplanadi 19, PL 28
FI-00099 City of Helsinki
Tel. +358 (0)9 310 13300
E-mail: tourist.info@hel.fi

From May 2009 watch the bears in the Wild Taiga forests of Eastern Finland.

From early May BearCam will feed live pictures from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the time when the bears are at their most active. The Midnight Sun that the region enjoys will make filming possible during summer and then as Autumn approaches the camera will be equipped with infrared.

The camera will be located in Eastern Finland very close to the Russian border in the ever green Wild Taiga forest. As well as bears, which are often seen in this area, there is also a possibility that the cameras will capture much rarer mammals:  wolves and wolverines which have now disappeared from much of Europe.

It is also possible to visit the area to view bears and if you are lucky wolverines and wolves in person.

In April they are already experiencing ling days with sunrise at 04.40 and sunset at 21.00.  The first bears start to appear at the end of March, when the snow cover can be one metre deep. At night the temperature can still drop below zero. Weather conditions can change rapidly from snow showers to bright sunshine. There can be  plenty of snow until the end of April, and the pond is often frozen until May. Wolverine become active during April.

As the summer arrives the days get longer and longer with nearly all of June and July remaining light 24 hours a day. This makes for ideal bear watching conditions. Flying squirrel pictured above.

Wild Brown bear offer two types of hide. The larger hides take up to 8 people and there is a guide on hand to offer information (one is pictured above). Then there are the smaller photography hides, for 1 to 3 people, which are slightly closer but without a guide (a floating photography hide pictured below). Once in the hides from early evening you cannot return to the centre until escorted the following morning. The hides do have bunks in them and snacks are provided. The hides are in various forest, swamp and lakeside locations.

Bears are extremely shy, absolute silence in the hides is required. The bears are used to the sounds of cameras. There are usually several different bears in the area. In 2008 as many as 9 bears were seen simultaneously. Altogether 25 different bears were seen during the season. There is a 98% probability of seeing a bear.

For those wishing for a longer stay in the area the Wild Brown Bear centre has accommodation and a restaurant.

For further details on bear watching in Finland and prices click here.

Watch this space for the link to the BearCam!

Finland Name their Squad for the World Cup Qualifier.

The Finland National coach Stuart Baxter has named his squad for World Cup 2010 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff on

28 March 2009.

The squad is named below (caps / international goals) 

Goalkeepers: Jussi Jääskeläinen Bolton (48/0), Niki Mäenpää Den Bosch (2/0).
     

Defenders: Veli Lampi FC Zürich (12/0), Hannu Tihinen FC Zürich (69/4), Sami Hyypiä Liverpool (96/5), Petri Pasanen Werder Bremen (49/1), Toni Kallio Fulham (44/2), Niklas Moisander Alkmaar (2/0).
     

Midfield/Strikers: Markus Heikkinen Rapid Wien (42/0), Teemu Tainio Sunderland (46/6), Roman Eremenko Kiovan Dynamo (15/0), Joonas Kolkka Breda (91/11), Mika Väyrynen Heerenveen (41/3), Roni Porokara Örebro (4/1), Aleksei Eremenko Jr Saturn Ramenskoje (35/12), Daniel Sjölund Djurgården (19/2), Jonatan Johansson Hibernian (92/17), Jari Litmanen FC Lahti (120/30), Mikael Forssell Hannover (60/18), Shefki Kuqi Crystal Palace (53/6).

Coach: Stuart Baxter.

Takes place in Kemijärvi, Finnish Lapland, 3 – 5 April 2009

Finland 4 – 8 March 2009

This popular event is one the leading short film festivals in the world.  The event takes place from 4-8 March 2009 in the city of Tampere in the lakes region of Finland.

The festival puts an emphasis on documentary, fiction and animation films. There are three competitions: Finnish, International and Lab10.

Finnish competition:

This year, about 350 films were offered for the Finnish Competition.  The Finnish Competition is divided into two categories; Films over 30 minutes and films under 30 minutes.

11 films were selected in the over-30 minute category and 25 films in the under-30 minute category.

Jury for the Finnish Competition 2009 are actress Anni-Kristiina Juuso, artist Teemu Mäki, and producer Shane Smith from Canada.

The prize money for the Finnish competition is:

Under-30-minutes category main prize €5000 (Finnkino Oy) and special prize €1500.
Over-30-minutes category main prize €5000 (Oy Yleisradio Ab) and special prize €1500.

The films in both categories also compete for the Risto Jarva Award (€10.000, the Finnish Film Foundation), and for a resourse award (€3400, Digital Film Finland & Finnlab).

International Competition:

A fair 3000 films from 73 countries were offered to the International Competition. Sixty-nine films were selected. Most, 31 of them, are fiction. There are 15 animations and 19 documentaries, and four experimental films. Well known entries include: Nick Park (UK) with his new Wallace & Gromit animation, Hazim Bitar (Jordan), director collective BIF (France), and Mikhail Zheleznikov (Russia).

Jury for the International Competition are Ngo Phuong Lan (Vietnam), Mia Maike Höhne (Germany), Kristiina Pervilä (Finland), William Sloan (USA), and Montserrat Guiu Valls (Spain).

The prize money for International Competition:
Grand Prix €5000, Best Animation €1500, Best Fiction €1500, Best Documentary €1500, as well as nomination for European Short Film Awards.

The winners of the International Competition Grand Prix and the main prize for under-30-minutes in the Finnish Competition get to compete for the nomination for Best Live Action / Animated Short Film

LAB1O Competition

LAB1O Competition, characterized by films that stretch the limits of cinematic expression, launched in 2008. This year 19 films were selected, and they will be divided into three screenings.

Jury for the LAB1O Competition are director of the Mumiá Underground Worldwide Animation Festival Sávio Leite (Brazil), executive manager at Espoo Ciné Jenni Ukkonen (Finland), and program manager at Finnkino Toni Lähteinen (Finland).

Prizes for the LAB1O Competition:
Main prize €2000.

In addition, all competitions have honorary awards and audience awards. The Finnish Competition also has a youth jury award and a student award.

For full details of the competition and festival click here. 

State of the art dishware, simple handmade wooden gifts, designer textiles and delicious chocolate!

It is hard these days to travel anywhere in the world and to buy a memento only to return home and find it is made in China, but the more discerning shopper visiting Finland and Finnish Lapland can return with real Finnish gems if they know what to look for.

Arabia,

For over 130 years Arabia has been a trailblazer in modern Finnish design. Its product selection consists of popular ranges of dishes and design gift products.

The highly valued Arabia products are characterized by a timeless beauty as well as high quality and functionality. Arabia dishes, made to be used and displayed, hold a central position in Finnish lives: thanks to their innovative and distinctive design, they are equally at home on the kitchen table and at festive occasions. These are items designed for Finns who value the concept of Finnish design and recognize the aesthetic value of the products.

For further details about Aarikka and their products click here.

Aarikka,

Aarikka Oy founded in 1954 is a family business producing unique handmade items using Finnish materials. They produce design products, jewellery and decorative items mainly made of wood. They offer products for all season but particularly popular are their simple Tonttu Christmas decorations. Today their products are sold throughout Finland, USA and Japan.

For further details about Aarikka and their products click here.

Karl Fazer Chocolate

If you leave Finland with nothing else, make sure that you have at least one bar of this chocolate in your bag………it is truly heaven. How ever many you take home you will wish you had bought more,, you have been warned!

The secret behind Karl Fazer Milk chocolate remains a secret and had done so since it was first produced in 1922. It is a unique recipe using full fat milk and the finest cocoa beans. Whatever the magic combination is it seems to work. You will spot it throughout the country in its distinctive blue and gold wrapper. In later times they have also added to the range with various fruit and nut varieties.

For further details about Karl Fazer and their products click here.

Marimekko 

Marimekko Corporation is a leading Finnish textile and clothing design company that was established in 1951. The company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality clothing, interior decoration textiles, bags and other accessories under the Marimekko brand, both in Finland and abroad.

Strong and distinctive product design is the cornerstone of Marimekko’s operations and corporate culture. The starting point for design is that each individual Marimekko product must earn its own design value and express Marimekko’s lifestyle concept.

For further details about Marimekko and their products click here.

15 – 16 November 2008

The Chocolate Festival which first took place in Perugia, Italy in 1993 and has since been celebrated in Paris, New York, Barcelona and Stockholm this year arrives in Helsinki for the first time.

The event is to be held in the centre of Helsinki at the premises of Lasipalatsi and Bio Rex on 15 and 16 November 2008.

The festival is aimed at chocolate enthusiasts and restaurant professionals from around the world and aims to demonstrate the versatility of chocolate. There will be lectures and demonstrations covering areas such as the effects on health and well-being, history, production, the varieties and much, much more.

There will be chocolate tasting sessions and opportunities to buy some very special Christmas presents.

A diverse range of exciting events throughout the year.

Throughout Finland during the summer there are a diverse rang of music festivals to meet all tastes. Many take place in stunning settings making the most of the long Finnish summer days.

They attract visitors from all over the world.

Hetta Music Event                                           5 – 13 April 2009

April Jazz, Espoo                                            22 – 26 April 2009

Naantali Music Festival                                   31 May – 12 June 2009

Ilmajoki Music Festival                                    4 – 15 June 2009

40^th Kuopio Dance Festival                            11 – 17 June 2009

Provinssirock Seinajoki                                   12 – 14 June 2009

Mantta Art Festival                                          14 June – 23 August 2009

Haapavesi Folk Festival                                  22 – 28 June 2009

Sate-Hame Soi Accordian Festival                 22 – 28 June 2009

Midnight Sun Jutajaiset                                   24 – 28 June 2009

Avanti! Summer sounds                                 24 – 28 June 2009

KalottJazz and Blues Festival                       25 – 28 June 2009

Baltic Jazz                                                      3 – 5 July 2009

Savonlinna Opera Festival                              3 July – 01 August 2009

Kaustinen Folk Music Festival                        11 – 19 July 2009

Pori Jazz Festival                                           11 – 19 July 2009

Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival                    12 – 26 July 2009

Full Moon Dance Festival                               21 – 25 July 2009

Festival of Workers Music                              22 – 26 July 2009

Hippalot Arts Festival for Children                  30 July – 02 August 2009

Faces Etno Festival                                        31 July – 2 August 2009

Chamber Music by Lake Tuusula                   2 – 8 August 2009

Turku Music Festival                                       6 – 12 August 2009

Helsinki Festival                                              14 – 30 August 2009

Lahti Subelius Festival                                    10 – 13 September 2009

Experience the new Viking XPRS and the Estonian capital.

This high speed passenger and car ferry has been a huge success since it started service at the start of the summer. It sails daily between Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia) taking just 2 ½ hours.

The brand new vessel can carry 2,500 passengers and cruises at a top speed of 25 knots. It promises to offer comfort, reliability, great onboard service and a short crossing time regardless of weather conditions throughout the year. The ship will be especially popular during winter when the traditional catamaran services are unable to operate due to sea conditions.

Passengers can pass their time on board in the duty free shops, deli, bars and restaurant.

Visitors to Finland wishing to pop across for a taster of Tallinn can choose from two cruise options.

The day cruise that gives visitors 4 hours in Tallinn or a night cruise that includes a night onboard ship and a full day to explore the city.

For further details and prices click here.

In Hämeenlinna Finland 31 July – 03 August 2008.

For the past 30 years the Hippalot Festival has brought a diverse range of art, theatre and drama activities specifically for children.

The festival takes place in Hämeenlinna in Finland, located approximately 100km north of the countries capital, Helsinki.

Each year the festival has a theme and this year they have chosen the circus. The theme will be explored through drama, workshops, visual art, dance, music, circus and encounters with a host of art forms.

 This festival has been a firm favourite with the Finns for many years but as interest grows internationally some English language events have been introduced.

For further details about the festival click here.

London to Helsinki.

The UK based low cost airline, Easyjet, will start a service between London Gatwick and Finland's capital city, Helsinki, on 03 November 2008.

Seats will go on sale on the airlines website this month.

Finlands oldest Festival.

For many years this has been an opportunity for all of the strawberry pickers to let their hair down for a few days during their busy season. The first Strawberry Carnival was held in1970 and takes place in Suonenjoki, in the Finnish Lakes region.

In the early days the Carnival attracted locals, berry pickers and summer vacationers but over the years the word has spread and visitors come much further a field. The influx in recent years of foreign berry pickers during the season has also meant a growing international interest.

The Carnival starts with a procession through the crowd lined streets of the town. Over the following days there will be an action packed programme with shows and concerts by popular Finnish artists. A jury will present the prize to the Strawberry Farmer of the Year and choose Miss Strawberry from among the local beauties.  A funfair sets up in town. The National championship in strawberry eating, strawberry joke competition, the best scarecrow competition, the run race, horse race and rally race among others are also included in the carnival programme.

There will of course be many opportunities to eat strawberries in many different ways; in milk-shakes, ice-creams, jams, purées, juices, cakes, and just as fresh, delicious berries!

For further details on visiting Finland’s oldest Festival click here.

Calling all aviators to northern Finland!

Pudasjärvi airport (EFPU), located in northern Finland just below the Arctic Circle will once again play host to pilots from around the world. The event makes the most of the regions never ending summer days.

The Air Rally will set off from Malmi (Helsinki) EFHF airport and make its way north via several airfields over the beautiful lakes region of Finland on 02 July 2008. During the journey their will be a number of tasks such as spot landings, observation and navigation tests.

Upon arrival in Pudasjarvi there will be a welcome ceremony, dinner and get together around the campfire with other aviators. Accommodation can be under canvas at the airfield or in nearby cabins, hotels and campsites.

Between 3 and 6 July 2008 there will be numerous activities such as formation flights, flying tours to Lapland, precision flying and landing competitions and skydiving. At the weekend airfield is open to the public so they can visit the aircraft and watch the competitions.

For those that wish to extend their visit it is worth noting that the region offers excellent hiking trails and canoeing, especially in the nearby Iso-Syote National park.

For the full programme and registration details click here.

The city turns out to party in style.

Thursday 12 June 2008 will see Finland’s capitol city, Helsinki, turn into one big party. The city was founded in 1550 and for the 50^th time the special event will be celebrated all over the city.

Stages will be set up in several city parks offering pop, jazz, dancers, magicians, folk, rock and opera guaranteeing something for everyone.

The day is at the heart of a week of events in the city that have included a Samba festival and harbour festival. A highlight of the week is the arrival of

Götheborg Tall Ship that will be located at Pakkahuone Quay, 8-13 June.

To visit Helsinki click here.

For further details on the weeks events click here.

Over 100 dance events in one action packed week.

The oldest and most extensive Nordic Dance festival, Kuopio Dance Festival, opens a new window onto the world of international dance. The programme includes fresh pieces, Nordic premieres, classics revisited and current themes on everyday life, communality, and the great issues facing the mankind. During the festival week there will be more than one hundred different dance events, performances, Q and A sessions, courses, club nights, and cruises.

This year’s undisputed highlight will be a visit from the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. The company will bring to Kuopio works by three of the most sought after choreographers of our time, Saburo Teshigawara, Andonis Foniadakis and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

The Festival opens with a themed evening – From Sevilla to Lapland. The evening features a Spanish flamenco artiste Belén Maya and a contemporary folk dance theatre from Finnish Lapland called Rimpparemmi...

Israeli Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s piece Ekodoom grapples with current issues. Communality is also the topic of the Finnish premiere of the year, Eeva Muilu’s Jossain on jotain (Finland). The stage will be occupied by elderly people and one young dance artiste.

The winner of the choreography competition Nordic Grand Prix 2007, Alan Lucien Øyen (Norway), searches for beauty in the mundane through humorous sentimentality in his work What's not to love.

Nordic collaboration has produced Petri Kekoni’s choreography Glow of Dimness (Finland).

An Ivory Coast atmosphere will be brought to the Festival by Compagnie Georges Momboye (France/Ivory Coast), with their piece Boyakodah – an ode to life! This French company, made up of African dancers, has performed at Lyon Biennale and at Sadler's Wells in London, amongst other venues.

The classic works Huuto and Petrushka by the Festival’s Artistic Director Jorma Uotinen (Finland) return to stage refreshed after many years. The children’s dance house programme features Simo Heiskanen’s choreography Parrots, performed by Glims & Gloms Dance Company, and Kuopio Music and Dance Academy’s Aika Öykkäri (Finland).

Hundreds of dance professionals, enthusiasts and beginners flock in to dozens of popular dance courses as well as festival clubs, Market Square programme, Paikallisliike and other festival events.

For the full programme details click here. 

Turn back the clock to 1413………..

Over 4 days straight after Midsummer the heart of the town of Turku in southern Finland will turn back the clocks to the Middle Ages. The Medieval Fair will be made up of a market selling traditional crafts, activities such as jousting, knights showing their combat skills and demonstrations of traditional trades.

Jesters and musicians will be mingling with the crowds and each day in the market over a hundred actors will perform a play among the crowds.

To learn more about the event click here.

Under the Midnight Sun of Finnish Lapland.

This crazy and unique tournament takes place in Tornio, on the border between Finnish and Swedish Lapland from 25-28 June 2008. Making the most of the famous never ending summer days of Lapland the event is played around the clock.  Another anomaly of the unique setting is that during each round players will be crossing times zones and the border!

The teams are made up of six players, each of whom has to play 90 holes during the event. The tournament is not for the faint hearted but is starting to attract the attention of golfers across the world.

For further details contact Green Zone Golf Course

tuula.nyholm@telia.com

Image by Pekka Pura.

A hands on exhibition the science of speed and Formula One racing.

This is a fun and exciting exhibition for all age groups at the Heureka Science centre in Vantaa near Helsinki, Finland. It investigates all aspects of Formula One car racing: the physics, engineering, human endurance and biology in an entertaining and interactive way.

Visitors can race in simulators, explore the design of a full size replica Formula One car and practise wheel changes at a Pit stop. In the Fitness testing area visitors can test their reaction times, memory, heart’s performance and peripheral vision.  In the Workshop exhibits focus on areas such as: Build an Engine, Gear Change, Collisions and What’s the Diff?

Exhibition closes 15 March 2009.

To visit Helsinki click here.

For full details of the exhibition click here.

It could only happen in Finland!

During the summer the Finns just love their crazy events such as Wife carrying, Mobile Phone throwing, sauna competitions. This latest event, Old Geezer Carting, takes place in Ruokolahti in the beautiful region of Finnish Southern Karelia.

The emphasis is definitely on fun and good sportsmanship. The object of the event is to push a traditional milk kart over a 200m sand and gravel course in the fastest time.

The competing pairs must be made up of a pusher (a woman or affectionately known as the Old Lady) and carter / passenger (a man, referred to as the geezer). You Geezer can be your own or on loan for the event!

There are several events depending on age, individuals and teams taking place throughout the day. There is also an event this year to for Souped up carts (sadly that doesn’t involve adding an engine) so the crowd can vote for best dressed cart.

The event takes place on 26 July 2008 and you have until 20 June 2008 to get your entry form in.  

For further details click here.

Paddle through spectacular Finnish nature from Pieksämäki to Lahti.

This popular international canoe event takes place for the 24^th time this coming June. This unique event is the longest canoe / kayak relay event in the world and lasts for 6 continuous days.

100 teams and 1000 paddlers are expected to take part in the event. The teams are made up of club, company and family teams. The route is safe and well marshalled so the event is also ideal for beginners.

Each team is made up of between 6 and 12 paddlers. The 532 km route is broken down into 29 stages of between 6 and 30 km.

The paddler’s journey at an approximate speed of 6 km per hour through stunning Finnish countryside making the most of the long, long summer days.

Click here to go to the official event website.

An open invitation for teams to join the event on 06 June 2008.

Twitchers / birders, experienced and beginners are being encouraged to sign up now for the popular Kuusamo Bird Marathon taking place in eastern Finland.

This successful, Kuusamo Open event is taking place for the 25^th time. The aim of the event is for teams to see as many species as possible, while avoiding disturbing the birds and nature. It also allows the locals to compile a good record of the birds in their region.

There are two competitions, the 18 and 24 hour race. This is made possible by the midnight sun with the event starting at 00.00 on Friday 6 June. The teams are made up of 2-5 people of any age.

The event will be rounded of at the closing ceremony at the Congress centre during the afternoon of Saturday 7^th June 2008.

For entry details click here.

An amazing week of activities for everyone in Finnish Lapland.

New for 2009 is a wonderful activity week in one of Finnish Laplands most spectacular and unspoilt locations, Hotel Jeris. The hotel and cabins are set deep in the forest in western Lapland, 45 minutes from Kittila airport and 20 minutes from the small village of Muonio.

For those wanting to truly get away from it all and relax doing, fun, new activities as a couple or family this is the ideal place.

Accommodation is in cosy cabins set in the forest. All have a private sauna and fireplace.

At the heart of the location is the main hotel building, where meals are taken in a restaurant offering panoramic view across the frozen lake. You can also relax after a busy day with drinks by the fire in the bar.

During the week your guides will show you how to cross country ski so you can set off in your free time to explore the miles of silent trails through the national park. They will take you out on a snowshoe walk through the spectacular surrounding forests pointing out the local nature.

You will visit a local reindeer museum to learn more about reindeer husbandry and feed the reindeers.  On another day, following tuition from your guide, you will set off on an adventure on snowmobiles (children travel in sleighs) across the frozen lake and through the forest stopping to take in the beautiful views across the fells and for a picnic lunch. For many the highlight of the week will be the visit to the small friendly husky farm where you can meet the dogs and will be whisked off on a 2 hour husky safari.

While all the activity is great fun what many will remember from their visit to Jeris will be the smaller things. Such as the silence, taking a crazy dip in the lake ice pool, the fun evenings tobogganing through the forest or standing on the huge frozen lake mesmerised by the Aurora Borealis.

Jeris allows you to combine some much needed quality private family time with once in a life time experiences.

For the full itinerary and prices click here.

A busy start to the season at Wild Brown Bear.

As the popularity of Baltic and Scandinavian cruise continues to grow.

The Port of Helsinki is already predicting a record number of cruise visitors this summer. They have seen a steady increase over recent years and already have 275 cruise ships booked in to visit between May and September 2008. They will bring an estimated 300,000 visitors to this beautiful city.

The ships will vary from the 3000 passenger plus super cruise ships and at the other end of the scale a 95 passenger sailing vessel. Itinenraries will vary but the vast majority of the visitors will spend just one day in the city.

Modern Finnish food at its best.

The Michelin Guide for 2008 saw the awarding of stars to four restaurants in Helsinki. This includes two newcomers.

The new comers;

Restaurant Carma  - One Michelin Star

This small restaurant with just 24 seats is located in the centre of Helsinki. Its décor is themed around international design objects. It’s modern food has an emphasis on using local produce. Expect relaxed, professional, friendly service.

Ludviginkatu 3-5
00130 Helsinki
phone: +358(0)9 67 32 36

www.carma.fi

Restaurant Postres - One Michelin Star

This young team offer innovative and exciting modern food at the centrally located Helsinki restaurant.  They have a real passion for desserts, which will become clear when you see their exciting menu.

Eteläesplanadi 8
FI-00130 Helsinki

Tel: + 358-(09)-663 300

www.postres.fi

Retaining their Michelin stars:

Restaurant Demo – One Michelin Star

Demo’s chefs and owners Tommi Tuominen & Teemu Aura have retained their Michelin star that they were awarded for the first time in 2006. The restaurants emphasis is on high standard home cooked food served in a relaxed and cosy environment.

Uudenmaankatu 9-11
00120 Helsinki

Tel.: +358-(0)9 2289 0840
www.restaurantdemo.fi

Chez Dominique – Two Michelin stars

Chez Dominique opened its doors in Helsinki in 1998 and first gained two Michelin stars in 2003 with its cuisine influenced by Nordic and French flavours. Its chef and owner Hans Välimäki who believes -Our job is to surprise, offer experiences not to be found at home nor at any other restaurant. First element in our cuisine has always been the taste. I love to experiment but not on the expense of our customers.

Rikhardinkatu 4,

00130 Helsinki,

Tel. + 358 9 612 73 93

www.chezdominique.fi

The Elk are winning!

There are estimated to be 100,000 elk in Finland and during winter young pine trees are their main source of food. The elk love to eat the new growth at the crown of the sapling. The good news is this doesn’t kill the tree but does cause it to grow crooked therefore making it considerably less valuable as sawn timber.

Some of the foresters spray their saplings with an array of natural and chemical deterrents but few seem to be effective. The alternative is culling. The government grant hunting licences each year but only for a fraction of the 50,000 winter population that the Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA) estimate would have to be culled to give the forests a better chance of being productive.

For the full story in Helsinki Sanomat click here.

according to the 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Finland, Denmark and New Zealand share the top score of 9.4 in the 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index. The index looks at perceptions of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption.

Below are the top 20 countries, for the full list go to http://www.transparency.org/

country	country	2007 CPI	surveys	confidence range
rank		score	used
1	Denmark	9.4	6	9.2 - 9.6
1	Finland	9.4	6	9.2 - 9.6
1	New Zealand	9.4	6	9.2 - 9.6
4	Singapore	9.3	9	9.0 - 9.5
4	Sweden	9.3	6	9.1 - 9.4
6	Iceland	9.2	6	8.3 - 9.6
7	Netherlands	9	6	8.8 - 9.2
7	Switzerland	9	6	8.8 - 9.2
9	Canada	8.7	6	8.3 - 9.1
9	Norway	8.7	6	8.0 - 9.2
11	Australia	8.6	8	8.1 - 9.0
12	Luxembourg	8.4	5	7.7 - 8.7
12	United Kingdom	8.4	6	7.9 - 8.9
14	Hong Kong	8.3	8	7.6 - 8.8
15	Austria	8.1	6	7.5 - 8.7
16	Germany	7.8	6	7.3 - 8.4
17	Ireland	7.5	6	7.3 - 7.7
17	Japan	7.5	8	7.1 - 8.0
19	France	7.3	6	6.9 - 7.8
20	USA	7.2	8	6.5 - 7.6

* CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts, and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).

** Confidence range provides a range of possible values of the CPI score. This reflects how a country's score may vary, depending on measurement precision. Nominally, with 5 percent probability the score is above this range and with another 5 percent it is below. However, particularly when only few sources are available, an unbiased estimate of the mean coverage probability is lower than the nominal value of 90%.

*** Surveys used refers to the number of surveys that assessed a country's performance. 14 surveys and expert assessments were used and at least 3 were required for a country to be included in the CPI.

The anniversary season will start with Sibelius symphonies.

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO), a superb ensemble of 98 players begins its 125th anniversary season with a series of Sibelius concerts at Finlandia Hall on September 20 and 22. These ‘Jean Sibelius in memoriam’ concerts are a tribute to the maestro who died 50 years ago. All seven symphonies will be performed in the three-concert series under the Orchestra’s Chief Conductor, Leif Segerstam.

The celebrations will continue in October with concerts and a broad presentation of its work. An 125^th anniversary disc called Picures from Finland will be released to mark the occasion.

Leif Segerstam was appointed Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in the autumn of 1995.

The Helsinki Philharmonic is based in magnificent Finlandia Hall (seating capacity 1,700), designed by Finland most famous architect, Alvar Aalto.

Research at the Kumpula Space Centre in Helsinki, Finland.

At this time of year the Finns head out mushroom picking.

This weekend will see thousands of Finns heading into the countryside to collect mushrooms, especially as this year has produced such a good harvest, probably all of that rain They are spoilt for choice as hundreds of edible mushroom species can be found in Finland, and a few non-edible so they have to know their stuff!

Even though mushroom picking is a popular pastime among the Finns they only manage to pick a small percentage of the estimated 1000 million kilo annual yield.

The most popular mushrooms are Ceps (Boletus edulis), milk-caps (Lactarius trivialis), chantarelles (Cantharellus cibarius), trumpet-shaped chantarelles (Cantharellus tubaeformis), hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum) and sheep polypores (Albatrellus ovinus).

Finland’s excellent Everymans Rights allow people to pick mushrooms anywhere, as long as they respect the immediate vicinity of someone’s home or farm.

and they just can't stop!

On Tuesday Finland became the world record holder for continuous Karaoke performance surpassing the previous record on 145 hours and 45 seconds held by the Chinese.

The event is taking place in Kouvola, southern Finland. I say taking place as upon breaking the record they just kept on going and intend on doing so until Sunday in the hope of performing Karaoke for 240 straight hours!

For the full story in Helsinki Sanomat click here. 

Even the high prices do not dampen the traditional celebrations in Finland.

August is the start of the much anticipated crayfish season in Finland. It is not just a case of eating crayfish, the process is a social event entwined with traditions. Friends and family gather at home or at coastal restaurants where the crayfish are served on beautifully decorated tables as guests perform drinking songs (usually accompanies by beer and vodka) and tell funny stories.

The fact that Helsinki restaurants are charging between €5-€9 per crayfish does not seem to deter the locals from enjoying this annual culinary event. The locals are making the most of the warm summer evenings and are flocking to island and summer restaurants close to Helsinki. Many of these restaurants feature special crayfish tasting menus, ideal for first timers.

If you are in Finland over the coming weeks treat yourself to a plate of crayfish and ice cold vodka while taking in the views across the island. Or even better get an invite to join the Finns so you get the whole crayfish eating experience.

To visit Finland to tease your taste buds click here.

As the locals like to call the Espoo Museum of Modern Art.

It is just a short bus ride from Helsinki’s central Kamppi bus station to the neighbouring town of Espoo where you will find Emma - Espoo Museum of Modern Art.

Located in the WeeGee building EMMA’s 5000 square metres of exhibition area make it Finland’s largest museum.

EMMA’s permanent exhibitions will be drawn from two sources; the City of Espoo collection (c. 2,500 works) which concentrates almost entirely on Finnish contemporary art and the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection (more than 1,900 works) combining classical modernism, from the beginning of the 20th century, with Finnish and international contemporary art.

Current exhibitions: Until 26 August 2007.

Current exhibitions include the work of Catalan abstract artist, Antoni Tàpies and the work of several female media artists in moving portraits.

Future Exhibitions:

 Salvador Dalí              3 October – 16 December 2007.

Claude Monet              6 March – 25 May 2008.

This will be the first Claude Monet (1840-1926) exhibition ever to be seen in Finland.

For further details on visiting Helsinki click here.

For further details about EMMA click here.

8 September 2007 in Suomussalmi in Finland.

On 8 September competitors will meet in eastern Finland in the village of Suomussalmi to compete in the berry picking world championships.

Following the free registration competitors are given buckets and transferred to the competition field. They then have an hour to pick as many lingonberries as possible. The berries are weighed and the best three pickers in each class receive cash prizes.

The various classes include teams of adults or children, individual adults using picking tools or using the traditional picking by hand method.

People pick berries throughout Finland during August and September. Some are kept for personal use to make jams, juices or to be used as an accompaniment to certain meats. However many are sold to large organisations for similar uses; jams, juices or to be frozen.

For further details of berry picking in Finland click here.

It just keeps getting better and better.

As the Finns return to Helsinki for the start of new school year and from their long summer vacations their post holiday blues are erased by the start of the two week Helsinki festival.

This exciting festival was established in 1968 and has been growing ever since. The festival incorporates a diverse range of events attracting acts from around the world. Visitors can enjoy music: classical, jazz and modern, sculpture, poerty, art, modern circus, the list is never ending. Events take place throughout the city.

Tickets are already on sale for this years Helsinki festival.

For the full list of events and locations click here.

In honour of the work of Hannu Hautala

The 42nd Pori Jazz Festival, bigger and better than ever!

Today sees the start of the internationally renowned Pori Jazz festival. The event takes place each summer in the small town of Pori located in western Finland.

It attracts acts from around the world that play at indoor and outdoor venues throughout the town. This year Elvis Costello is among the many the many acts.

During the 42 years that the festival event has been running it has grown from a small local happening into a huge international event. Visitors camp or rent cottages in the area. While not at one of the concerts many head to the nearby stunning sandy beaches.

For further details of the line up click here.

Helsinki Design Week runs 14-23 September 2007

For the third year the creative industries will meet in Helsinki to take part in this special international theme week.  The Helsinki Design Week will include exhibitions and professional gatherings throughout the city.

Design professionals will gather at the Cable Factory for the Designpartners event. Further events will take place at Suomenlinna and Habitare 07 which takes place at Helsinki Fair Centre, is Finland's largest furniture, interior decoration and design fair 19-23 September.

For further details link to the Helsinki design Week site, click here.

This World Series event takes place in Mariehamn 14-19 August 2007.

Volley ball players from around the world will descend on the town of Mariehamn in the Finnish Åland Islands as part of the international Swatch FIVB World Tour. Up to 300 men and woman will battle for vital ranking points in hope of qualifying for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Mariehamns Hotel Arkipelag Arena will have a 3000 seat centre court as well as 5 competition courts, 2 warm up courts and a festival arena.

The event is to be televised on Eurosport, Finnish and Swedish television channels.   

One purpose of PAF Open is to help the development of beachvolley /volleyball on all levels, in Finland and Sweden. PAF Open consists of a project organization under the management of a Tournament Director in cooperation with the Finnish Volleyball Federation, the Swedish Volleyball Federation, the Åland Volleyball Federation and the International Volleyball Federation.

For full programme details please click here.

For Viking Line ferry and entrance ticket packages please contact Emagine on Tel:0870 902 5399

Helsinki City Transport leave bikes throughout the city centre each summer.

Summer visitors to Helsinki can explore the city on two wheels thanks to an excellent scheme provided by Helsinki City Transport. Each summer they deposit bikes at various points throughout the city centre. The bikes are free of use following payment of a €2 deposit which is returned upon return of the bike to any of the bike stands.

Helmets can be loaned free of charge from Jugendsali (Helsinki City Information) at Pohjoisesplanadi 19.  

Ten rules to follow when using a citybike.

1.  For a deposit of 2 euros you can get a Citybike from a Citybike stand to your own use whenever you want. Put a 2 euro coin in the coin slot and remove the bike from the stand.

2.  You can use the Citybike anywhere within the permitted area of use (see the Map).

3.  After using the Citybike, return it to a Citybike stand and remove your deposit.

4.  You may only lock a Citybike with a Citybike stand lock. You are not allowed to use your own lock.

5.  If you find an abandoned Citybike, you can earn the 2 euro deposit by returning the bike to a Citybike stand. You can also report an abandoned Citybike to the number 050-559 1999.

6.  Citybikes are intended for common use. Do not steal or damage the Citybike or its stand.

7.  When riding a Citybike, please follow the traffic rules and show courtesy to others.

8.  Always use the cycle path or the roadway, not the sidewalk.

9.  The use of a bicycle helmet is recommended. You can borrow a bicycle helmet from Jugendsali on Pohjoisesplanadi 19.

10. When using a Citybike, you are responsible for it. Take good care of it and the next user will also enjoy riding it.

The use of the bikes is restricted to central Helsinki. Click here to link to the map showing the area and location of bike stands.

To visit Helsinki click here.

Let the holidays begin!

As the midsummer weekend approaches, Finlands favourite holiday weekend, it signals the start of summer. For many Finns this is when they start their summer vacation whether that be for a couple of weeks or even for months.

The children have finished school and will not return until mid August. Parliment finished yesterday and will not sit again in Helsinki until until 11 September.

Today sees the mass exodus out of the cities to summer houses throughout the countryside. This is the one day of the year when Finlands usually sedate road network will be struggling and travellers are facing the prospect of horrendous traffic jams!

The weekend ahead will be spent celebrating with family and friends. Eating, drinking, taking saunas and swimming in lakes. 

Maybe this is a holiday that we should be raising the profile of in the UK!

and want to know more about Finland visit the Our Land! photography exhibition.

This excellent exhibition is the compilation of work by 23 photographers documenting the changes in the lives of Finns both at home and abroad from the 1960's to the present day. It shows the dramatic changes in everyday life during the period and in developments in photography.

The exhibition is on at the Tennis Palace Art Museum located in the heart of Helsinki close to the bus station and 500m from the central railway station.

Entrance is €7 but the good news is that entrance is free on Fridays!

To link to the Tennis Palace Art Museum click here

To visit Helsinki click here.

Visit the beaches on Helsinki's door step.