Why The Hell Haven’t You Been To Finland Yet?
It’s six years since I moved from Lancashire to Lapland, and everyday, as I look out of the lake lapping at the edge of my garden, I wonder why the place isn’t crawling with people. Finland seems to be the worlds best kept secret.
Whilst I hear about people’s summer holidays on the Costa Del Chav in overbuilt resorts full of Irish bars and fish and chip shops, where learning the local language means brushing up on your cocky slang, I sit here in a tranquil paradise just a 3 hour flight from the UK with hardly another human around.
It’s mind boggling.
Whilst they worry about drinking the tap water and not letting their children more than a meter away from them in case they get lost in the crowds, I sit here writing this with notepad and pen on one of the natural beaches on the lake shore whilst my children splash about in water so pure you can drink it, with not another soul in sight.
How can this be? How can somewhere so amazing be so empty?
Do you all have mental issues? Have you all become addicted to the traffic fumes and chemicals they pump into your drinking water? Do you actually enjoy sitting in the little portioned off section of beach inside your windbreakers, an office cube environment on your holidays? Or do you long to break free? To escape to the wild, open spaces, to breath in clean air and let your body and mind detox from the grime and grind of life in the city?
I know I used to.
Looking back at how my life has changed, from living in the UK to living here in Finland, I’m amazed at how life used to be. There was a time when organic food was something you paid a fortune for at the shops rather than grew yourself. When you had to triple lock and deadbolt your front door, and that was when you were home. When berries and mushrooms had to be paid for rather than picked for free in the forests. Christ, I remember drinking bottled water – something so laughable these days – thinking clean air was a luxury you had to travel to find, and that a manly man was one that liked cars and going to the gym rather than came home with the days catch slung over his shoulder and then went out to chop wood.
This summer, without travelling more than 30 minutes from my house, I’ve been bear watching in a hide near the Russian border, hiking in a national park so clean and untouched that several species of rare and endangered plants grow there and animals like bear, reindeer, moose call it home. I’ve caught perch in the lake at the bottom of my garden, been white water rafting, sat around a campfire in the wilderness with friends cooking sausages, had to stop my car to let herds of reindeer cross the road and been skinny dipping in the lake at 3am under the bright midnight sun.
A hell of a lot better than anything Costa Del Chav has to offer.
Why would you chose to be in a crowded, dirty city when you could be here? Why would you choose an over crowded beach, listening to Daz and Shaz argue over whose turn it is to go the chippy whilst some idiot plays shity music too loud and kids run past kicking sand in your face, when you could be spending your summer holidays in Kuusamo?
It’s winter coming up and let me guess, those of you that are planning a skiing holiday, you’re going to the Alps, right? You are going to sit for 3 hours on a flight and then another 3 on a bus, after fighting your way through Geneva airport. Then you are going to spend a week paying through the nose for poor food and gassy beer in a busy, dirty ski resort. You are going to be spending 30 minutes and more waiting for each ski lift, fighting the crowds at the mountain restaurants and constantly stopping to let those trains of children zig zag down the mountain in front of you all the while trying to kid yourself that you are out enjoying nature, in the peace and quiet, having a restorative break from it all.
If you’ve already spent the money and booked it, I wont tell you about the beautiful, wide and empty slopes of Ruka, the non existent queues for ski lifts, fresh local produce they use in the restaurants and the friendly helpful staff. Nor about the children’s adventure ski slope with real reindeer on it and all the things like visiting the real Santa, going on reindeer sleigh rides, husky sledding, snowmobiling across frozen lakes and snowshoe trekking through the national park, that you can do.
And I definitely won’t tell you that I’ve just seen that Inghams are selling package holidays to Ruka for about £265 pp, it’s only a 3 hour flight and then a 30 minute drive from the airport.
Seriously, are you all addicted to the crowds, pollution and noise? Why haven’t you come to Finland yet?
Find out more about Ruka and Kuusamo here and come out to visit. You wont believe how amazing it is until you’ve experience it for yourself.
I'm Heather, an ex expat, now back in blighty and living in Lancashire. Which is just like Lapland only less snowy...and stuff.
Shhhh, don’t tell everyone
Get the Kossu ready, I’m coming…. from Australia… where I also think we’ve got it made. Those poor Brits, when will they learn?
This was a really lovely post about a really lovely place. I enjoyed reading it immensely. x
It really is such a well kept secret. maybe the Finnish mafia are coming come knocking on my door for letting the secret out?
Kossu and sauna will be ready and waiting! Looking back it’s amazing what I used to think was a relaxing holiday when I lived in the UK. If only I’d known somewhere like this existed! I’ve never been but I can imagine Australia is very similar – lots of space and not so many people crammed into it.
Glad you enjoyed it
Wow it looks and sounds amazing! Perhaps people just don’t know about it. I love living in New Zealand, but it’s achingly far away from my extended family. Perhaps I should suggest to hubbie that he moves his business to Lapland! I’d so love to have the lifestyle we have here and be closer to England.
A great post.
I’ve been there once…and yes!I love it!! I’ll be back…one day….i hope
I can vouch for just about everything (except I’ve never been in deepest snow time- just the end of it). Finland is ace- the language is utterly impenetrable but no Finnish person would ever expect you to be able to speak it so when you do manage a few words, they think you are ace!
Misssy M (I dunked myself in a frozen Finnish river for kicks and live to tell the tale!)
I’d love to come out but it’s just too expensive! We holiday in our garden instead
Free water? Can you train it to form into clumps of square ice that will jump into my glass of Jack Daniesl? If so then I’m on the next flight.
Brilliant post. I want to come. Now! So much like New Zealand and what I miss living here about home, living here in the UK I feel a bit uncomfortable reading it. The only reason I haven’t been across is the money. I need to be earning some money. Desparate to get back to NZ for the Xmas holiday period, but would love to take the family skiing in Finland and stay with you, too. Sigh. Lottery ticket? Or anyone got a great big job I can do that’ll pay big bucks?
OK,OK! I hear you! My bag is packed and I’m on my way. Your spare room will be fine. Do you offer cooked breakfast?
Seriously though, Karen and I were just talking the other day about “why the hell are we living in the UK”? I think the main barrier to moving elsewhere is the language… and it’s a biggie.
Just booked my skiing holiday in Ylläs, but as a Finn I’m a little biased. You’re making me very homesick by the way, so stop it now!
Great post xx
[...] I wrote on my expat blog, Notes From Lapland, about life here in Kuusamo, [...]
Ahh this sounds so amazing. I’ve only been to Finland once, spending a long weekend in Helsinki for work. Even though it was a city I still gained an impression of being close to nature as we stayed on the outskirts and travelled in. I told hubby he should get a transfer, until he reminded me that I am a complete b*tch to live with if the temperature drops below 30 which kind of discounted Finland for us. So now I’m trying to convince him of all Finland’s merits in a place with year-round heat….wish me luck!
I have been to Finland once, years back to *studies map* Joensuu. I was sent by an Italian travel agent to see the sights and set up a holiday for his clients. I had the most fantastic week, the people looking after me were so hospitable, the sights were breathtaking and the immense empty landscapes invigorating.
I’m definitely coming back, maybe in a year or two when the girls are older and appreciate Santa more. I also have a cruise of the fjords on my Travel List. Can’t wait!
You had me at Costa del Chav. I think that’s the best thing I’ve heard for days. And Finland does sound gorgeous, but speaking for myself, as an expat, all my holidays are spent back in the US. As for the rest of the time? London, yes the very same one that was just voted the 4th most polluted city on Earth. Mmmm… No bears, but do lots of grouchy people count?
I said only the other day the only thing keeping me in England is the fact that my elderly parents live close by. If that weren’t the case (and I hope to goodness I’m not jinxing us here) I’d be off like A SHOT.
Money. That’s the largest reason. And the fact that even with all my efforts, I still can’t speak the language. And cus I’m a travel challenged hermit lady.:(
Sounds amazing. You’ve sold it to me. Just need to find some money now. Since moving to our own little paradise I’m not sure we’ll ever have a holiday again !
Aha you’re working now. Can’t actually remember what I was going to say this morning, Obviously it was highly intelligent, witty and sparkling.
Finland looks nice.
Well now I’ve read this I obviously have no idea as to why I’ve never been!
As I may have mentioned once or twice, we went this year for the first time in a while (staying with family and friends- half Finnish etc etc), and I must admit I was tempted to write a similar post when I got back!
Having said this, what was noticeable to me was that there seemed to be a lot more tourists than I remembered from previous visits (not just the usual Germans either!). So maybe the secret is slowly getting out there… ?
So, do we get to stay in your cabin?
It sounds like “home” to me. Actually, Finland and Newfoundland are a lot alike. But you’ve got me craving a Finland visit for sure, now.
And now I’m wondering, Why the hell haven’t I been to Finland????????
Sign me up….. maybe I can hop over when in am in Denmark.
Did I hear that you are housing all of us and hired as personal guide? I think I heard that…..somewhere. 
Omg, I may have to move! Next holiday: Finland!
Im a portuguese student/worker girl.I was always so fond of Northern nature, weather and everything in there. When raise the money funds, there i go! I went to Finland last year to Pyha-Luosto park and Rovaniemi in midwinter, and that was absoluttely AMAZING!! Those forests vast, covered in snow, reflecting the sun dim first rays of winter… This year as im studying and no way im getting rid of summer vactions and in Portugal they are unbearable, all this hot weather makes me sick, people everywhere making noise, loud music, and that.So im thinking about going to Finland in summer..hope its quiet and beautifull,too,i would love to make long walks on national parks!! My country has low life standarts and our forests are burning, weather is too damn hot and unemployment grows, people are selfish and disrispectfullI would love to be born a Finn girl, to live in a country like that… But unfortunately im not. So im stuck here…