Word for the Travel Wise (04/17/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Northern Europe has been an area I’ve long neglected to visit or think much about, but the more information I gather on countries like Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Finland I’m starting to sing another tune. Today I’ll say Finland and their sauna’s are slowly winning me over, but tomorrow I’ll probably say it’s Denmark. For the Finnish a trip to the sauna is part of everyday life. Today they are considered a common luxury, serving as a focus for family and community as noted by the tourism site. If you’re considering a trip to Finland’s saunas check out the site here for all the details and remember the season for sauna is summer.

Today’s word is a Finnish word used in Finland:

löyly – quality of steam

Finnish is a member of the Finno-Ugric language family and classified as an agglutinative language. This particular Finnish language site provides some examples of easy words and phrases, an intro to the lingo, pronunciation guide and a list of additional Finnish material elsewhere. Another excellent way to advance your skills and engage your senses is to listen to the local music. Try the Finnish Music Information Center for audio and background information on the country’s favorite sounds. Online Finnish Lessons is another site offering lists of links to check out and if you’re in the city of Helinski stop by one of the schools to enroll in Finnish courses.

Past Finnish words: väsynyt

Word for the Travel Wise (02/13/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Before I apologize for my irregular posting these days, let me start by telling you how exhausted I’ve become. Only a few hours rest between now and the time I board my plane en route to Trinidad & Tobago and the last few days have been filled with the excitement and madness of packing and trip preparation. I’ve made list after list and checked them multiple times to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. And since this trip is by no means the roughing it kind, I’ve managed to stuff close to my entire wardrobe inside. That was a bit of an exagerration, but the suitcase if bulging and I’ve even had to enforce the sit and zip technique, rather than re-evaluate the goods inside. Everything in there is a necessary necessity. Now, my apologies.

Today’s word is a Finnish word used in Finland:

väsynyt – tired

Why I chose Finnish today, I haven’t a clue. I’m somewhere between pre-zombie zone with all that has been going on and somewhere on my mind rest the need to advance our Finnish language skills. Don’t ask any further questions. I plucked this useful jewel right out of an online English-Finnish translation dictionary and pray that for once those things are functioning appropriately. To access the online dictionary go here.

Finnish is a member of the Finno-Ugric language family and classified as an agglutinative language. This particular Finnish language site provides some examples of easy words and phrases, an intro to the lingo, pronunciation guide and a list of additional Finnish material elsewhere. Another excellent way to advance your skills and engage your senses is to listen to the local music. Try the Finnish Music Information Center for audio and background information on the country’s favorite sounds. Online Finnish Lessons is another site offering lists of links to check out and if you’re in the city of Helinski stop by one of the schools to enroll in Finnish courses.

Finland, Oh Finland

by Erik Olsen on

Good old Monty Python mocked poor Finland in that old ditty saying of one of the lesser known Scandinavian countries:

You’re so sadly neglected
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.

Second to Belgium? I doubt that’s the case anymore. I’ve had several fiends return from Helsinki to tell me that it is a bustling, fascinating city with a rich, varied culture of music, design and, well, cell phones. The Finns, I am told, are a reserved lot, That may be an overall Scandinavian trait, but I’m told that even Norwegians think the Finns hold back when it comes to emoting. But that may be a good thing. Good for them, I say. But aside from all this stereotyping, which I already got into today, I should mention that something else is brewing in Helsinki that you may be interested in. According to this piece in the International Herald Tribune, a particularly stylish part of Helsinki was recently designated as the Design District, offering acres of new stores, restaurants and galleries that show off a particular brand of Finnish sensibilities…sensibilities that are all about Finland’s modern identity in Europe. The Finns are known for their stripped down art, and the design of home furnishings and nowhere is this more apparent in the new design district. But it ain’t cheap. What is in Scandinavia? According to the piece, a simple three-legged Aalto stool will set you back over several hundred bones. Ikea it isn’t.

But I have to say that my curiosity is piqued, and I’d very much like to make the pilgrimage someday soon to Finland, perhaps with a stopover in Norway just to say hi to some old relatives.

Tango in Finland

by Dave (Blogsmith Old) on

Here’s a great way to warm things up on a cold day – I happened upon this Travel Intelligence story by David Atkinson about hot nights in cold Helsinki. Tango is quite popular in Finland – there is a huge festival each July in Seinäjoki, called Tangomarkkinat, and even a Tango Museum too. This is the kind of thing I’d like to do if I visited the snowy north in winter. I’m partial to warm-weather activities, so I’d pick dancing lessons over snowshoes in the colder months for sure. And as Atkinson’s piece explains, the Finnish winters are all about tango indoors – private parties and lessons – at places like Wanhan Tanssikellari. The Argentinian tradition of tango made its way to Finland after the ban on dancing was lifted after WWII. Over time it developed characteristics as a melancholic dance in Finland. According to Maarit Niiniluoto, a leading Finnish tango historian, “For Finns, tango is a three-minute dream with your eyes open – it’s poetic and deeply symbolic.”

Finn Food With, um, Fins

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve tried a lot of different foods in my lifetime. I’ve had haggis, I’ve had meal worms, crickets and eyeballs. But even then, I took a look at the Finnish fishwich here and had second thoughts about whether I’d indulge in Finn cuisine. A dish called Vendice is described as tiny fish baked into an open rye tart. Hmm. Apparently the Finns don’t have a very solid culinary rep on the continent. According to the piece here, French President Jacques Chirac allegedly said that Britain was the worst place to eat “after Finland.” And then the Italian weighed in with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saying he had to “endure” Finnish food during his travels. Of course, this could be typical Franco-Italian pomposity ,but if the fish tart shown here is any indication…well, I may stick with the Vodka.