As an ignorant American I’m saddened to say, very little. One thing that comes to mind is Simo Häyhä.
I cant forget Linus Torvalds. The third most influential person in my life behind Thompson and Ritchie. Without these three I would never have found one of my greatest joys, coding.
I think of the pictures of snowy landscapes crowned with ethereal lights dancing in the night.
Stories from my dad about a Finish violin maker who used to hitchhike everywhere dad used to give frequent rides to.
perkele
Long place names like Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä
Birch barks white shimmer through the green leaves … that must have been taken last year or further back in history, since now it is still wintery in finalnd, and birch is empty.
It is likely not from Finland
Actually birch trees grow in the north/Scandinavia. So this image still might depict a Finland of the past
Sisu.
Finns be crazy.
It’s the country where I quite want to be. Eating breakfast or dinner, or just watching TV.
A challenging language
Winter sports
Power metal, rallying, forests, snow, reindeer, personal space, a language with a very musical-sounding rhythm and grammar that I don’t understand in the slightest, and that one video of a man swearing at a bear because it’s in his garden
Great public transit, safe bike infrastructure (so safe they bike in the snow!), and a happy chill country that tries to be great for all their citizens (unlike the US which only cares about the rich)
It seems like a great place with a decent government and society. The few Finnish people I’ve met over the years have all been really cool and/or smart and/or hilarious.
Sopuli.xyz and saunas
Aki Kaurismäki
Monty Pythons “Finland” song. And a former coworker who was born there, but does not speak a word of Finnish (Finlandish?).
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall,
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all
The country where I quite want to be…
Hockey
