Red Cottage and a Potato Field

Peace and quiet in Puu-Käpylä.

A cliche Finnish dream house is “punainen tupa ja perunamaa” (a red cottage and a potato field) and we have those even in Helsinki. I guess today many people would prefer a bit easier and more practical way of life.

Ateneum and Classic Finnish Paintings

Ateneum art museum at night.

Ateneum is the place to go in Helsinki if you want to see classic Finnish paintings.

Have a look at a few of the most impressing ones. It’s impossible to live in Finland without seeing references to these works.

• The Wounded Angel (Haavoittunut enkeli by Hugo Simberg
• The Wage Slaves (Raatajat rahanalaiset) by Eero Järnefelt (click “enlarge photo” to see it better)
• The Mother of Lemminkäinen (Lemminkäisen äiti) by Akseli Gallen-Kallela
• The Fighting Capercaillies (Taistelevat metsot) by Ferdinand von Wright

Sibelius Monument and Photography Laws

The pipes in autumn colors.

Jean Sibelius is the national composer of Finland and this monument was unveiled ten years after his death in 1967. The monument is part of the tourist track of Helsinki but I wouldn’t expect to see locals there. I’ve seen it twice and only because during both times I was in the neighbourhood and I decided to take photos of it.

The monument has influenced the Finnish laws regarding photography. Photos of permanent statues in public places may not be used commercially without paying a fee to the artist. This is known as Lex Hiltunen after Eila Hiltunen who made the monument and who drove the change of laws. You don’t need to pay if the statue has non-significant role in the photo.

In a way it seems fair that somebody can’t earn a lot of money with postcard sales while the original artist doesn’t get anything. On the other hand, the artist now earns money with the fame of another person.

A Sauna has been Stolen

This mobile sauna has just been stolen according to Helsingin Sanomat.

Sauna is an essential part of Finnish culture. Ideally you have a sauna by a lake and it is warmed up using wood. More typically people have a sauna in a city apartment that is heated with an electric stove.

After getting a good sweat at the sauna, you should cool down a bit by swimming in a lake and go back to the sauna. If the lake is frozen, you make a hole to the ice and swim. Alternatively you can roll naked in the snow. A beer tastes exceptionally good after (or during) a relaxing session at a sauna.

Finns are not that enthusiastic about saunas while they are abroad. Often they are too cold and you are not allowed to throw water to the sauna stove. That’s like football without a ball. Many Finns are disgusted when they see a foreign sauna that provides sexual services. Even if they ignore or enjoy the same services somewhere else.

One of the more recent triumphs of sauna is the Facebook and Washington D.C based Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society of D.C.

Midnight Sun

According to their clock, it is almost midnight.

An alternative theory is that they are going to see Iron Maiden concert, Two Minutes to Midnight is one of their favourite songs and it is still early evening.

The Land of the Midnight Sun has been used a lot as a slogan to promote Finland and many other northern countries. It is a cliche but I also must admit that summer evenings, nights and mornings are so much nicer here than in more southern locations. It is not supposed to get dark during the summer! How can you manage with your depressingly short summer days?