Finland/Suomi

 		 
Terve!!! How did I get related with Finland? Well a view years ago I made some good contacts with some Finnish students who where studying in Groningen, The Netherlands. Now those people became good friends of mine and every time we visit Finland we meet more and more friends.

<- From left to the right: Dave, Sanna, Jori, Merja†, Tommi
Have you ever seen the Santa Claus for real? They say that he comes from the North Pole, but in fact the man lives now somewhere in the north of Finland. And his name? That's typical Dutch! We know him as Sinterklaas and we celebrate his day on the 5th of December.

<- Me and Santa Claus in Helsinki.
I like Finland or Suomi very much. The lakes, woods and landscapes are very beautiful. The distances in Finland are so huge that you can't imagine when you have lived your whole life in the Netherlands. Finland is about 11 times larger than the Netherlands. In Finland they say 'Moi' when you want to say hello or good-bye to someone. In Groningen where I life they also say 'Moi'. Probably we got it from the Finnish people.
The people in Finland are very friendly and at nightlife mostly drunk. It's not that the beer is very cheap (same prices at our terrace here) but they just drink till they are drunk. Salmiakki is a very nice Finnish drink. It's made of Turkish Pepper and Finnish Vodka.

<- Here are some good friends: Tommi and Edwin (also from Netherlands)
Anyway some of those people are good friends of mine. There are much Finnish students studying in Groningen because of some exchange programs between Hanze Hogeschool and Jyväskulä Polytechnic

<- Edwin and I at Sanna's house in Helsinki.

If you want to know more about Finland then try one of these links:

CIMO
Dictionary English-Finnish
Finland
Finland Railway
Finland Vakanties Westerman
Lilli's Finland Page
Travel in Finland
Vaasa
Virtual Finland
WebTravel in Finland