Finland is often reduced to two images: stylish Helsinki in the south and Santa Claus in snowy Lapland. Between them lies a vast country of forested islands, immense lakes, summer cottages, festivals and wood-fired saunas.

This week, Daniel is joined by writer and photographer Tim Bird, who first moved from Britain to Finland in 1982. More than four decades later, Tim is a Finnish citizen and the author of Happy Land: Finding My Inner Finn.

They begin in Helsinki, exploring a capital shaped by its relationship with the sea. Tim explains why the Oodi central library has become a living room for the city, what makes the rock-hewn Temppeliaukio Church so memorable and why every first-time visitor should take the ferry into the Helsinki Archipelago.

His essential recommendation is Suomenlinna, the historic sea fortress spread across a group of connected islands at the entrance to Helsinki’s harbour.

The journey then continues into the landscapes between Helsinki and Lapland. Tim introduces the vast Saimaa lake system, the forested ridge of Koli and the views across Lake Pielinen. He also shares practical advice for exploring rural Finland, including when public transport works and when having a car makes life considerably easier.

There is a proper introduction to Finnish sauna culture too. Daniel discovers what to wear, when nudity is perfectly normal and why an icy swim can become strangely irresistible. Tim also unpacks sisu, Finland’s famously difficult-to-translate quality of resilience, and considers why Finnish happiness may have more to do with trust, security and having enough than constant cheerfulness.

Finally, they discuss lake fish, rye bread, Karelian pies, forest berries, mushrooms and Finland’s formidable enthusiasm for coffee. Tim reveals the common mistakes visitors make when planning a Northern Lights trip, recommends Tove Jansson’s writing beyond the Moomins and chooses an authentic piece of Finnish design to bring home.

In this episode:

• Helsinki’s archipelago, Oodi and Temppeliaukio Church
• Why Suomenlinna is Tim’s essential Helsinki experience
• Saimaa, Koli and Finland’s overlooked Lakeland
• Finnish sauna etiquette and winter swimming
• The meaning of sisu
• Finnish food, coffee and tipping culture
• The truth about visiting Lapland and seeing the Northern Lights
• Tove Jansson beyond the Moomins
• Tim’s favourite season for visiting Finland

Guest: Tim Bird, writer, photographer and author of Happy Land: Finding My Inner Finn.

This is destination unlocked with me, Daniel Edward.

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Hello, welcome back to Destination

Unlocked, the Conversational Travel

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podcast where each week I'm joined

by a local or a travel expert who

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unlocks their part of the world for us.

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And this week we are

going north, far north.

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We're going to Finland, a gorgeous

country, right at the top of Europe

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in Scandinavia, and we are going in

the company of an author who started

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life in the uk, moved over to Finland

as a teacher of English, and has ended

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up working as a freelance writer and

photographer, focusing on his adopted

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land, his happy land, if you will,

because Tim Bird is the author of

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Happy Land, finding My Inner Fin.

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Enjoy.

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Hi, Tim.

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Where are you unlocking for us today?

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Tim Bird: I'm in my Helsinki home.

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this is where I live, Helsinki,

on the southern tip of the very

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long country that is Finland.

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Daniel Edward: It is a surprisingly

long country and given its length,

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people tend to focus on one of

the two extremes of the country.

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You're either gonna be in the

south with the capital or far

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up north with Santa in Lapland.

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Tim Bird: yeah.

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they are two destinations

that people would go to.

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Of course, there are

various things in between.

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The country is, from one end to

the other, approximately 1,300

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kilometres as the crow flies.

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Most visitors would spend time in

Helsinki, the capital, and many

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visitors would also head up to Lapland.

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at different times of the year,

it's good for winter sports,

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there are various places to go

for the Santa Claus experience.

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But not only that, it would

be wrong, in my opinion, to

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make it the main attraction.

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There are other attractions,

but then in between there you've

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got all sorts of other things.

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You've got the Lakeland to the

East, not far from the border

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with Russia, which is a massive

Lakeland, the Saimaa Lake network.

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You've got the Largo, the Baltic

Archipelago, which extends pretty

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much around the whole coast,

with different intensities.

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There are really beautiful

island destinations as well.

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I visited most of the regions during

that time that I've been here,

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which was when I arrived 1982.

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, I've been a permanent residence of

Finland pretty much the whole time since

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Daniel Edward: four decades

of an adopted country.

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I find that when somebody adopts a

country, you've chosen to move there.

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I feel you see more of that country than

somebody who was actually born there.

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Tim Bird: That's possibly true.

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Never went to the Tower of London

or any of those destinations when

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I was living in London . And maybe

that's true for a lot of Finns.

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Because there's a kind of novelty,

I think you've got a point there.

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Daniel Edward: So let's start

in Helsinki and then we'll

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work our way up the country.

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'cause I really wanna spend some time

in that lake district 'cause it looks

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stunning and I've not been there myself.

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Helsinki's got quite a lot going for it.

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There's plenty to see.

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Tim Bird: There is.

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What gives it its character is

that it's very close to the sea.

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It has, an largo that

is well worth exploring.

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In terms of culture, there

are a lot of museums.

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There's a big new city library

called Oodi, which is a

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big attraction these days.

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You might, wonder why a library is

an attraction, but if you go there,

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you'll find out it's a fantastic

building and it's not just a library.

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It was designed as a kind

of living room for the city.

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So you've got that kind of

progressive angle as well.

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It's developing all the time.

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Ever since I've been here, it's

been, a big construction site.

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They're always building

new stuff great new cycle.

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Paths going right into the centre of

the city bridges, recently there's

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a, a big new bridge which opened more

than a kilometre long, which is the

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longest bridge in Finland, and apart

from all that, it's really thriving,

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very pleasant city to live in.

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Daniel Edward: I do like that

pedestrian feel of the city centre.

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To be able to experience the heart of a

city, a capital city, but be able to take

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it at human speed, walking around without

having to worry too much about traffic.

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Tim Bird: It's also, wherever you live

, you are never far away from a green area.

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In fact, quite a lot of forest still

penetrates into the centre of the city

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in what is called the Central Park.

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I'm a cycling enthusiast.

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I go everywhere on my bike.

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and The cycle track network has been

developing over the years since I've

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lived here, and it's, starting to be

really great they're really taking a

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much better account of cyclists cycling

as a means of transport around the city.

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Daniel Edward: Do you even do that

in the winter or in the winters?

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it's really to the public

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Tim Bird: Yeah, I mean, I actually

put winter tyres on my bike but

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there are times when it's just too

much snow to be able to do that.

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You get the kind of damp cold coming

from the sea and minus 20 near the

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Baltic can be especially chilly.

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You feel it more further away

the further inland you go.

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If you go to Lapland minus 20, , nothing,

they're down to minus 30 quite often.

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That is really cold and you don't

wanna stay out in that too long.

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you can feel the difference

between minus 20 up north and

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minus 20 down south, near the sea,

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Daniel Edward: yeah, that clinging,

damp, cold, oh my gosh, it's unforgiving.

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you do have to be pretty strong.

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And actually, I feel that

is something about Finland.

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It's a very resilient country, or at

least they're very resilient people.

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Tim Bird: There is this much touted

national characteristic known as sisu,

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you could translate it roughly as unt

translatable as it is, but it means

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something like guts or yeah, this

kind of hardiness like, dealing with

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obstacles as a matter of course and

dealing with harsh conditions too.

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Yes.

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And I think that any country

where the climate does have those

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extremes maybe it does account for

a certain national characteristics.

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maybe there is that kind

of heartiness about them.

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They're used to cold winters.

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And of course they're a small

population getting on for 6

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million the language, the Finnish

language, nobody else speaks Finnish.

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If you have those, wouldn't call 'em

disadvantages, but those characteristics

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where your language is such a, it's

not spoken anywhere else, you're

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going to have to be prepared in a way

to deal with the rest of the world.

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The other thing, of course, is that

we have Russia as a neighbour and,

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there's quite a sort of resigned

attitude towards that, that if

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you've got a problematic neighbour

like that it's quite complicated.

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Finland was part of the

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and it kept quiet politically

during the Soviet era until the

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collapse of the Soviet Union.

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And now it's very much committed

to being a Western country.

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But that history with Russia has an

effect on its national character as well.

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Daniel Edward: culturally,

how much do you feel that

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Tim Bird: well, there

are obvious, connections.

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The Orthodox Church, there are

still people who follow that

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faith, although it's a, minority.

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visibly there aren't too many reminders

of it but, there are quite a lot

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of Russians living in Finland, you

would hear Russians shopping after

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the collapse of the Soviet Union, then

there was quite a relatively friendly

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thing going on across the border.

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So Russians would come here shopping and

you would see them in Helsinki and hear

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Russian spoken in the streets of Helsinki.

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But, if you hear what you think is

Russian now, it's probably Ukrainian.

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Daniel Edward: What other languages

do you hear given that, Finnish is

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really only spoken by the Finnish?

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do you hear English a lot?

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Tim Bird: Yeah.

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but Swedish is the

second official language.

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there's still, something like

6% minority because also Finland

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has a history with Sweden.

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It was part of the Swedish Empire, so

there's still that minority mainly on

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the western coast and in the oil islands.

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Åland, , oil is the Swedish name.

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Ahvenanmaa is the Finnish name

for a group of islands, which,

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extends between Finland and Sweden.

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One of Finland's relatively

well kept secrets.

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It's a beautiful place.

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Really, really beautiful Lago, but

they're all Swedish speaking there.

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They're part of Finland, but their

Swedish culture is guaranteed under an

148

agreement that was made in 1923, So you

go there and everybody speaks Swedish.

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They don't speak Finnish day to day.

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the coastal areas to the southwest and the

west of Finland, there are still, people

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there whose first language is Swedish

and other little pockets here and there.

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English, I would dare to say that English

is the unofficial second language,

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and okay, I came here as an English

teacher, so I'm taking the credit for

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how well people speak English these days.

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English really is the world

language where we like it or not.

156

So, it helps for them.

157

That doesn't mean that Finn is, and

endangered language is definitely

158

not still very much alive.

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But English is, especially

in the south, in the cities,

160

English is very widely spoken.

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Daniel Edward: Which

is great for tourists.

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I mean, it is very helpful.

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Tim Bird: Sure if you're gonna stay in

a hotel in Helsinki, guaranteed that

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they're gonna speak English with you.

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Daniel Edward: Nature is a very

important part of the country.

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And there are a couple of places in

Helsinki, which sort of stand out

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for me of combining city with nature.

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One of them would be, you'll have to say

it in the Finnish for me, the rock church.

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Tim Bird: Yeah.

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Temppeliaukio Church,

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Daniel Edward: Quite right.

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Tim Bird: I think it's

called, is the full name.

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It's worth a visit.

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It's quite a unique building, it's a

church around shaped church, which has

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been excavated into, a big, rocky area.

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Daniel Edward: They sort

of blew out the rock face.

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Tim Bird: Yeah, it's built into the

rock and it has this quite sort of

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interesting copper roof, so it's a bit

like a flying sourcer from outside.

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so you kind of go down into it.

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It's also a function in church and

they have concerts there and so on.

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Friends of mine have got married there

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Daniel Edward: What sort of concerts,

what sort of music is popular?

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Tim Bird: in Finland generally?

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Classical music is, I mean, you know,

it's the land of Sibelius, but also

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many, many other, a lot of conductors,

a lot of, very fine musicians.

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It is a very musical country.

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There is this idea that, and it's

true that heavy metal rock music

188

is especially popular in Finland,

and it is, but there's this kind of

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idea that that's all they listen to.

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And that's not true.

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But there is a big festival in Helsinki.

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There are a number of, most of the

festivals, of course, are in the

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summer into the autumn, Helsinki

Festival extends across August.

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Tuska is the name of the Heavy

Metal Festival in Helsinki

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annual Heavy Metal Festival.

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Tuska means something like agony or pain.

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So it's very appropriate.

198

I've been there on assignments,

because I'm a freelance

199

journalist and, photographer.

200

so I've been accredited to all the

different festivals over the years,

201

and I, I have experienced, the various

rituals of the heavy metal, community.

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Daniel Edward: Festivals

have become across Europe.

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Actually, they have become

such a fixture in the calendar.

204

Tim Bird: Yeah, there's a more alternative

, independent rock festival, called Flow,

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which has become quite big in Helsinki.

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I think Florence and the machine

is headlining in the next one.

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And, Nick Cave and The

Bad Seeds, for example.

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And then apart from that, of course

you've got the classical festivals

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and in different parts of Finland too.

210

There's a big folk music festival

in a place called Kaustinen, which

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is halfway up the west coast.

212

you've got a jazz festival in

Pori, also on the west coast.

213

You've got a midnight Sun Movie festival

in Sodankylä in Lapland, And you've

214

got an opera festival in Savonlinna

in an old castle, in the Lakeland,

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in the Saimaa Lakes, which is an

amazing venue, the courtyard of this

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big mediaeval castle on an island.

217

this is also giving you an idea

that there are things happening

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outside Helsinki in different

places, especially in the summer.

219

Summer is the festival season.

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Daniel Edward: Well, it makes sense given

how the weather is in you, you want to

221

make the very, most of those good months

where people can be out and about.

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Tim Bird: Absolutely.

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And I mean, there's a kind of idea

that Finns are a bit schizophrenic,

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that they're two different people

in the winter and then the summer,

225

and to some extent that's true.

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Daniel Edward: Well, one of the

places that comes to life in the

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summer has gotta be the Lake District.

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There are 180,000 lakes in Finland.

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Tim Bird: I don't know how they came

up with that figure, but yes, there's

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a lot of lakes Saimaa is, a kind

of network with connecting lakes

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and there are other areas like that.

232

But Saimaa is to the east of the country,

and very close to the border with Russia.

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, It's spectacular.

234

One place to visit though

I would recommend to people

235

called Koli, which is a ridge.

236

You get to the top of the ridge, there

are really nice hiking trails there.

237

There's a hotel up the top there, and

you get these fabulous views across the

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big lake Pielinen think it's called.

239

You can really get an idea of how

big the lake system is, and you're

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only looking at part of it there.

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Daniel Edward: And is it

easy to be a tourist there?

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Is it well set up when you

get outside of the cities?

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Tim Bird: Generally, to get to Saimaa,

there are trains running to that area, but

244

to really explore it you would probably

need, your own car or a camper van.

245

That kind of thing is

quite popular now too.

246

You can get trained all the way

to some smaller towns like Lin,

247

where professor for this like

Opio takes quite a long time.

248

fairly good train

network, good bus network.

249

not too many airports anymore.

250

There used to be more local

regional airports But, the

251

trains are generally good.

252

and like I say, you could go

to somewhere like by train.

253

It would take you most

of the day to get there.

254

It's quite a long way away.

255

And the trains aren't

necessarily very high speed.

256

There are some quite nice more remote

places that that worth visiting.

257

And then you will probably

need a car unless you're on

258

some kind of package trip.

259

That includes the transport,

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Daniel Edward: But even if you're

going to the remote places, there

261

are hotels or you're looking at BMBs

lodging, you camping camper vans,

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Tim Bird: That's actually one of the nice

things about going a bit further north.

263

If you go right up to Lapland, there are

places there where there is quite nice

264

accommodation in fairly remote places.

265

Technically you would not include,

Rovaniemi in, in proper Lapland

266

if you are a purist, but it is the

southern most conservation of Lapland

267

and it's on the Arctic Circle.

268

and that's where all the Santa Claus, most

of the Santa Claus stuff goes on as well.

269

From there you can get buses

and trains further north.

270

and there are hotels

in quite remote places.

271

In the winter there.

272

Ski, winter sports centres in the

autumn, they're great for hiking.

273

, the weather is usually quite nice,

mild, not too warm, not too, cold.

274

I always go to Lapland in the

autumn for a hiking trip because for

275

photography, you get really nice colours.

276

Everything changes colour to these lovely

reds and oranges and yellows and browns.

277

That happens very quickly.

278

It doesn't last more than a couple of

weeks, although it varies from area to

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area because even Lapland is several

hundred kilometres from end to end.

280

So, the climate also

varies within Lapland.

281

Daniel Edward: One of the things that

I imagine doing in those areas, bit

282

out of the way, you've got forests or

you've got lakes and gorgeous stuff.

283

Is a sauna in maybe like a

cabin is this how they are?

284

'cause it was the Finnish who

gave the world saunas, wasn't it?

285

Tim Bird: Well, they are to think, so

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Daniel Edward: They

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Tim Bird: Estonia also has a very

long established kind of, and they

288

also call it sauna, sauna culture.

289

If you start looking into it, there

are equivalent, you know, steam bath

290

type things all over the world, but,

the word sauna is a Finnish word.

291

Another kind of annual little routine that

me and a couple of friends do is go to a

292

friend's summer cottage where they have

an excellent sauna, quite close to the

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lake, go down some steps to a little jetty

and you can sit there after the sauna.

294

So yes, that is the kind of one of the

classic Finnish experiences for sure.

295

In the summer.

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You can also do it in the winter.

297

They go ice swimming hole in the

ice, which is actually much more

298

invigorating than it sounds.

299

And then you can go back in

the sauna and warm up again.

300

You see?

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Daniel Edward: It is supposed

to be very good for your health.

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Tim Bird: Yeah.

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Daniel Edward: Is there a ritual to it?

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I've been in certain countries

there's a more set ritual.

305

Other countries, it's just

you sit in a hot room where is

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it on that scale in Finland?

307

Tim Bird: Well, there's

etiquette involved.

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Sure.

309

Some people might think that it's a

place to go and get drunk or something,

310

but that's kind of frowned on.

311

There's the way you, light

the fire and things like this.

312

I mean, it's not rocket science really,

but there are certain ways of doing it.

313

And then different kinds of sauna.

314

If you are really a connoisseur as

I, I have at least one friend, an

315

English friend in fact, who is , a

real fanatic and a connoisseur.

316

And they will swear to you that

there are noticeable differences

317

between the kind of steam that you're

getting in different kinds of sauna.

318

And if you're not such a connoisseur,

you probably wouldn't notice that much.

319

But if the sauna is really

good, then it's softer feeling.

320

Usually these lakeside places where

it's a wood fire, heating the stove

321

with the stones on the top, take

your time on a beautiful evening.

322

And the lakeside, it is the

quintessential Finn experience really.

323

Daniel Edward: If you're going to

a public sauna, do the locals wear

324

clothes or do you go in with nothing?

325

Tim Bird: if it's a mixed sauna then the

etiquette would normally be that you'd use

326

swimming trunks or a towel, but generally,

if you are with very good friends with

327

people or it's family then, the general

thing to do is, not to wear clothes.

328

Certainly if you're of the

same sex, you'd go naked.

329

It's not really worth worrying about.

330

It's such a nice thing to do anyway,

and then to go into the lake , or

331

you might be by the sea as well.

332

A lot of the sauna is by the

sea and on the islands, so

333

it's not just on the lakes.

334

Daniel Edward: Tell me a bit more

about your story with Finland.

335

40 years in this country, did you

set out deliberately , to move there?

336

Did it end up being something

which surprised you?

337

Tim Bird: I was living in Bristol.

338

I had a degree.

339

And I started to think that

maybe I should be doing something

340

interesting with my life.

341

I was not kind of fulfilling any ambitions

or anything at that particular time.

342

And it kind of dawned on me slowly that I

ought to be doing something interesting.

343

I always wanted to write.

344

I always wanted to do

something with language.

345

so I did a course,, to become a teacher

of English as a foreign language.

346

And so I would spend some time

abroad and just see what happened.

347

I got offered jobs in a few places.

348

One of them was in Greece and

then I was also offered this

349

job in Helsinki as a teacher.

350

I met a girl on that course, and

she had been to Sweden and wanted

351

to go and be a teacher in Sweden.

352

So the idea was that I would go,

maybe we would get together and I

353

would go and live with her in Sweden

after I'd spent some time in Finland.

354

But she ditched me.

355

And so I ended up in Finland on

my own, and I started enjoying

356

myself and getting into it.

357

Noticing that there were opportunities

to do some writing for the local

358

tourist magazines and for the

Finnair Inflight magazine, which

359

I worked for, for many years.

360

I gradually moved from teaching

into editing and writing.

361

And then I also realised that

I could accompany my travel

362

articles with photographs.

363

And I got into the photography,

which is first a hobby and

364

still is a hobby, really.

365

My intention at first was not to stay

in Finland, but it gave me so many

366

opportunities to do interesting things.

367

And I started making

very good friends here.

368

Then I got married the first

time and got married again later.

369

I'm still married to, my

wife is sitting downstairs.

370

, So two Finnish wives.

371

Yes, not at the same time.

372

And, it gradually seemed to me, well,

this isn't such a bad place to kind of

373

put down, roots and, to, to just kind of

admit that this is where I was gonna live.

374

I still identify very strongly with

being English but at the same time, and

375

that's partly what the book is about,

is the experience of kind of committing

376

to one country without losing your

identity with your original country.

377

Daniel Edward: You called

the book Happy Land.

378

so from an outsider's perspective, a

title like that, and, knowing that Finland

379

always features so highly in that sort

of world happiness scale, it does sort

380

of make you think of these deliriously,

overjoyed people bobbing around

381

making snowmans and singing to them.

382

, But actually by living there, by getting

under the skin of it over decades, you've

383

actually been able to connect to a much

more nuanced understanding of what that

384

really means, what happiness actually is.

385

Tim Bird: yes, in the context of the

World Happiness Report, which, as

386

you say, repeatedly ranks Finland as

the happiest country in the world.

387

My book Happy Land, Finding My Inner

Finn, is about this happiness thing

388

and looking at it as I like to say

from a sideways perspective, I'm not

389

being cynical about it because I think

there are some arguments to be made for

390

why it keeps winning this, accolade.

391

But at the same time, Finns themselves

will kind of chuckle at it too.

392

In some ways it's the wrong

word, happy, happiness.

393

It's more to do with contentment the

kind of ceiling of expectation that

394

you have enough and that you can live

comfortably without necessarily intending

395

or expecting to be stupidly rich.

396

So it's not the idea that people

are running around laughing and

397

telling jokes they do run, they

do laugh and they do tell jokes.

398

they're not necessarily as serious

as they're often be portrayed to be.

399

And I hope that my book kind of looks

at those stereotypes that they're a

400

kind of little bit dour and reticent.

401

And one of my theories having lived

here so long, is that there's a kind

402

of generational change taking place,

especially in the more urbanised

403

areas of Finland, where younger

Finns are much very well travelled.

404

They speak different languages, and this

kind of description of them being reticent

405

and doer is no longer so applicable.

406

So they're more outgoing, they're more

confident, they're less, apologetic

407

about being from a small country.

408

A large part of that was due to

joining the European Union, which

409

did in 1995, and it made it more

connected with the rest of Europe.

410

before that it was kind of

hovering between the western East.

411

Now it's very much a western country.

412

Another kind of milestone was when

Nokia, the mobile phone company,

413

which is a Finnish company originally,

finns going abroad would see this

414

brand that had become a global

brand that also contributed to

415

the growing national confidence.

416

And it also put Finland more in

touch with the rest of the world,

417

commercially and economically

418

Daniel Edward: I had no

idea Nokia was from there.

419

I, phone.

420

The Nokia 3310.

421

Tim Bird: Most people's

first vote, wasn't it?

422

Yeah.

423

yeah, they lost their way a bit later.

424

But they were massive company.

425

Accounted for a large part of

Finland's GDP for a long time.

426

Daniel Edward: Yeah.

427

Pres smartphone, they, that was

it, that everybody wanted an Nokia.

428

A couple of the other themes that I

sort of picked up from the book and I

429

can absolutely see why that would lead

to contentment and life satisfaction is

430

trust and then that connection to nature.

431

we've sort of, touched on the

connection to nature in the

432

conversation so far, but the trust part.

433

where do you see that?

434

Tim Bird: I've always thought that

that's one of the attractive aspects of

435

the Finnish character they're not very

good at being pretentious , they're a

436

very kind of straightforward country.

437

you know, They're not as outgoing

as the Mediterranean countries, so

438

you need to get to know them a bit

better, but they're very honest.

439

Yes, they are very honest.

440

As a country, this is one of the few

countries in the world where, you

441

know, if you lose something like your

phone, the chances of you getting it

442

back either directly or through a lost

property are, I would say higher here.

443

I mean, they've done tests like,

you know, deliberately drop wallets

444

somewhere and they've done this in

different places and Finland always

445

comes quite top of the charts for that.

446

Education has always been

right up the top of the list.

447

And in fact, there's been a niche

tourism in people coming here to find

448

out why Finnish education is so good.

449

, It's still a very good education

system, but it's not figuring as

450

highly as it used to all the time.

451

Daniel Edward: It since you

stopped being a teacher,

452

Tim Bird: Yeah, I need to

go back into that, don't I?

453

Yeah.

454

Then the things will perk up a bit.

455

Yeah, But I mean, the point is you might

get the impression sometimes that Finland

456

is this kind of milk and honey paradise.

457

It isn't, but it's still

got a lot going for it,

458

Daniel Edward: one of the things that

doesn't come up so much when people

459

are talking about Finland, , which

is odd really because it is something

460

that people generally talk about

when they're talking about other

461

places around the world is food.

462

It sort of gets overlooked,

but there are some Finn dishes

463

that are worth having aren't.

464

Tim Bird: Oh yeah, one or two.

465

Yeah.

466

The best Finnish food is from the forest.

467

I mean, okay, fresh fish, the

Baltic is brackish, which means

468

it's not very salty, that's one of

the reasons it freezes so easily.

469

It's because it's not, doesn't

have a very high salt content.

470

so you've got fish in the Baltic,

and a lot of fish is very good.

471

Then you've got the berries and

the mushrooms from the forest, and

472

all sorts of different berries,

blue berries, cranberries, cloud

473

berries, not many people know about.

474

It's these kind of tart,

slightly tart yellow berries,

475

which grow in marshland areas.

476

and if you put together the best kind of

fish meal, you'd have the fresh fish or is

477

salmon or, which is pike perch, I think.

478

and perch and these different lake

fishes, little fish called, I think

479

in English, muikku in Finnish.

480

They're tiny little

ones which you can eat.

481

Whole crisp, fried, to

a crisp and really nice,

482

and then of course, mushrooms.

483

It's a big mushrooming

country in the autumn.

484

chanterelles BS mushrooms.

485

you put all this stuff together,

fresh vegetables, like new

486

potatoes are a big thing here.

487

and you've got the makings

of a very simple but really

488

delicious meal, like rye bread.

489

warm rye bread, fresh from the oven

with butter on it is really superb.

490

Really lovely.

491

And if you put all the ingredients

I've just mentioned into one

492

dish you don't need to be too

clever with it, keep it simple.

493

That's the best kind of Finnish

meal as far as I'm concerned.

494

You've got various different dishes

at different times of the year.

495

At Christmas you would have these

so-called casserole, which are to

496

accompany the traditional thing

would be to have ham instead of

497

Turkey, although people have all

sorts of different things now.

498

But that's the traditional thing

is to have ham or Christmas and

499

then to have these casserole

dishes, different vegetables.

500

What else would you have?

501

Okay, Easter, there's this kind

of weird thing called mämmi, which

502

is, what's it made from moult?

503

It looks like something you might find

in a cow field, it's kind of brown

504

and not very appetising looking, but

it's actually quite nice, especially

505

if you mix it with sugar and cream

506

. So, yeah, and I've come to like that.

507

I wasn't too keen on it before,

but that's another kind of,

508

Finnish specialty, if you like.

509

Little pies that come from Karelia from

the east of the country, Parts of Karelia

510

were taken by the Soviet Union are still

on the Russian side of the border, but

511

there's quite a large part of Karelia,

which is still on the Finnish side.

512

So that's a province and they have

their own, specialties as well.

513

And in Lapland, of course, you've got

reindeer, which is a pretty much a staple.

514

I mean, the locals eat reindeer too, so

it's not just for the tourist, Finns

515

had a bit of an inferiority complex about

their food for some time, but I think they

516

appreciate the fact that they've actually

got some pretty good ingredients and that

517

you don't need to be too fussy with them.

518

You don't need to mess around with

them too much, keep it simple.

519

And you've got really fantastic

meals and, very good restaurants

520

here now too, in Helsinki.

521

Several Michelin star restaurants,

they're worth this thing, but of

522

course they're more expensive.

523

You don't need to go that up market

to get a really nice Finnish meal.

524

Daniel Edward: Do the

Finns tip in restaurants.

525

Tim Bird: traditionally, no.

526

And I wish they still didn't, but now you

are given the option quite often, not so

527

much in the smaller places, in the smaller

cities, but in Helsinki, more often given

528

the option and if you don't tip, they're

not going to think you are mean, and, but

529

they've kind of put you under a bit of

pressure now, which wasn't there before.

530

Like, you know, should

I tip or shouldn't I?

531

you shouldn't worry about that.

532

You don't have to tip.

533

It's not part of the traditional culture,

but it's kind of creeping in a bit.

534

You wouldn't need to tip a

taxi driver or anybody else.

535

In the more up market hotels, you might

want to give a small tip to somebody

536

who's brought your bags to your room,

but even then it's not really expected.

537

They're not gonna freak

out if you don't tip.

538

Daniel Edward: Something that did stand

out to me in Helsinki and I'm, I'm

539

guessing the rest of the country is

similar, is how much Finns love coffee.

540

Tim Bird: Yeah, we do.

541

I'm a fin too now, by the way.

542

So I can say we, dual citizenship, yeah,

we fin's drank an awful lot of coffee.

543

Yes.

544

For some time it was well known as per

capita, the biggest consumption per head

545

of population of, coffee in the world.

546

I'm not sure if you still can claim

that, but still it's a staple drink.

547

Yes.

548

we've got lots of coffee

549

Daniel Edward: to counteract

the lack of sun in the winter.

550

Is it the, the energy has

to come from somewhere.

551

Tim Bird: it might partly

have originated there.

552

I don't know if again, if this is the

case, but when I used to be employed

553

by a magazine publishing company

and you'd go to the, there was a

554

room for having coffee and you could

drink as much coffee as you wanted.

555

You just go keep taking more.

556

, It's usually included if you have a

buffet meal, try popular in Helsinki

557

Buffet lunch places, and then coffee is

always available as part of the deal.

558

I dunno if that's the

same in the UK these days,

559

Daniel Edward: So you're

lucky to get a glass of water.

560

what is your top thing

to see or do in Finland?

561

Tim Bird: The Helsinki Archipelago

because you are likely to visit

562

Helsinki on your visit to Finland.

563

It's the main entry point in any way.

564

You should visit Helsinki

while you are in Finland.

565

The islands around Helsinki, a

lot of them were outta bounds as

566

military areas for quite a while.

567

They had, army bases or whatever,

several of those islands have opened up.

568

the military are no longer using them.

569

And so they've opened up a lot of the, the

islands were already accessible anyway.

570

And to take a ferry from the market square

in Helsinki out to these islands is one of

571

the really nice things to do in Helsinki.

572

I always say that if people have only come

for one or two days, the one thing that

573

they really must do top of the list is to

go to the swarm in the island fortress,

574

which is in the entrance to Helsinki,

south Harbour, which is quite a contrast.

575

It's really kind of historic buildings,

fortress buildings, which were

576

started during the Swedish era and

then finished during the Russian era.

577

so it's a very historic place,

very visibly historic in a way

578

that many parts of Helsinki aren't.

579

Helsinki is a very modern city,

and it's just in a great location.

580

it's a little mini archipelago

in itself, so it's connected by

581

little bridges and, walkways and

incredibly popular in the summer.

582

But still, I would recommend going there.

583

I've been going there over the years

to, take kind of landscape photography

584

just for fun And in fact, I did a book

about swan and then about this place,

585

published it, Finland kind of coffee

table, book of my pictures and profiles

586

of the people living, because there

are people live out there as well.

587

There's a naval base out there.

588

There's lots of little

restaurants and cafes.

589

So that's top of my list if you don't

have much time in Finland and you're

590

in Helsinki, yeah, top of my list.

591

Daniel Edward: And what would

you say is a tourist trap or

592

indeed a common mistake to avoid?

593

Tim Bird: I travel to India a lot and I

have Indian friends and they would always

594

say to me, Tim, can you recommend the

hotels to stay in around Christmas because

595

we want to come and see Santa Claus

and we want to see the Northern Lights.

596

And there was this kind of

misunderstanding that if you

597

came to Helsinki you could see

both of these things without

598

having to, go out of your way.

599

Helsinki, you can see the Northern Lights,

but you need to get out of the city.

600

so it's not the place to come

and see the Northern Lights.

601

And the other thing to do is if you do go

to Lapland or further north, yes you get

602

a very good chance of seeing the Northern

Lights and it's well worth seeing.

603

It's amazing.

604

And you'll want to see it again

if you do see it, but you don't

605

wanna take it for granted.

606

So if you go to Lapland thinking, this

is why I'm going to Lapland, don't

607

go there because the Northern Lights

could be a really nice bonus for you.

608

And that would be only at

certain times of the year anyway.

609

So you can't see it in the summer

'cause it's much too light.

610

Of course, it's complete daylight in the

summer, in the north, it never gets dark.

611

and Santa Claus again, I've heard some

of my Indian friends saying that they

612

would, like to come to Helsinki with

their kids, to see the Santa Claus thing.

613

And I've had to say to them, no,

you've gotta go up to Lapland to,

614

if you want, that kind of thing.

615

If you want the kids to enjoy that

kind of experience, you, there's

616

no point staying in Helsinki.

617

then it's a completely different trip.

618

'cause you've got the expense of getting

up to Lapland as well and staying there.

619

With a family, it's a nice thing

to do, it's not too tacky and

620

it's only in certain areas.

621

It's not like the whole of Lapland

has become a Santa theme park.

622

It's a nice thing and it's very good.

623

It's a very good, uh,

employer for local people.

624

Daniel Edward: Especially if you

are an older man with a white beard.

625

Very good.

626

Tim Bird: Yeah.

627

Well, yeah.

628

Yeah.

629

Daniel Edward: What's your

favourite time of year to visit?

630

Tim Bird: That would be in July.

631

this is when you have the

best chances of nice weather.

632

On average the time when we are beginning

of the warmest days, the most pleasant

633

days, and also the long light days.

634

So , you can be out in the

daylight until, after 10 o'clock.

635

It doesn't really get

properly dark at all.

636

It's nice and green everywhere.

637

it's the nicest time to kind

of explore Helsinki and, and

638

the other places in Finland.

639

And the further north you go, the lighter

it is to, if you go up to Lapland than

640

it really is daylight all the time.

641

Daniel Edward: What would you say is

a, a book or a film recommendation that

642

you've got that connects in with Finland?

643

Tim Bird: a lot of people are

familiar with the Moomin characters

644

and they'll know something perhaps

about the author or the Anson.

645

And you know, I'd still recommend

those books, the Moomin books, that

646

is the Moomintroll troll characters.

647

But what people might not realise

so much is that Tove Jansson

648

also wrote, More adult fiction

they're kind of short novels.

649

one was the summer book, which

is a description of, a summer

650

spent on an island about a

young girl and her grandmother.

651

There was a movie made with Glenn

Close recently, based on that book.

652

so I would recommend if you're only

familiar with Tove Jansson's moving books,

653

take a look at Tove Jansson's other books.

654

The fiction books.

655

And she was incredibly prolific

as an artist too, who's a

656

really interesting character.

657

Her books are very kind of gently

philosophical and very kind

658

of Finnish in their mood and

their kind of economy or style.

659

Daniel Edward: what would you say is

the top food or drink to try in Finland?

660

Tim Bird: Stuff from the forest,

raw materials from the forest.

661

And there's this tradition in Finland

that anybody can pick what's called

662

every man's or every person's rights.

663

So you can pick berries and

mushrooms out in the forest or

664

in any kind of, not private area.

665

just help yourself.

666

and there are plenty of blue berries

growing in the forest, for example.

667

And then in the autumn,

all sorts of mushrooms.

668

You can experience actually going

out and picking your own dinner,

669

and again, fish from the lakes.

670

put those together and you've

got kind of the quintessential

671

Finnish meal, I would say.

672

Daniel Edward: And final question.

673

If you're heading to Finland and you

want to bring something home, you

674

want it to be authentic, not something

that's like a mass produced thing

675

that you could pick up from anywhere.

676

What sort of thing could you be keeping

an eye out for as a good souvenir?

677

Tim Bird: Finland has like the other

Nordic countries, a very prominent

678

and high quality design, tradition

and a lot of Finns will have these

679

design items in their homes, so they're

not regarded as kind of elite items.

680

I'm talking about glassware, for example.

681

I drink my beer and I drink most things

from Iittala is the brand . You'll

682

find it across the country, but

there are kind of flagship stores in

683

Helsinki, it's not the cheapest stuff,

but it's good quality and it's nice.

684

So my favourite is, a kind of

design called Ultima Thule, it's

685

got this kind of frosty, design.

686

So it's like a kind of reference

to ice, , the, Finnish ice.

687

That's what it's a reference to.

688

Should I give an advertisement to Finnair?

689

yeah, why not?

690

In their business class, they

serve their champagne and other

691

drinks from these ultimate glasses.

692

But you know, you'll find them in

people's homes as well, and not the

693

ones they've nicked from Finnair either.

694

Ones they've bought themselves,

like me, of course, because I don't

695

travel in business class often enough.

696

Daniel Edward: Me neither Tim

Bird, author of Happy Land.

697

Thank you so much for

unlocking Finland for us.

698

Tim Bird: Oh, you're very welcome.

699

It's been very enjoyable

700

Daniel Edward: Thank you once

again to Timber, the author of

701

Happy Land, finding My Inner Fin.

702

If you are thinking of heading over to

Helsinki or indeed up north to Lapland

703

to go and see Father Christmas, I'd

love to hear about your trip and you can

704

so easily get in touch with me either

through the website or actually when

705

you go to the website, you can sign

up to receive a weekly email from me.

706

And then anytime you want

to reply, just click reply.

707

It just comes right through to me.

708

If this is your first time listening

to The Destination Unlocked Podcast,

709

click a follow wherever you're

currently listening, and that way when

710

you want to go to OnAir travelling

somewhere else, you'll be able to

711

find us nice and easily next time.

712

Until then, thank you for

listening and have a good day.

713

Bye-bye.