Onnibus: the low-cost bus company

Photo: Onnibus

Travelling in Finland is not always cheap, especially when you don't know all the tricks. The bus company Onnibus (the luck bus in Finnish) is quite new on the market, offering trips starting from 1€ to many cities in Finland. Like for its equivalent for airlines, EasyJet, the principle of Onnibus is: book early and save a lot of money. Sounds interesting. AmazingFinland decided to give it a try for a trip Helsinki-Kuopio-Helsinki. The tickets were easily booked on their website 8 days before the departure. The page works perfectly and is very easy to use. The mobile website also works well. We got the tickets Helsinki-Kuopio for only 8€ per person. As a comparison, it would cost over 65€ with a traditional bus company or by train (without any special offer). The price was very affordable, mainly because we chose to depart at 11:30pm. For the way back, we paid 30€ with a departure at 11:15am. It was still very reasonable. But very often when something is cheap, it's of bad quality. Will we be disappointed?

Starbucks: coffee and Alvar Aalto

Finland is a country that loves coffee. The consumption is the highest in the world with 12kg per capita! The American giant from Seattle couldn't ignore any longer this little country. Opened in fall 2013 in the city center in the same building as the Stockmann Academic book store, the second Starbucks café is never empty. At rush hour the queue is so long that sometimes, customers have to wait outside. This place is very popular mostly among teenage girls. In summer, a little terrace is open.

In the chocolate world of Fazer

On September 17th, the sweet lovers are celebrating the anniversary of the opening of the first Fazer confectionery (1891) in downtown Helsinki. Karl Fazer, which his parents moved from Switzerland to Finland, studies baking in Berlin, Saint-Petersburg and Paris and became a pioneer in Finnish confectionery. Most of his products are still sold and are classics. Fazer Blue (milk chocolate) is the most emblematic chocolate of the assortment. But the oldest candy is the Fazer Pihlaja, a sugary berry-marmalade jelly candy. Finns love Fazer products. When asked about their favorite chocolate, they answer almost unanimously Fazer Sininen.

Cruise into the Sàmi culture

The energy efficient catamaran has a capacity of 120 passengers

Inari is a small town of 6700 inhabitants in Northern Lapland surrounded by Finland's second biggest lake which counts 3300 islands. The town has a big importance for the Sàmi people, the local indigenous people. Inaugurated in 2012, Sajos, the Sàmi cultural center, is also the home of the parliament. In Finland, three different Sàmi groups are living in the large and wild area: the Northern Sàmi (Northern and Western Lapland), Inari Sàmi and the Skolt Sàmi (smaller community that comes from Russia).

Next to the Siida museum which is dedicated to the Sàmi culture, there is a white catamaran that offers a trip into Sàmi culture from a different angle, twice a day in summer time. The almost 3 hours long cruise brings the passengers to the mystical island of Ukonkivi (Ukko's rock) located at 11km from the city. The boat itself is different from the usual touristic boats. It is brand new with an electrical and a diesel engine. Efficiency and silence are combined which is very appreciable. No black smoke nor annoying noise. The boat is so silent that it is easy to imagine being a swan admiring the breathetaking landscape from the blue water. The other advantage of the catamaran is that it is very stable. There is almost no movements due to the waves.

Design, fashion, innovation: the design week

In 2012, Helsinki was the world design capital. The country has a long tradition in functional and innovative design with a couple of iconic designers such as Alvar Aalto, Eero Saarinen or Tapio Wirkkala. Every year in early September during ten days (4th to 14th in 2014), the designers are showing their art in different events in the whole city. Fashion shows, exhibitions, concerts, seminars and galas are just around each corners.

Pihlajasaari: the favorite beach island of Helsinkians

Summer 2014 is pretty amazing. Temperatures have not dropped under 20 degrees for over a month and it almost never rained. Perfect weather to go to a beach. Pihlajasaari islands (West and East islands connected by a bridge) are located just a few kliometers in the southern bay of Helsinki. The West island is a large area with long sandy beaches flanked with colorful wooden changing rooms. There is also a picturesque wooden restaurant and other protected wooden villas. The East island is dedicated to people willing to camp or to stay on the naturist beach. Locals love to jump in a water boat and spend some hours chilling on the sand, swimming, barbequing (3 fire places), having a sauna or camping. The boats are operating daily until August 31st from the pier behind the café Carusel in Kaivopuisto (Merisatama) and from Ruoholahti. The last chance to visit the island is during the weekend of September 6th and 7th. Please note that dogs and bicycles are not allowed on the boat. But if you are visiting the island with your own boat, dogs are allowed in specifically marked areas. It is a place that boat photographers like. The large ferries from Tallinn, Saint-Petersburg, the Caribbeans and Polynesia are passing close to the West coast.

Timetable
Tickets

Sports idols: Finnish sports idols and fan culture

Probably the most famous Finnish sportsmen: Jari Litmanen (soccer), Kiira Korpi (figure skating), Kimi Räikkönen (Formula 1), Matti Nykänen (ski jumping) and Teemu Selänne (ice hockey)

The special exhibition named "urheiluidolit" (sports idols) presents Finnish sports idols and fan culture in three museums: Sports museum (Helsinki), Ski museum (Lahti) and the Finnish hockey hall of fame (Tampere). Each museum presents diffrent aspects of fan and fan cultures.

In Helsinki, the exhibition focuses on the sporting heroes from the past and now. The soccer culture is quite strong in the capital city, and as the museum is located just next door to the main football stadium, a wide part of the museum is dedicated to the football fan culture. Finns are naturally proud of the national team but many are following faithfully the English League clubs. But cherry on the cake: the fan that you are can take a picture with his/her idol or send him/her a message!