Jaunted

Finland Travel

Finns Reward You For Simple Non-Littering

August 22, 2008 at 9:33 AM | 0 Comments

Yes, Finland is a country that can produce nightmare-inducing rock bands like Eurovision 06 winners Lordi. But they can turn around and be sickeningly polite and friendly, too. The latest ain't-that-nice story out of Finnish capital Helsinki is the installation of talking trash cans.

From today, four very special garbage cans will be placed around the city for the enjoyment of locals and tourists alike. When you place a piece of rubbish in one of them, it will play a recorded "thank you" message from famous locals. For example, the mayor says (in Finnish, of course):

It is great that you care about the city. Cool, isn't it.

Which, if we could just understand Finnish, would certainly entice us to keep feeding it with more rubbish.

Related Stories:
· Helsinki Rubbish Bins to Thank Users for Not Littering [AFP]
· The Nightmares of European Children Have Just Begun [Jaunted]
· Helsinki Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Matti Mattila]

Sports

Winners Are Not Only in Beijing: Congrats to Sauna Sitters

August 14, 2008 at 8:35 AM | 0 Comments

Finland's wife-carrying contests are now famed the world over, but what kind of championship is there for single people? Naturally the Finns have something for everyone, so we're keen on the Sauna World Championships which have just wound up for 2008.

Held every year in Heinola, southern Finland, the Sauna Championships are open to all, and the winner is the person who can stay for longest inside a steamy room. Sounds easy, right? Plus we've heard that hanging out at the sauna is a great way to pick up a girl or a guy.

But this kind of sauna-sitting might not be so relaxing. This year's male winner, Bjarne Hermansson, sat in a 230 degree box for 18 minutes and 15 seconds, admitting that there was "slightly more pain than pleasure." The female winner only lasted for five minutes and 21 seconds, so we figure, female Jaunted readers, start practicing now and by the 2009 championships we could have our own sauna-sitting winner.

Related Stories:
· Sauna World Championships [Official Site]
· Finns Reign in Sauna World Championships [AFP, via Google]
· Finland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: saunaheinola.com]

Wife Carrying

This Weekend Down Under: Wife Carrying Champs of Oz

April 11, 2008 at 9:11 AM | 0 Comments

Last year, the champion wife carriers in that ever-more-famous event in Finland, the World Wife Carrying Championships, came out of Estonia, again. But if the wife carriers from the opposite end of the world--Australia--have anything to do with it this year, they'll be looking to knock the Estonians out of top place.

Tomorrow is the Australian Wife Carrying Titles, the national contest to decide who can go to Finland. If you're traveling through New South Wales, and end up near Singleton, a couple of hours north of Sydney, then do drop by to watch the wife carriers in action.

Apparently, most of the successful Aussie wife carriers will be using the Estonian carrying technique. It has the wife's legs over her husband's shoulders and her body hanging down his back--not very flattering, but effective. Finland's World Wife Carrying Championships will be held on July 5 this year so book your tickets to the host town of Sonkajärvi now.

Related Stories:
· Wife Carrying Makes Its Mark in Australia [news.com.au]
· All Worship the Estonian Wife Carriers [Jaunted]
· Wife Carrying Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ecyrd]

Wife Carrying

All Worship the Estonian Wife Carriers

July 10, 2007 at 9:04 AM | 0 Comments

We know you've all been waiting to hear the results of the year's most important contest. That's right, the World Wife Carrying Championships were held in Finland over the weekend, despite rainy conditions in the town of Sonkajarvi.

You can't help but love the concept of wife carrying: you don't want to carry a heavy woman around, but at the end you win her weight in beer, so she shouldn't be too light, either. The 2007 champions were again from Estonia, and they also won a plasma TV. They completed the 250 meter course in 61.7 seconds and you won't be surprised to learn that they used the Estonian position (woman hangs down the back with her knees over the man's shoulders). The other 43 couples who completed aren't losers ... only supreme athletes can be wife carriers, right? Get training now for '08.

Related Stories:
· Wife-Carrying Championships Around the Corner [Jaunted]
· Estonia Dominates Wife-Carrying Championship [Reuters]
· Finland Hotel Reviews [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Reuters]