Jaunted

Finland Travel / HEL / Helsinki Travel / Angry Birds / Shopping Travel / Cartoon Travel / Souvenirs / Airports / Airport News / → All Tags

Angry Birds in an Airplane! Kinda Sorta.

We're not going to lie, but Angry Birds might still be our favorite game to play on a plane. It can be played when in airplane mode (ahem, Alec Baldwin) and is the only game that makes us occasionally laugh aloud, all while flinging birds towards mean little pigs. Well, the creators of the game have already announced opening up theme parks designed around the game, but there's more (of course).

If you're huge fan and you've already got Angry Birds flip flops, hoodies, keychains and all those little tchotchkes, our recommendation for your next layover in Helskini is to stop pulling the slingshot and hit the new shop for your favorite characters. The Finnish masterminds behind the game have opened up a little plane-shaped Angry Birds kiosk-shop in the middle of Helsinki International Airport.

more ›

Video Game Travel / Angry Birds / Theme Parks / Finland Travel / Amusement Parks / iPhone / → All Tags

The Next Stop for Angry Birds: Their Own Theme Parks in Finland

Those ubiquitous Angry Birds are at again, and this time they’re on the move in their homeland of Finland. Making the jump from mobile app to stuffed animal and even apparel was easy, but now they’re entering the real world with their very own theme park—kind of.

Rovio—they make the game—along with Lappset have an agreement to build two new parks focused on those birds, the pigs, and their world in two Finnish cities. To us, the spots sound more like fancy playgrounds than true theme parks, but developers do promise to integrate both the virtual and physical worlds into something new and fun.

more ›

Coffee Travel / Starbucks / Fast Food Travel / Airports / Sweden Travel / Finland Travel / Norway Travel / → All Tags

Watch Out Finland! Starbucks is Set to Invade Your Country, Beginning at the Airport

Those Nordic countries better watch out, as Starbucks is about to invade. Residents of Sweden have already started to add Mocha Frappuccinos to the cup holders of their Volvos, and now it looks like Norway and Finland are next on the list. Awesome local coffeeshops need not be too threatened; for now the expansion seems to be limited to just the airports.

It all goes down in 2012, so if you have a plan to visit next summer to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and long, long days you’ll be able to do so with an overpriced latte. Starbucks officials have already announced their plan to add a location at the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway. Their most recent announcement reveals that they have plans for two locations at the airport in Helsinki, as there will be one place to grab a coffee after security and one welcoming passengers in the arrivals hall.

more ›

Helsinki Travel / Food Travel / Helsinki Restaurants / Tuija Seipell / Finland Travel / → All Tags

Helsinki is Developing a Loving Feeling for Foodies

Helsinki is perfect for a winter holiday for those who are not afraid of snow and some nippy weather. Over this week and next, Jaunted’s Vancouver-based, Finland-born contributor Tuija Seipell of The Cool Hunter, will report on some of her recent finds in the cold temps of her homeland.

Helsinki’s restaurant culture is really starting to “arrive.” We've seen more and more great food, inventive menus, authentic atmosphere, consistency and real value begin to arrive at the city's eateries, both pricey and budget.

Recently, we found a great breakfast buffet at Klaus K Hotel, the only hotel in Helsinki that's part of the Design Hotels network. Delicacies such as smoked trout, sauna-smoked ham, special local cheeses, free-range eggs, mushroom salad, oven-baked barley porridge and homemade blueberry soup were on offer. Additionally, the printed menu’s map of Finland shows the location of the small farms where each item originates. Amazingly, the buffet is included in the room price, but costs 21 Euros if you are not a guest of the hotel. If you eat late (the buffet closes at 10), you can easily skip lunch for the day.

more ›

Coffee Travel / Food Travel / Holiday Travel / Winter Travel / Christmas Travel / Helsinki Travel / Finland Travel / Tuija Seipell / → All Tags

Keeping Warm with Coffee: Where to Sip and Shop in Helsinki

Helsinki is perfect for a winter holiday for those who are not afraid of snow and some nippy weather. Over this week and next, Jaunted’s Vancouver-based, Finland-born contributor Tuija Seipell of The Cool Hunter, will report on some of her recent finds in the cold temps of her homeland.

So far this year, Helsinki has not managed to break its all-time December snow record of 27.5 inches (70 centimeters), from 1915. Yet. There are still quite a few days left in the month! So, while you are shopping in the wintry wonderland of Finland's capital, you will want to stop for a latte or hot chocolate and a light lunch at the very least, in the name of keeping warm. We've got a few favorite cafes of our own, and since we're in the holiday spirit of sharing...

· Café Kakkugalleria: Among the many shops in the Helsinki Design District is the Design Forum Shop at No. 7 Erottaja Street (Erottajankatu) mentioned in our last story on Helsinki shopping. It has the most diverse selection of designer wares and a bonus feature: the in-house Café Kakkugalleria (Finnish for Cake Gallery), maker of arguably the yummiest and prettiest cakes in Helsinki. Tasty quiches and other savory treats abound, too. If you really want to indulge, go to Kakkugalleria’s newest shop nearby, at No. 41 Fredrik’s Street (Fredrikinkatu), for the daily all-you-can-eat cake buffet.

more ›

Holiday Travel / Winter Travel / Christmas Travel / Helsinki Travel / Finland Travel / Tuija Seipell / → All Tags

Where to Shop in Helsinki for the Best of Finnish Design

Helsinki is perfect for a winter holiday for those who are not afraid of snow and some nippy weather. Over this week and next, Jaunted’s Vancouver-based, Finland-born contributor Tuija Seipell of The Cool Hunter, will report on some of her recent finds in the cold temps of her homeland.

If you have only a short time to spend shopping in Helsinki, don’t worry because if there's one great thing about having a compact and highly walkable downtown core of the city, it's that you will find shops for all of the best-known Finnish brand names in a small area.

Take the city map and find the Main Post Office (Posti) and the main Market Square (Kauppatori) and then walk from one to the other, sidestepping three or four blocks in each direction, and you will have spotted most of the best shops. Along the way, you will also see quaint one-of-a-kind local fashion boutiques, global brand boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants.

more ›

Holiday Travel / Winter Travel / Christmas Travel / Helsinki Travel / Finland Travel / Tuija Seipell / → All Tags

Christmas Markets are a Solid Reason to Brave the Cold in Helsinki

Helsinki is perfect for a winter holiday for those who are not afraid of snow and some nippy weather. Over this week and next, Jaunted’s Vancouver-based, Finland-born contributor Tuija Seipell of The Cool Hunter, will report on some of her recent finds in the cold temps of her homeland.

Helsinki is the World Design Capital 2012 and although we will eventually talk design later in this series, for now we’ll look at some downtown Helsinki Christmas markets.

For those who do not live in Helsinki, the massive snowfall Helsinki has received this winter (and last year!) has made the city both beautiful and fun. For locals, the weather is a big hassle. But it makes the visits to the annual St. Thomas Market (Tuomaan Markkinat) in the Esplanade Park (Espan Puisto) next to the main Market Square a real fairy-tale experience.

The snowy path is lined on both sides with more than 140 tiny red wooden huts where artisans, artists and yes, designers, offer high-quality handicrafts. According to tradition, all Christmas preparations must be completed by St. Thomas’s Day (December 21), but this market stays open until the 22nd.

more ›

Tourism Boards / Travel Advertising / Finland Travel / → All Tags

'Nordic Exposed' Scandinavia Campaign Sounds Dirty, But We Wish

We really have nothing much to add substantively to this new pitch from Scandinavia: yes, Scandinavia is neat; no, the region doesn't get enough credit for its variety; yes, more people should probably consider vacationing there. That's not happening and so travel board reps from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have been dispatched to Australia to generate some interest. Fair enough.

They're calling their workshops "Four Seasons and over 1000 Reasons to visit Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden." And this is where things, as it were, take a metaphorical turn south. We've been getting inundated with travel board press releases and, frankly, we're getting a little bit worried about our friends in the industry. We're beginning to fear that the recession has pushed some of them over the edge. First there's the title itself, which has all the light breezy freshness of a decaying log. And then there's this:

more ›

Travel Snapshot / Finland Travel / Trash Cans / Garbage / Talking Trash Cans / → All Tags

Finland's Talking Trash Bins Are Not Only Smart, But They Look Good Too

Earlier this week we told you about Finland's new Talking Trash Bins found in Helsinki, and thanks to a helpful PR rep for Finland Tourism we actually have a shot of the trash bins to show you.

The trash bins are far more intelligent that we are, having mastered six language (ok, select phrases in different languages) and the ability to play music (ok, it's a recording of music from a bunch of high school students). Only eight of these artificial intelligence trash bins can be found in Helsinki this summer so look carefully before you toss your trash.

Have you seen the talking trash bins in person? Send us a picture!

Related Stories:
· Now Helsinki's Trash Cans Talk To You In English, Too [Jaunted]

Finland Travel / Trash Cans / Garbage / Talking Trash Cans / → All Tags

Now Helsinki's Trash Cans Talk To You In English, Too

Trash cans that talk are an unusual kind of tourist attraction, but just the kind of thing we expect to find in somewhat eccentric Finland. When we first heard about four trash cans in Helsinki which chat away in Finnish, we craved talking trash cans that we could understand, and now the Helsinki Public Works Department has done exactly what we wished for.

This summer, eight trash cans around Helsinki will speak to you in six languages, including English, and some will even play music created by a bunch of high school students. Apparently they say things like this:

One of the sure signs of summer in Finland is that the trash bins start talking.

The idea is that tourists and locals alike will be more interested in disposing of their garbage in the correct way, but we're starting to wonder if conversing with a bin might actually be a sign of madness instead.

Related Stories:
· Talking Trash [Official Site]
· Finns Reward You For Simple Non-Littering [Jaunted]
· Helsinki Travel Guide [Jaunted]

Literary Travel / Finland Travel / Kalevala / → All Tags

How To Celebrate Finland's National Book

Who can forget the first time he read the Kalevala? The epic poem of Finland, comparable to its Odyssey or King Arthur legends but dating just back to the 19th century, inspired J.R.R. Tolkien and it could move you this summer to seek out some uniquely Finnish attractions.

The 160-year-old Kalevala was compiled from rapidly disappearing folk poetry in order to give Finns a sense of national identity while they were still under Russia's thumb. Quite honestly, we haven't gotten around to reading it yet (Infinite Jest is really long!) but we gather it's about a singer named Wäinämöinen who completes feats of strength and who inspired Tolkien's wizards in The Lord of the Rings and the plot of The Silmarillion.

Celebrate this epic anniversary at Kalevala Experience Park in Kuhmo, where you can stay in log cabins and enjoy a series of free concerts for the summer of local favorites. In Helsinki, catch a special exhibit of Kalevala-inspired works at the Ateneum Art Museum, then stay at the Klaus K hotel which takes the novel's themes of the mystical, passion, desire, and envy as design motifs (and which has a family package in which the second room in a reservation is 50 percent off). As they say, when in Helsinki...

Related Stories:
· A Fresh Idea for Your Urban Getaway: Helsinki's Klaus K [HC]
· Reading One Heck of a Huge Book For One "Infinite" Summer [Jaunted]
· Could Conan O'Brien Really Be Wrong? [Jaunted]

[Photo of a Wäinämöinen statue in Helsinki: hugovk]

Finland Travel / Food Travel / Summer Travel / Food Festivals / → All Tags

Finland's Throwing A Crayfish Party, And Everybody's Invited

Music festivals, swamp soccer and wife-carrying—there's already so much to do in Finland over summer, and the country continues to attract us in very clever ways, this time going straight for our stomachs.

August and September are crayfish season in Finland, and we've just realized we don't want to miss out on a Finnish-style crayfish party. These shindigs feature, of course, crayfish galore, and lip smacking and finger licking as you try to get the most meat out of your crayfish. But thats not all: "Essential ingredients of a successful crayfish party are a merry mood and schnapps songs." Aside from overdosing on crayfish, you can get drunk with the Finns and sing songs about beautiful women and beautiful crustaceans.

Wikipedia warns us there is now a limited supply of crays left in Finland and many are imported from the US or China, so perhaps taking a night-time crayfish-catching tour is a good strategy—they're easy to book during the summer season. You might however need to take your own schnapps with you.

Related Stories:
· Finland Makes Most of Summer Sunshine With a Slew of Music Festivals [Jaunted]
· Wanna Play Swamp Soccer? Head to Finland This Summer [Jaunted]

[Photo: villoks]