“Please take off your shoes,” the host of our Airbnb says. “Finnish do not wear shoes in the house.” Or in the office or at school we later learn. They view it as a transition from the outside world to an inside place of comfort and respect. Plus they love wool socks and slippers.

Marilynn and I will be here in Helsinki for one month. It is what we do, where we live – various one-month stays in different countries, several times per year, plus various states and cities back home. Ever since we sold our long time home in the US two years ago, we live all over the place and use the permanent address of close friends. Like “non-digital” nomads of sort. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and it takes a moment to remember where we are and where the bathroom is. Not always sure about where we will be next. Surprisingly, we spend less money living this lifestyle than when we owned a permanent home.

Helsinki Harbor, Helsinki, Finland

Our host explains how to throw out the trash. Finns are compulsive recyclers. “This key opens up the tubes located outside the building.” We walk with him to the tubes. “One tube for paper, one for plastic, you get it. The tubes take it away except for cans and bottles. You bring them back to the store for refund.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t really know where the trash goes. We have no garbage truck pickup, so maybe into the ocean.” He laughs, “I hope not.”

Garbage in Helsinki, Finland

Our neighborhood, located near a working harbor and ferry terminal, looks deserted. Where is everybody? We roam the empty streets, eerie quiet except for sounds of screeching seagulls and empty trams squealing past. Feels like the beginning of a “Twilight Zone” episode.

Deserted Streets of our Neighborhood, Helsinki, Finland

While trying to find a gym to join, we speak with a worker in a sporting goods store, who came here from Iran eight years ago. “Why in the ‘&#%!’ would you want to spend a month here?” We explain that we like to live in different places, especially places we have never been, and get a taste of the culture. But we really don’t know why we came to Helsinki, and his question remains with us throughout our stay.

It does not take long to learn that Finnish people value privacy, silence, and personal space. Odd for those of us from cultures where silence often feels awkward. Finns have little use for small talk, and cherish quiet moments, as if words dilute the experience.

Canals and Waterways surround our neighborhood, Helsinki, Finland

The more we live here, the more we begin to understand. These folks are so laid back that they can come off as cold. However, once engaged, we find warm-hearted, friendly, caring people under a veneer of indifference. Gender equality is of extreme importance to both men and women here. From child care to restaurant bills, everything is split precisely and individually to the penny. Everybody pulls their own weight and pays their own way.

Views from our favorite neighborhood walking/running path, Helsinki, Finland

The public sauna is where we find the bulk of social interaction, probably because that is also the only place we see tourists from other countries, most of them coming off cruise ships.

With only 5.5 million inhabitants, Finland has three million or more saunas. They invented the sauna, and the ritual dates to 7,000 BC. It is the heart of their culture. Most people have a sauna in their home. The many public saunas are not naked, unless they have designated areas strictly for men or women. Even the Ferris wheel in Market Square has a sauna in one of it’s gondola cabins.

Sauna and Ferris Wheel at Market Square, Helsinki, Finland

We become addicted to the whole sauna experience. Sip an ice-cold beer at the adjacent restaurant, then sweat next to strangers. Converse, share stories, and laugh with people from all over the world. Dump a ladle or two of water on the coals. Work up another sweat. Go dip in the frigid Baltic Sea. Repeat. Have a beer while laying out in the fresh air next to the sauna or, on chilly days, next to the fireplace. Sweat it out. Dip in sea again. Repeat.

Ron enjoying one of the four separate saunas at Loyly Sauna, Helsinki, Finland

Marilynn “enjoying” a cold dip in the Baltic Sea, Loyly Sauna, Helsinki, Finland

Outside patio area, note the “adjacent box sauna” and steps down to the Sea, Loyly Sauna, Helsinki, Finland

Indoor “sauna break” area, Loyly Sauna, Helsinki, Finland

You will almost float on the walk back home, and I promise that you shall sleep soundly that night. Where have saunas been our whole life? We are hooked. Most Finns take a sauna at least once a week. We think this could be why they are “The Happiest People in the World.”

Time to get out of the sauna and explore the sights of Helsinki.

Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Library, Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Library, Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Train Station, Helsinki, Note the Ukrainian Flag, Helsinki, Finland.

Seafood dominates Finnish cuisine down here in Helsinki. Of all places, the grocery store wins as our favorite restaurant. A slab of fresh smoked or grilled salmon provides our “go to” nightly meal. The large grocery stores also make fresh dishes of other fishes of the sea, plus salads and sushi. Meat is also available, but my wife is somewhat vegetarian, which makes me somewhat vegetarian.

Grocery Store Offerings, Helsinki, Finland

At the downtown market, little fried freshwater fish from lakes (vendaces) served with garlic mayonnaise come in at a close second place for our favorite meal, followed by the herring and salmon soup.

Fried Vendace at the Market, Helsinki, Finland

Market Food, Helsinki, Finland

Salmon Soup, Helsinki, Finland

Our month long stay in Finland ends. The unique culture, tastes of different foods, and basking in the afterglow of a sauna sweat shall remain in our memories. As will the fresh air, the silence, and mellow manner of everyday living. But we still don’t know why in the “&#%!” we came here.

Neighbors

Thank You, Abundant Universe!