"Oi maamme, Suomi, synnyinmaa,

soi, sana kultainen.

Ei laaksoa, ei kukkulaa,

ei vettä, rantaa rakkaampaa,

kuin kotimaa tää pohjoinen,

maa kallis isien"

That's the first verse of the Finnish national anthem "Maamme laulu" ("Vårt land"), composed by Fredrik Pacius based on J. L. Runebergs poem from 1846. The song claims that there is no valley, hill, water or beach dearer than the ones we have in our beloved homeland. Some people agree on that, some people don't. What do you think Finnish steemians?

After traveling for a while, this day makes me think of Finland and even feel a bit homesick. I love seeing new places and tasting new foods, and I sure as hell love warm climate and the sun! There's so many pros in traveling and in these countries we have seen during this fall and winter (and in our previous trips). Many of my future post will most likely be about our travels, just like my previous post and the post before that. But there's so many great things in Finland too, and that is why this post is dedicated to Finland. We sometimes forgot all the good things in our everyday lives and would appreciate them more if they were taken away. We wonder if the grass was greener on the other side (of the fence). It's normal and I judge no-one. You get used to things being in certain way and seeing the same views all the time. It doesn't feel breathtaking or oh-so-interesting anymore. Not unless you stop and think about it and concentrate on enjoying the moment and little things in life.

Since we are about 8300km from home, we will miss the Independence Day celebrations. For that reason I'm going to think of all the good things there is in my homeland and celebrate it here as much as I can. I already sang Maamme laulu with a funny voice to my girlfriend to cheer her morning. It felt weird, so I will change the tactic and probably raise a cocktail-glass by the beach after posting this. We never ever go to Finnish restaurants when we travel, but I think today it might be entertaining and appropriate to check the local "Suomi-bar". You never know if we end up dancing on a table with other Finnish tourists today.

As we are currently in Thailand, I can't resist featuring some Thailand-related stuff in this post. Inspired not only by our location, but also -and most of all, by the Finnish national anthem, I decided to make a post to describe and show you some of the precious things I miss the most about Finland and compare some of them with what Thailand has to offer.

The things we miss the most in Finland

The most classical things many Finns miss when they travel are rye bread and salmiakki I guess. And proper coffee, as well as ones own bed. We miss these things too, just like morning porridge, Karelian pasties, pure fresh air, our local gym AND OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES! These are things they don't either have here at all, or they are too hard to get. BTW, why do we always want the things we can't have?

Anyway, here's some pictures of these things mentioned above:

Rye bread is one of the most famous delicacies in Finland. I miss it's sour taste and fiber-rich texture. It's so freaking good just after baking with a good spread of butter. I wish I had a slice or two of it now. The bread we get here is white and spongy, and it has no taste or fibers compared to rye bread. This particular loaf was baked in the restaurant where Jonna worked before and it was sooooo good -crispy on the outside, moist inside.

Another well known Finnish treat is salmiakki. When I've seen foreigners taste it, they think it's bad and spit it away quickly, since it's not like the candies they are used to. It for sure is something that we miss every time we travel. This time we were wise and took a bag of them with us, because the local supermarkets have only chocolate and some jelly-textured candies in their selection.

Food is something we don't miss that much. Thai food is amazing, so basically the only thing we grave is a good steak. We eat meat quite a lot at home, but in here not so much. To be fair, here's a photo of amazing thai food too.

OMG this I miss!!! This is a classic example of the things you take for granted in your everyday life -the fresh air. The first photo was taken in one misty morning and the second midday last winter. Both times the air was super fresh (just like almost always). The air in our dear Finland is so fresh and pure, unlike here where it's humid and mixed with pollution, street dirt and the aromas from the endless little restaurants.

The lakes. Finland is full of beautiful little lakes, where as the ocean is amazing in here. This is an example of things that are equally amazing in my opinion. Oceans are huge and powerful, colored in the shades of turquoise and gorgeous in all the exotic ways. On the other hand clear Finnish lakes are surrounded by amazing Northern nature and their ecosystem is unique. They can be big or tiny and locate in the middle of the forest or a city.

Finland vs. Thailand

In my opinion Finnish and Thai nature are both breathtaking in their own ways. Although one might think Thailand is obviously more interesting, Finland is actually pretty amazing and a tough competitor. What do you think?

1. Finland

vs. Thailand

2. Finland

vs. Thailand

3. Finland

vs. Thailand

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FINLAND!

6.12.2018,