Back to Scandinavia - Finland

Through the 'Back to Scandinavia' blogs .. I wish to thank this land for all the things it has given me knowingly and otherwise. 

Scandinavia – Finland ,Sweden ,Norway.

I will not speak about Denmark coz I no longer go there.  A distant region for us Indians as is our country for the Northerners. People ask me ‘where is it that you are going next’ and I have never seen a single word draw more excitement than ‘Scandinavia’. When I came here first in 2009 , I was not impressed ,neither was I charmed. I was just happy. Yes happy that I got to come here. This region with its lifestyle and it is really expensive, blows the regular backpacking traveler like I was  blown on my first trip. It also lets you understand that everything ,right from the things in the hotel room to those on a city street has its own place and that nothing here is out of place.  Organized but not mechanized is how I would like to describe this region.

I started by thinking I would write about Finland ,but really this cannot be perceived with just a country outlook. Scandinavia as a whole works its magic around you. I remember just 2 weeks back at the Mumbai airport a group of Danes were trying to talk to the lady on the pre paid taxi counter about why she wont accept a credit card. Everything in Scandinavia is payed in plastic mostly. When I paid for their cab ,I simply told them ,You guys are from Scandinavia ! I know they did not understand what I meant. But I owe it to Scandinavia and its people. The work culture in Norway ,the clean thinking ,and the on your face attitude, without being rude is where I get my inspiration for rational thinking when I work.

For outsiders, Nokia is Finland but its been years since the last factory that made Nokia cell phones got shut and I think in the same year Nokia opened its 5^th Manufacturing unit in China. But the brain is still here in Finland. 

The Finnish language is crazy they say ,even the Norwegians and Swedes cant understand it .. Well for me I just understand the one word that I want to say to Scandinavia .. Kittos ! Thanks in Finnish !

At the Helsinki airport today the luggage of some of my tourists  and some other Indian travelers got in late. Its mad ,when you have just arrived after a 15 hr flight and you have no clue of where your luggage is. So when I went to one lonely counter at the end of the arrival hall, the lady simply said ,' I handle only Finnair queries, for Turkish airlines you have to wait' and got back to what she was doing. There were some Indian ladies who saw this and murmured ,'come to India and you will know what hospitality is'.  i dont want to be cynic ,but at home they make us wait with a smile. The wait very frequently gets endless. 

Here in Scandinavia .. They don’t try to please you or comfort you .. all they speak is the truth and truth sometimes does hurt but its for the good. Coz one atleast knows there is no hope and its time to think of something else. 

Said enough . now need to sleep ! I am glad .. summer starts today .. in Scandinavia !