Finland

Has anyone any experience of living/working/biking in Finland?

I've just applied for a job at our company HQ in Finland and, obviously, I'd like to take the bike for the summer (until the end of September?) if I'm successful - I guess I'll have to try a skidoo after that or hit the bottle as the snow stays on the ground from October til April

I think there are quite a lot of forestry roads (hence all the good rally drivers), so it seems like a good excuse to swap the VFR for a GS

Can't help you with that one Steve, but best of luck with the job anyway

Met my wife in Helsinki, impossible language, impossible climate... bit fantastic women...


One thing you can do in the winter is put skies on your bike, studs on your rear wheel, and continue riding !!! Make sure you get you GS with heated grips and seats, jackets, socks, etc

I rode North through Finland from the Gulf of Botnia last summer and found the roads to be fine. It is noticably poorer than neighbouring Sweden in rural areas but the people were very helpful if quite blunt and to the point. I don't think the Finns have 'small talk' as a concept in their language.

As long as you like fish, pork, potatoes and cabbage you'll be fine!

I was there about eight years ago for the first time doing some work in a multinational company where they were pushing the "healthy option" food very strongly in the canteen. In a couple of years of public education they had managed to halve the previously massive rate of heart disease. I wonder if Jamie Oliver looked at their model for his schools programme.

I agree with previous comments that the language is unfathomable but it is in a group of languages which consists of Finnish and Hungarian.

Most of the people I met spoke some Swedish or English but I found fewer bilingual people in Finland than other Scandinavian countries - this could just have been chance though as I was in quite remote areas and only for a few days.

Beautiful place though - I would go back tomorrow..

schiannini said:

As long as you like fish, pork, potatoes and cabbage you'll be fine!

Click to expand...

single room...open window and no pillion as well i think......