A gloss Finnish
Sauna, sass and going with the flow – Finland is the coolest country on the planet, says Jane Haynes
First a tentative toe, then an ankle – then I’m all in. The cold water of the spring-fed Lake Pyhäjärvi, near Tampere, hits like an electric shock, pulsing through my veins, forcing out rapid gasps. Heart racing, it takes a minute or two to get my breathing under control, sharp pins of cold jabbing into my skin.
“It’s amazing huh?” asks my Finnish companion Tuomas, floating alongside.
To my surprise, I laugh with delight. I feel giddy and childlike, the endorphins coursing from my cold fingertips to my brain.
Minutes earlier I had been sweating out in the intense heat of a sauna in a yurt on the lake’s edge, the temperature ramped up to 90C while acapella-singing sauna healer Siiri Koski swiped and stroked me with a birch “whisk” she’d helped me make out of foraged branches. It’s a traditional method of intensifying the experience, said to increase the circulation and cleanse the spirit.
Sipping a cold Finnish beer on the lakeside afterwards, feeling rejuvenated, I reflected on this crazy experience and realised it already felt oh so ordinary. What would have seemed weird back home suddenly made sense in Finland.
Tampere is the capital of the lakeland region, about 90 minutes north of Helsinki by train. It’s
located on a scenic isthmus between two great lakes best seen from the top of the Pyynikki Observation Tower.
The reward for a short climb are 360-degree views of lakes, forests and city as far as the eye can see – followed by a sugar-coated, herb-spiced munkki (doughnut) hailed as “the best in the world” in the cafe downstairs.
There’s more back-to-nature mindfulness during a barefoot walk in Kauppi forest. Pockets of squelching mud, wet moss and the odd sharp stone massage my soles as we tiptoe along, then lie on a carpet of bracken and doze.
There’s a museum here dedicated to Tove Jansson’s stories of the Moomins that’s a must for little ones (tampereentaidemuseo.fi). For historians, there’s the Lenin Museum which gives an insight into the uncomfortable relationship between Finland and neighbouring Russia (the countries share 830 miles of border) in the workers’ hall where the young Bolshevik first met Stalin. At Tampere Art Museum I check out the Young Artist of the Year event and exhibition, held here every year. Young sculptor Eetu Huhtala has made a series of giant everyday objects out of metal that use a lot of energy but won’t ever work, including a running bath without the plug in. It’s strangely unnerving. A reviving cocktail later, I get chatting to the female design team behind Uhana, a new brand with a high-street presence here in their home city. They are buzzing after just showcasing their natureinspired 2024 collection. They point me to the Finlayson art area of the city, where a series of art installations and exhibits are arranged in a former cotton factory and the surrounding streets. It’s a stunning showcase for artists, held every summer.
Later we head to the restaurant Kajo, where there is more artistry on show via a seven-course tasting menu that celebrates local produce with beautifully paired wines. It’s a special occasion kind of vibe at €90 a head where exceptional food is supplemented by the showmanship of host Marko.
The night ends with a flourish at the Periscope, a party venue, bar and restaurant overlooking the Ratina Stadium. It’s possible to book in here while a football game or
headline concert is going on and have a brilliant aerial view from the sauna, perched at the bar or lounging in a hammock.
It’s the perfect place for a glass of champers in the hot tub.
We wind our way back to Helsinki the next day, in time for the annual Flow Festival, a European music threedayer with a difference. It is a festival rooted in the culture of the city, and it does things differently, says hotelier Jonko Puranen, manager of the warm and buzzy Hotel Marski by Scandic where we enjoyed two nights in between festival visits. “Flow is a state of mind, not just an event,” he said.
The setting for the festival is Suvilahti, a former power plant, and it is arguably the greenest and most ethical festival on the planet. Its commitment to this is impressive – meat is off the agenda, and their recycling ethos means every can and bottle sold is subject to a €1 deposit to ensure no waste.
The cool quota is ramped up around the 360-degree stage, an enchanted circular amphitheatre where ambient music is performed below a giant illuminated balloon. Around the site’s multiple tents and stages there’s energetic dance acts that get the crowds whooping, alt-pop from Finland’s finest, buzzy DJS and headline performances from the likes of Blur, Lorde, Wizkid, Christine And The Queens and Suede.
Getting to and from the festival is trouble-free, even if you’ve guzzled one too many of the Hartwall Original cans of gin and grapefruit that were the locals’ beverage of choice. Trams and buses here run through the day and night.
A morning-after boat trip to one of the 300 islands dotted around the Helsinki archipelago is a great revitaliser – our crew served up a steaming bowl of lohikeitto, a creamy salmon broth, and mugs of coffee as we headed to one of them, Vallisaari, home then to Helsinki Biennial’s annual art exhibition.
Walking around the island is a delight, even allowing for the legacy of a 1937 explosion of unused ammo that killed 12. Visitors are advised to stick to the paths in case of any still unexploded bombs in the undergrowth, which certainly adds a frisson to a holiday jaunt. A number of the Biennial’s exhibitions are located in spacious, tunnel-like chambers within the ramparts dotted across the island.
Back in the city I enjoy the standout meal of the trip at Wellamo, an iconic restaurant in the Katajanokka district.
Our four-course menu (€62) included a starter dish of freshly peeled tomatoes and lovage in a dreamy almond cream sauce, while grilled perch on a mousseline atop pummelled potatoes and marinated cabbage, grilled cucumber and wild garlic was possibly the best fish dish I’ve ever had.
The garlic is handpicked by local foragers and the next day we join a tour of a woodland in the heart of the city led by Anna Nyman from Foraging Finland and feast on the berries and flowers we gather en route. We drink herb tea overlooking the ocean and together recall our highlights of a short trip that had been crammed with them ( foraging infinland.com).
It was the perfect sign-off to an eye-opening trip full of “flow” and high on cool.
‘‘ The Flow Festival is arguably the greenest and most ethical on the planet