Currently in Finland, travelling by gravel roads, asking for advices

[Xari]

Hello,

I am in Finland, travelling by gravel roads (when possible), not main roads, so I haven't had so much interactions with people, or shops and cultural places to visit and I am looking for finnish souvenirs for family and friends, in particular food and beverages which some of them are pretty hidden for a foreigner, and of course I cannot read finnish.

I am looking too for any advice for something I should not miss.

Any ideas ?

After going to Salla from the swedish border, I went up North to Inari by the east side (then to Cape North) and then South by the west side. I am currently near Vaasa, hoping to go to the South East and then up again to Salla and the Swedish border before going back to France (and before the cold).

Such a travel in the backcountry lacks a cultural part, but I experiment new feelings, immersed in so massive forests and landscapes with low human density : great !

Thanks.

[Plotinus]

I am not Finnish but a Finnish friend once brought me some of these:
Salmiakki - salty liquorice
Salmiakki koskenkorva - salty liquorice flavoured liqueur


I liked the taste, but it is somewhat unusual to like the taste so either give it to an adventurous friend or to a friend you do not like very much.

[Erkka]

Salmiakki can be found in pretty much any supermarket or gas station.
For Salmiakki Koskenkorva (or any other beverage with alcohol content over 8%) you need to keep eyes open for Alko, as they are only stores licensed to sell spirits.

Otherwise it is hard to say, as it depends so much on what you wish to see. Also, for culture like visual arts you are mostly off-season; here and there around the countryside we have visual art exhibitions like Purnu art center and Haihatus but I'm afraid they are closed at this time of the year. But one possible route would be via my hoods (if you wish, you can stop by to say hello, unless I'm terribly busy with other schedules), despite being a small countryside town there is Serlachius Museums, with both modern and classical art.

Or, then there are all the natural parks, and smaller sites of interest, like ancient hill forts, or just places with a scenic view - if you are interested in those, ask and I and others can try to post some suggestions.

Among the possibilities are also places like this: Mystical sculpture park in eastern Finland (which seems to be open all the time), or this: Alpo Jaakola Statue park which in September is open only on weekends

[Erkka]

Other possible food items to look for

SavumuikkuSmoked small fish, canned in vegetable oil

Kalakukko

Sahti but I have no suggestions on where to find it - every time I've had sahti it has been bought directly from the producer, but I don't have the contacts.

Another thing which came to mind is that some bigger gas stations have something like souvenir shops - although it sounds like you generally wish to avoid such places, but with a little bit of planning it might be easier to stay on small roads and stop by some bigger gas station instead of a city (if avoiding cities is one of your preferences?)

[Bert Preast]

My Finnish cousins always came visiting bearing gifts of cloudberry liquor and cloudberry schnapps.  These were gratefully received!

[Erkka]

One example of cloudberry liquor. Alko stuff, not every village has one but I'm sure that with a little bit of searching you can find an Alko which doesn't require too much compromise from your smaller roads adventuring.

[Xari]

@Plotinus, @Erkka, @Bert Preast: thank you.

* Salmiakki, Salmiakki Koskenkorva, cloudberry liquor and cloudberry schnapps: if it is given by finnish people it will be interesting to taste.
* unusual tastes: I have tried Metsän Henki which, I was told, has a "tree taste": it's good.
* I have seen a reference to Mesimarja liqueur too.
* Alko: I was thinking about that when I wrote "hidden"!
* Savumuikku, Sahti: I will look for that.
* Kalakukko: not sure if it can last the travel back to France but I will try it if possible
* about cities: they add some stress for me when they are big: traffic jam with limited vision angles when I have to find my way in a coutry where rules and signs can be different; it's not easy to park the car which is pretty big. Good point is the behavior of finnish drivers which is so neat compared to the french one.

For Alko and supermarkets, it's not so intimidating as there are some in the suburbs.

In Inari it was easy to access everything for example the SIIDA museum but the city is not a big one. I skipped the Artikum museum in Rovaniemi because I understood most things are closed on mondays and I hope I will have another opportunity going back to the swedish border.

For this kind of visits I will decide at the last moment depending on the context; so thank you for the suggestions.

@Erkka: just tell me how and when to reach you the coming days if you are in the mood.

[Erkka]

about cities: they add some stress for me when they are big: traffic jam with limited vision angles when I have to find my way in a coutry where rules and signs can be different; it's not easy to park the car which is pretty big. Good point is the behavior of finnish drivers which is so neat compared to the french one.

I totally understand, as I also avoid driving in urban areas; it simply feels too much information too rapidly to process for my brain.

just tell me how and when to reach you the coming days if you are in the mood.

Do you use Discord? That would be the easiest (if you follow the Ancient Savo link in my signature, I think it takes you to a page which has an invitation link to Ancient Savo discord, which is the easiest place to spot my user account there). I'm rather busy with indie coding and working for money, but I'd guess in the coming days I can always arrange at least a short break just to say hello and a small chat or something. Or, we can can meet at the town of Mänttä and I'll help you to find the local Alko =)

[Xari]

I dont use discord but will have a look to the link this evening or tomorrow (currently driving) and contact you this way.