Latest / Wander the World with Pippa Hudson / Wander the World: Adventures in Finland, the world’s happiest country

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Wander the World: Adventures in Finland, the world’s happiest country · Wander the World with Pippa Hudson

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: This is capital right, let's do a bit of armchair travel.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: It is time to wander the world, and today we
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: are wandering over to a country in Scandinavia which for
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: many years has come out tops in the surveys of
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  Speaker 1: the world's happiest nations. Many people dream of going to
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Finland to see the Northern lights, or perhaps to go
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: and visit the reindeer or Santa Claus in Lapland. But
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: as our next guest is going to tell us, there
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: is a lot more to discover than all of that,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: as exciting as those things may be in and of themselves,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: thousands of lakes and forests and islands, vibrant cities, some
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  Speaker 1: pretty unique food traditions, sauna culture. There are lots of
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: different reasons to make Finland appealing as a holiday destination,
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  Speaker 1: and one of them is perhaps part of the recipe
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  Speaker 1: of being the happiest nation. It's about the ability to
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: slow down and reconnect with nature and with simple pleasures.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: To expand on the theme, it's a great place to
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: have via zoom This afternoon, Helly Jiminez, who is the
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: senior director of International Marketing at Business Finland, Helly wonderful
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: to have you on the show. Welcome to Cape Talk.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: Thank you, glad to be here.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Thank you. Let's start with this fact that Finland so
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  Speaker 1: often tops the list of the so called happiest countries
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  Speaker 1: in the world. I think it's nine years running. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: what do you think is the secret to that? Is
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: there something to do with the way Finish people embrace
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: life or their attitude towards work life balance that you
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: think puts them so at the top of the list.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, many of those things are. I think the main
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: reason that we have been nine years on a row
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: the happiest country in the world. It realizes on our
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: strong social systems and a culture of well being. We
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: call this kind of infrastructure of happiness, which cornerstone is trust.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: So we trust our neighbors, we trust institutions, public institutions,
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  Speaker 2: earnance media. We are very trustful people. And uh we
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: feel that this kind of transparent governance and framework of
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  Speaker 2: support gives us kind of infrastructure of happiness which means
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: that we can all also fail within the framework. So
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  Speaker 2: it's a it's we have a safety nets and and
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  Speaker 2: the same sense of shared responsibility, so that helps people
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  Speaker 2: to uh, you know, do what they really are want
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  Speaker 2: to do with their life. But of course, as you said,
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  Speaker 2: the nature, we feel that the nature is and the
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  Speaker 2: closeness to the nature is one of the resources for
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  Speaker 2: our happiness and and the simple life we are living,
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  Speaker 2: and the sauna is being one of the things that
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  Speaker 2: really really I think even when you look medically it
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: it gives you better health and so on. So it's
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: definitely one of our sources of happiness.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: I work if it just interrupts you there, helly for
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: a second. The sauna culture comic is such an interesting
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  Speaker 1: one for me. I mean, I've always been aware of
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  Speaker 1: the fact that that it was part of the experience
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  Speaker 1: in Scandinavia, but I saw some stats this morning that
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  Speaker 1: in a country of just over five point six million people,
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  Speaker 1: you have three point three million saunas. It sounds like
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  Speaker 1: it's a really significant part of your sort of shared
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  Speaker 1: cultural rituals.
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  Speaker 2: We have more soonas than cars in Finland, so it
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  Speaker 2: is really everybody has access to sauna. We have a
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  Speaker 2: lot of public zawnas, but most of the people have
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: their own sauna in their houses, so it is something
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  Speaker 2: that everything goes to sauna at least once a week,
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  Speaker 2: but most more or even more and more weekly.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's fascinating. Sorry to have interrupted you. We're about
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: to talk. I think about the work life balance aspect.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, that is also something that we value a lot,
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  Speaker 2: and I think it's really embedded to our society in
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  Speaker 2: a way that it's important for everyone that work life
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  Speaker 2: balance is in balance work and you know, free time,
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  Speaker 2: and we do things kind of like parents can take
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  Speaker 2: do a shorter days at work and so on so
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  Speaker 2: that they will have a more time with their children
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  Speaker 2: and things like that. So it is very important and
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  Speaker 2: I think it's also when we talk about happiness in
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  Speaker 2: a way, it's kind of a very competitive thing we
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: have here.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Nahalie. Let's talk a little about the visitor experience
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  Speaker 1: for somebody planning a trip to Finland. First thing to
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: mention South Africans on a South African passport will need
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  Speaker 1: a Shengen visa to enter Finland and you will be
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  Speaker 1: spending in euros. I'm afraid there's no getting away from that.
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  Speaker 1: But it's quite easy to get their flights to parting
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  Speaker 1: from both Cape Ton and Johannesburg to the capital city
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  Speaker 1: of Helsinki, usually via a layover in some way like
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  Speaker 1: Istanbul or Paris, for example, but you can get there
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  Speaker 1: in under fifteen hours, for example, if you want to
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  Speaker 1: really apply your mind to it, Helly. Let's talk about
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  Speaker 1: what the visitor is going to find on arrival. Shall
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  Speaker 1: we start with your capital city, Helsinki. Is it worth
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  Speaker 1: spending time in Helsinki itself before venturing off to places
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  Speaker 1: like Lapland and other attractions.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's definitely worth to spend time in Helsink
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  Speaker 2: and I think for the South Africans it's really good.
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  Speaker 2: I think that we have a say more or less,
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  Speaker 2: we are living at the same time zone in a way,
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  Speaker 2: so it's easy to come and you don't have to
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  Speaker 2: suffer the jet luck or anything. And I think in
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  Speaker 2: Helsinki you can also right away feel that you're very
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  Speaker 2: close to the nature, so you don't have to go
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  Speaker 2: far away and nature is always there, but in Helsinki
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  Speaker 2: you can. We are it's a small quite small city.
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  Speaker 2: You know. We have a five hundred and fifty thousand
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  Speaker 2: people living in Helsinki, so it's not even a million
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  Speaker 2: people here, and so it's easy. It's it's easy to
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  Speaker 2: walk everywhere, or we have a very good public transportation.
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  Speaker 2: We have a nice architecture to see here, and also
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  Speaker 2: you know, just to field the design and architecture and
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  Speaker 2: the city life here. But very we are closed. We
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  Speaker 2: are next to the sea, so it's it's also very
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  Speaker 2: easy to go an island hopping here and and yeah,
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  Speaker 2: definitely worth to.
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  Speaker 1: Stop, okay, and lots and lots of islands to hop around. Literally,
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  Speaker 1: I think a lot of people perhaps have never really
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  Speaker 1: looked that closely at the map to recognize that Finland
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  Speaker 1: is a massive archipelago. We're talking thousands of islands, aren't we.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, we have I think the most islands in
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  Speaker 2: the world in a way, so we have it on
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  Speaker 2: the whole coast almost, So we have islands here, and
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: it's very accessible from Helsinki for example, and from the
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: other big city Turku also to have a day trip
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  Speaker 2: or just a few hours in the in the islands
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  Speaker 2: and enjoy the nature there.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned Turku, and it's a place I am not
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  Speaker 1: all familiar with, so I hope you going to tell
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  Speaker 1: us a little bit more. I understand it's Finland's oldest
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  Speaker 1: city and in fact used to be the country's capital,
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  Speaker 1: although it is no more. What what is the visitor
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  Speaker 1: experience like why is it such an important destination.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think that the best way if you're really
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: into the island hopping and see the islands is the
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  Speaker 2: Archipela or Turku. There it is the you know, the
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  Speaker 2: they have has the most most possibilities there. Turku has
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  Speaker 2: also very strong architecture, and I think maybe also in
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  Speaker 2: both cities we are uh, you know, quite quite a
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  Speaker 2: lot of putting effort to our cuisine and bringing this
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  Speaker 2: to the people that they can taste of what the
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: Finland has to offer.
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  Speaker 1: What are some of your specialty dishes? If somebody wants
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  Speaker 1: to come and have an authentically finished meal, what should
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  Speaker 1: they be trying.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we have, of course very pure ingredients here. We
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: are strong with any fish, any kind of fish, but
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  Speaker 2: especially smoked fish, smoked salmon, fish, salmon soup, and fish
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  Speaker 2: in all kinds of shapes and forms. But also we
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  Speaker 2: have ripe red for example, something very very local and especial,
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  Speaker 2: a little bit different in its regions. They have their
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  Speaker 2: own ways to do it, but really really tasty and
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  Speaker 2: good one. From the meat side, we are we have game,
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  Speaker 2: you know, wild game, and then of course reindeer. If
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  Speaker 2: that's your cup of tea, reindeer's too, for example. Okay,
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  Speaker 2: but generally this time of year, we'll have a lot
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  Speaker 2: of berries wild berry is anyone who can pick up
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: pick those up? We have mushrooms just coming out. I
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  Speaker 2: just came from my summer cotteach yesterday and there was
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  Speaker 2: already mushrooms coming so.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so it's the right time of year. One of
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  Speaker 1: our listeners has just written in saying I must ask
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: you please to talk about sulniaki. Is that one of
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  Speaker 1: the regional specialties.
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  Speaker 2: That's actually finished specialty. It's kind it's a candy. It's
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  Speaker 2: a black candy that it's like a licorice type of candy,
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  Speaker 2: but has a really own special taste. I think most
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  Speaker 2: of the people who are not from Finland, they first
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  Speaker 2: time when they try it, they think it's awful, but
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  Speaker 2: it's kind of addictive. So it's you just get to
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  Speaker 2: use that. It's a very typical finish, finish candy.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, thanks for the tip of JP. Appreciate it. I
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  Speaker 1: would love to hear from anybody listening who's been to Finland.
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  Speaker 1: If you'd like to tell us what you experienced, what
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: the highlight was for you, Please do pap us a
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: what'sapp to seven two five six seven one five six seven.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: Our guest via zoom is Helly Jimenez. You're a senior
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: director of international marketing at Business Finland. You mentioned the
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: reindeer and now going to see living reindeer in Lapland,
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  Speaker 1: I know, is one of the things a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people will associate with Finland. What else, Lapland is a
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: very unique region with its own cultural unique list. Do
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  Speaker 1: you want to tell us a little bit more about
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  Speaker 1: visiting that part of Finland?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, of course, I think we Lapland is mostly known
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  Speaker 2: of its winter and the snow and reindeers, of course,
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  Speaker 2: and then how the home of Santa Claus in the
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: Arctic Circle. He is living there. But also the northern
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  Speaker 2: lights is something that people want to see and they
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: are of course phenomenon. We can see those also in
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: whole Finland, but definitely more mostly in the north. Actually
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: you can see northern lights also from beginning of let's
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: say August, and you know, when it's scat a little
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: bit darker. But I just want to tell a little
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  Speaker 2: bit about Lapland also in the summer, because it is very,
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: very beautiful. It's a it's a nightly. They have a
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: night less nights there, so the sun doesn't go down
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  Speaker 2: at all, and it really means that so it's a
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: light you can see the sun all night and it's
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  Speaker 2: something special. I think it's very very unique experience, and
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  Speaker 2: it is of course you can see raindier so also
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  Speaker 2: in the summertime.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: That is. I've had the experience of sleeping out on
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: the ice in Antarctica, opposite side of the world, but
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: with the same with the sun being up all night,
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: and it was the most incredible experience to lie there
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: knowing it's it's midnight and it's bright sunshine above. Now,
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: before we run out of time, are there any other
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  Speaker 1: highlights I haven't asked you about that you would like
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  Speaker 1: to flag as reasons to come and visit Finland, whether
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: they are natural sites or historic buildings or national parks.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: You'd like to mention that somebody should definitely consider adding
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: to their itinerary.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: Well, I think more in Finland more we don't have
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: that many historical buildings and zone, but we are we
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: are more like a destination of experiences. So when we
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: talk about lakes, we talk about sauna, we talk about
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  Speaker 2: forest and nature. Those are the all kind of experiences
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: that you can have here, and you don't really have
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: to be really really you know, athlected to go hiking
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: tens of kilometers. We have very easy access to the nature,
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: so it's for everybody, even in the city, so that
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: that kind of state of mind when you come to
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: visit us is more with the nature than actually big
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: buildings and so on.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Okay, one of our listeners asking on the WhatsApp line
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: is it fairly easy to visit the other Nordic countries
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: if you are in Finland? Is is it easy to
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: move between Finland and Sweden and Norway for example?
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: Very easy? We have many boats going to Sweden daily
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: here and of course flights. It's only one hour flight
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: to Stockholm for example for care and a little bit
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: more to Norway, so very very easy. And also to
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: Estonia here, so with both you can go to Estonia.
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: It takes only two hours I think, and it's overnight
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: boat to Sweden.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: Okay, thanks Caral for asking the question. Well, I'm going
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: to finish with the only word of finish that I
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: have learned in advance of this interview, and I hope
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: I'm going to pronounce it correctly in saying keitos, which
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: is the word for thank you. Is that correct, Elly.
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: That's very very correct. Thank you for your but also
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: one of the finished words that is known in the
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: whole world is sauna.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: Yes, of course, three point three million of them in counting.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: It's been a real delight to speak to you. Thank
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: you so much. Helly him And has joining us via
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: zoom this afternoon with some insight into reasons to visit Finland.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from any of our listeners who
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: have had that privilege. Please do pop through a WhatsApp
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: to seven two five six seven one five six seven
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: and tell us what you most enjoyed or will always
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: remember about the trip.