SHOPS AND STORES … Stockmann’s Department Store, Sokos, Elanto, Renlund and Rake.
SPECTATOR SPORTS … Racing, yachting. regattas, auto and motorcycle races, track meets, Finnish baseball, which is called pesdpallo, international canoeing competitions, cycling championships, tennis matches, soccer, the International Winter Games, skiing and ski-jumping competitions and reindeer races.
SPORTS … Swimming, log rolling, tennis, football, golf (you can play at midnight in midsummer), sailing, skiing, fishing, hunting. The best fishing season is from the beginning of June to the end of August. The hunting season is in the autumn. The best skiing is in Lapland during March and April when days are long. (Ski resort hotels Pallastunturi and Kilpisjdrvi.) Canoeing and hiking are favorites.
THEATERS … Almost every town in Finland has its own theater where foreign as well as Finnish plays are produced. In Helsinki: the National Theater at Station Square, the Swedish Theater. Tampere: the new revolving outdoor theater which has become world famous.
TIME … Seven hours later than United States Eastern Standard Time.
TIPPING … There is a 15 per cent service charge added to your hotel and 10 per cent on restaurant bills. The Finns do not encourage extra tipping. Taxi drivers and others are not tipped.
TRANSPORTATION … Taxis are easy to get (chart in taxi translates meter reading); bus and train services excellent. Also water buses to take you to some of the outlying places. You can hire private cars with English-speaking guides. Taxi fares are identical with the meter reading but are more after 11:00 P.M. Self-drive cars are available for about $10 a day for the first 93 miles, then 6 cents a mile.
WATER … Excellent.
WHAT TO BUY … Famous Arabia rice china, pottery, KarhulaIittala glass, “Rvijy” rugs, ornaments of brass, wood carving, fabrics, hand-blocked linens, and articles made of woven birch bark, reeds, wickers. Also Finnish jewelry.
WHAT TO WEAR … Heavy clothes in winter months (fur coat, ski togs), and lightweight clothes for the summer months. Better have a coat even in summer. Fur hats in Lapland in winter season.