Beer from 18th century found on Baltic shipwreck

Divers off the coast of Finland find bottles of drinkable beer on an 18th-century shipwreck. LINK: Youtube

National Anthem of Finland

Finland National Anthem and Flag. LINK: Youtube

Jee Hevisaurus

(YouTube link)

Kid’s entertainment in Finland is a little different. Hevisaurus is a metal band composed of dinosaurs! Here they perform the song “Jee Hevisaurus.” -Via: Metafilter, Via: Neatorama

Eagle Vs. Reindeer

You look tasty, but I'm saving my appetite for the baby reindeer. Golden eagle image (man pictured NOT Harri Norberg) courtesy Flickr user mikebaird, via: CC.

The BBC posted two videos of golden eagles hunting baby reindeer in Finland. They don't have an embed option, so you'll have to follow the link to watch. It's the first time this has ever been filmed. In fact, the native Sami people have been saying for years that eagle on reindeer violence was going on, but most experts didn't believe them until scientist Harri Norberg from the University of Lapland gathered forensic (and, now, this video) evidence for his Ph.D. thesis. His incredibly awesome Ph.D. thesis. LINK

Applause For Finland: First Country To Make Broadband Access A Legal Right

Kudos to the Finnish government, which has just introduced laws guaranteeing broadband access to every person living in Finland (5.5 million people, give or take).

This is reportedly a first worldwide.

Starting July 2010, every person in Finland will have the right to a one-megabit broadband connection as an intermediate step, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications. By the end of 2015, the legal right will be extended to an impressive 100 Mb broadband connection for everyone.

According to Wikipedia, approximately 79 percent of the Finnish population use the Internet. Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.

LINK, (Via: IntoMobile)

Finnish rappers, age 4

Ella ja Aleksi is a Finnish musical group featuring two four-year-old rappers. This video for the song "Yöjuna Rovaniemelle " is an absolute delight. LINK, Via: Youtube

Forkless Cruiser Bicycle

This working bicycle is also a work of art! The Forkless Cruiser is a graduation project by Olli Erkkila, a student at the Lahti Institute of Design in Finland.

Link, Via: Neatorama

Skating on the Gulf of Finland

Says photographer Jason DeBose: "This is from the frozen Gulf of Finland/Baltic Sea. Apparently it's safe enough that people bring baby strollers and spin their toddlers like marbles."

Link, Via: Neatorama

Incredible Ice Hotels and Snow Castles of Finland

Requiring over 1000 truckloads of snow and 3 weeks of work for a team of 15 sculptors to create, the largest ice hotel in Lapland reopens. Enduring temperatures between 32 to 23F (0 to -5C), you sleep on beds made of ice complete with sleeping bags and fleeces — and a survival guide on how to make it through the night.

There’s no natural light — all rooms are lit with multi-colored lights and bedecked with elaborate carvings. An ice bar, restaurant, walkways and lobbies have also been built in the hotel at Snowvillage near Kittila, Finland.

Three additional rooms have been have been carved from the ice this year, so up to 60 guests per night can enjoy a frosty stay in the 30 igloo rooms at Lapland’s largest ever ice hotel.

To warm your bones in the morning, hot berry juice is served to help to thaw you out. There are also 2 “warm” subterranean rooms available for the less hardy or adventurous travelers that can’t cut the sub zero conditions.

An ice bar and restaurant, ice slides and ice sculptures have also been created to keep you entertained on the 3 square mile (7.5 square kilometer) hotel site which has been recreated every winter for the last 8 years. LINK

Incredible Ice Hotels and Snow Castles of Finland

Requiring over 1000 truckloads of snow and 3 weeks of work for a team of 15 sculptors to create, the largest ice hotel in Lapland reopens today. Enduring temperatures between 32 to 23F (0 to -5C), you sleep on beds made of ice complete with sleeping bags and fleeces — and a survival guide on how to make it through the night.

There’s no natural light — all rooms are lit with multi-colored lights and bedecked with elaborate carvings. An ice bar, restaurant, walkways and lobbies have also been built in the hotel at Snowvillage near Kittila, Finland.

Three additional rooms have been have been carved from the ice this year, so up to 60 guests per night can enjoy a frosty stay in the 30 igloo rooms at Lapland’s largest ever ice hotel.

To warm your bones in the morning, hot berry juice is served to help to thaw you out. There are also 2 “warm” subterranean rooms available for the less hardy or adventurous travelers that can’t cut the sub zero conditions.

An ice bar and restaurant, ice slides and ice sculptures have also been created to keep you entertained on the 3 square mile (7.5 square kilometer) hotel site which has been recreated every winter for the last 8 years. LINK

Stunning Estonia Waterfall Ice World

It may look like a setting from a fantasy or gateway to another world, but this phenomenal scene is actually the Valaste Waterfall — the highest waterfall in Estonia at 85 feet (26 meters) — artificially created by directing the water from a drainage trench to the Gulf of Finland at Valaste, near the Ontika Cliff. LINK



An Estonian waterfall has frozen creating a world of imagination. LINK

Kakslauttanen Hotel - Finland

When you tire of the endless sandy beaches and azure waters of warm climes, but you are not quite ready for space travel, head to Lapland for a dramatic, mystical getaway. The snow igloos that pop up each winter to complement the 20 spectacular glass igloos and 31 luxury log cabins at Kakslauttanen resort in Saariselkä, Finland, are definitely cool in all meanings of the word.
You can lie in your bed under the glass ceiling of your glass igloo, cozily covered by thick down duvets, and watch the snow fall gently in the light-blue air of the endless night. It is surreal and magical. You actually do forget that it is cold and, in fact, you are not cold. The duvets and clothing provided ensure that you are really feeling cozy. LINK

Supermarket domino

Undisclosed location in Finland. LINK: Youtube