Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Travel to Finland and Explore Finnish Archipelago with Jaakko as Your Tour Guide ??

Hey! I'm just enjoying my morning coffee and breakfast.

This view? Yeah, I know, its great

you get used to it though. But let me tell you about it

So where we are right now is in the Finnish Archipelago.

Archipelago stands for collection of islands and coastlines outside

of the mainland and as you can see, that description is pretty accurate.

Where we are, more specifically is on an island called Attu.

Now like many islands here,

this island is actually connected to the mainland with a bridge.

Of course, bridges aren't the only way you can get around here

since they can't be built everywhere. Except if you ask the Danish.

Some other ways to get around here are ferries.

Which carry cars and other pedestrian vehicles.

Most of these ferries are actually suspended over the sea

with metal cables, but not all of them. Definitely the best way to get around here is by boat.

Since we have a lot of coastlines and docks and even though most of the docks are

private, we have some public ones too.

And if you know which strings to pull the locals might even

let you dock at their private dock and invite you in for a cup of coffee.

The Finnish archipelago is known for its many ecological benefits it has to give to its people.

Fishing, farming and hunting have played a vital role in the history of the Finnish Archipelago.

Hills, beaches and kilometres of forest cover the landscape of Finland.

But us living in the north also comes with some downsides,

like the unpredictable weather.

On the other hand, the unpredictable weather could be great for some adventures.

Hey! Glad you could join me for this ride. Right now we are driving along the

famous ringvägen or rengastie.

It's a road that basically goes through the entirety of the archipelago.

Its beauty is that there are countless bed and breakfasts

restaurants and places to stay at along the way.

So, the adventures are basically endless. You could for example start your day by

taking a bike trip to one of the many locations overseeing the archipelago.

And after that you could take a run on one of our famous trails.

If you're looking for some more adrenaline then renting a jet ski or boat

is just one phone call away and can be arranged in minutes.

Now that we're getting closer to our cottage, one of the most stressful things

is driving on these extremely tight roads. I doubt there will be any cars

approaching us but you never know so you've got to be careful.

I want to show you the cottage i'm staying at because it's a perfect

example of classic Finnish architecture and if you're going to be staying here

and when you're going to be staying here, you're most likely going to be staying

in a place very similar. So come on I'll show you inside.

When we take a look at the interior we immediately notice it has a lot of

accents of the surrounding nature and culture and the sea.

For example these hunting trophies right here, or parts of boats you can find around it

or just small things that remind you of the culture that surrounds the archipelago.

However, with Finland being one of the leading countries in technology and development,

if something more modern is what you're looking for

then you won't have any problem finding that here either.

Theres nothing better than going for a swim and jumping straight in to the warm sauna.

The archipelago and sauna just go hand in hand.

And when you're visiting you'll also find that out for yourself.

It's going to be harder to find a place that doesn't offer sauna services than one that does.

There are two types of saunas. Classic fireplace saunas and electric ones.

But a lot of people aren’t very keen on the electric ones

because they say the classic feeling of the fireplace is much better,

much warmer and just overall a greater experience.

One thing about us Finns is that we take tradition very seriously,

which is also important to keep in mind when you’re visiting.

We have a lot of rituals and events based in our nature and old beliefs.

Like midsummer, which is when we celebrate

the longest day of the year by burning a bonfire.

A pretty good passtime is driving a motorboat.

You can either rent one or buy one, depending on your budget.

The thing is, It’s pretty loud out here on the sea.

Ah. This is a bit better. Right now this place feels like the most peaceful place in the world.

But things haven't always been like that.

During the 12th and 13th century, the Finnish Archipelago was used as an outpost

to guard the swedish capital Stockholm and the Finnish capital Turku.

When a war broke out called the war of Finland, which was a war about

who owns this territory between Russia and Sweden, the residents got mad.

Together with the Swedish army the residents took back the area from Russia.

This, however, resulted in an internal fight for power.

There is a reason they call Finland the land of the sun that never sets.

Our open fire summernights are definitely some of the most

magical evenings you'll ever experience.

And sitting around an open fire isn’t just a tradition to have fun, socialize and eat.

We actually used open fires to communicate from island to island back in the days.

The way we used them was, if one island saw a boat coming they would light a fire.

And that signal would be transferred to the next island,

who would also light their fire, which would be transferred to the next and to the next.

And as you can imagine, the speed at which the light or the signal the fire travels is

greater than that at which the incoming danger or boat travels.

Back to tonight, where tonight I’m not in any danger.

I’m just enjoying my food and a cold beer.

Cheers.

Wait. I’m just sitting here taking in the atmosphere. And I gotta tell you,

this is honestly the best part after every long and eventful day.

Listening to the birds of the night and the sound of the ocean

I could sit here for hours but if I did that I wouldn’t be able to start the next day,

which will most likely be even more adventurous.

So I’m gonna go to sleep now but I tell you, you gotta experience this for yourself.