LIB'S LABYRINTH: Maze: Helsinki

Thursday, September 26, 2002

Maze: Helsinki

FINLAND IS CALLED THE LAND OF THOUSAND LAKES, ABOUT 60,000. All I know about Finland is what my mother told me when I was a young girl - that the first Miss Universe, Armi Kuusela, was from Finland. The first Miss Universe contest was held in the Philippines in 1950 (?). She married a Filipino businessman, Virgilio Hilario, who was her escort at the pageant. Since I came to America, I have never missed (okay, 2 misses) watching the Miss Universe on TV.

I'm very impressed with Finland. They have a high standard of living and the people are very friendly. Forests cover two-thirds of their land. They have built a modern industry of mostly timber products. Mountains lie in the north and it extends to the Lapland region. The United States loaned Finland $8 million to build up the country after World War I. It is the only European country to make uninterrupted payments on its debts that it so impressed the Americans. Finland has about 4,500 miles of railroads and the Saimaa Lake System alone is 186 miles long.

This country is very, very clean. The only place where there is a toilet inside a toilet. Go there and see what I'm talking about. The food court at Stockmann department store was the best. We met Vicky Simon, a Filipina from Canada. Her husband was doing some kind of software presentation. The big luggage I bought at Sam's Club was not big enough for all the souvenirs I bought during the trip. I went home with 2 more hand carries. No wonder I got held up at Copenhagen Airport due to my stuff of wooden moose and 3-inch pewter Viking ship. Maybe something else. Then here we go again at O'Hare International Airport, my plane just landed from Scandinavia and at the airport custom I was pulled aside again. Then I was pulled aside again and told to go to another counter. When I got there they just screened the bags and that's it. Dragging all that heavy stuff was for nothing. I was really pissed off. What a way to end the day.

Video:

Baltic Cruise to Finland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psZAN_TuXNs 00:51

Russian forces attacked Finland in 1939 in violation of non-aggresion agreement between the countries. The Finns fought two wars with Russia between 1939 and 1944 under the leadership of General Carl von Mannerheim. Finland lost most of the Karelia Region in the first and more lands in the second war. Mannerheim was elected president in 1944, but resigned in 1946 because of poor health.