Book preview: Wild wild Finland
A guide to Finnish outdoors and self-irony
Panoramica presents the book “Wild wild Finland: A guide to Finnish outdoors and self-irony” by Ivan Kuznetsov.
It is a detailed but easy-to-read guide to the Finnish outdoors and self-irony. It is these two things that define this country, not its first-place ranking in the World Happiness Report. Rather, the opposite, love and care for nature and a great sense of humor are the keys to happiness in the Finnish way. It literally helps them survive in the harsh conditions of the north.
The author will take you all over the country, from his native Finnish Karelia and the Lakeland to the world’s largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea, from the only major city of Helsinki to the vast tundra of Lapland. The latter is often called “Europe’s last wilderness area,” but this description applies to the entire country. You’ll visit all nine landscape zones, get an overview of the major national parks, follow the longest hiking trails, try sauna and other outdoor activities, learn some hard-to-pronounce Finnish words, and much more. In total, the guide covers 20 nature topics from geography to traveling with kids and workcation. These “serious” chapters with navigation and advice are interspersed with stories from 20 locals about self-irony.
This book will be useful for those who want to learn from the Finns their simple art of living. Whether real or virtual, a trip to this country is like taking a course in an open-air philosophical school, not a vacation. Everyone should visit Finland. It will turn your life upside down just as it once did for the author.
The book will be published in print and digital formats in 2025–2026. Learn more on the book’s page.
Original publication: 20 July 2024
Text: Ivan Kuznetsov
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