14 Photos From Finland That Show the Hidden Side of This Country

This small northern country has topped the rankings of the world’s happiest countries for many years. Local people don’t try to impress others with luxury outfits or fast cars. At the same time, they know how to take care of each other and nature.

At Bright Side, we decided not to include photos of the Finnish sauna or auroras in this article. The photos we found don’t look like postcards, but they will help you see this country from a completely different angle.

A shop of farm products without a sales assistant

“I’m used to the fact that Finns trust each other very much. But this shop in the middle of nowhere is a completely different level. There is no sales assistant. You just have to write down your purchases in the special journal, and then put cash into the jar or pay online.”

A rare phenomenon is sometimes observed in the north of Finland. Water and wind create ice eggs.

Where is the library? It’ll come to you on its own.

Bright buses, which are actually mobile libraries, drive around the capital of Finland. On weekday mornings, they provide library services in places where children are located, like kindergartens, schools, and play parks. In the evenings, they serve residential areas located far from conventional libraries.

In winter, when lakes are covered with ice, you can use it as a huge canvas for your snow drawings.

IT consultant Janne Pyykkö invented this type of art, and he and his friends create these huge drawings on Finnish lakes.

City dwellers don’t mind renting garden beds.

For the past few years, the eco-friendly lifestyle has become really popular. Young people find it trendy to rent garden beds in special places in the city, or even in the courtyard of their own house from their housing company, in order to grow vegetables and flowers on them.

If you lose money, rest assured someone will try to return it to you.

• My friend moved to Finland. This is what she saw on the announcement board in her office. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Free sanitary items in fashionable restaurants

In many trendy venues, you can find baskets with hairspray and sanitary items in women’s bathrooms.

Road signs help to save the population of ducks.

Daycare centers for dogs

For those who don’t want to leave their pets at home alone for the entire day, there are daycare centers for dogs. They play with dogs there, walk, and feed them.

A separate menu for pets in cafes and restaurants

In summer, restaurants offer a special menu for pets on their terraces. Apart from free water, there can be beverages, snacks, and even desserts for dogs.

There are no gates in the Finnish subway.

You don’t have to pass through gates to get on a train. Here, they rely on the honesty of passengers. But if someone wants to ride as a stowaway, then upon meeting with a ticket inspector, they will be fined €80 ($94).

In Billnäs village, a fish ladder was built on the site of an old factory.

In Finland, several fish ladders were built to help fish move in dammed rivers. This structure consists of successive small pools of water and waterfalls between the pools. Thanks to this, fish can move even along a high dam.

You can find real treasures in the trash bin.

• I was dining at a restaurant, and received a message from my friend, saying, “Look what I found in a trash bin.” I didn’t want to spoil my appetite, but then I opened the photo and was speechless. She found a pile of silverware in an old box.

What was the most unexpected thing in this article? Would you want to have similar things in your city? Tell us in the comments below.

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