Finland Attractions Celebrate Country’s Legacy of Artisanship

Leave it to Finland to come up with some quirky competitions. There’s the popular Air Guitar Championship, the Wife Carrying World Championship and Iittala’s Glass Blowing Challenge.

During the latter, an all-day competition, people watched as several men blew into long pipes to skillfully produce the biggest, most well-crafted glass bowl. Sure, it’s a little different, but it reflects Finland’s celebration of and enthusiasm for its long history of design culture.

Whether it’s exploring the shops of capital city Helsinki or taking a day trip to outlets in nearby villages such as Fiskars and Iittala, two small towns that spawned major lifestyle corporations, a trip to Finland, home to ubiquitous Nokia cell phones, can blend a dash of design culture with iconic natural landscapes.