We Finns have a strange relationship with Sweden. They’re our dearest enemy (which, we think, dates back to those years when they used to rule over us), but at the same time, they’re quite likely our favourite neighbours. We hate it when they better us in sports and music, and we always want to see them lose in ice hockey. It doesn’t even matter if we’re not playing.
“Doesn’t matter what the outcome for us… as long as Sweden loses.” That’s an actual Finnish quote, I swear.
But with all this bickering and making fun of their super good-looking tall and blonde citizens, we sort of also love Sweden. It’s a beautiful country and we love to visit quite often. In fact, it doesn’t really feel like going abroad when we visit Stockholm, for example. Most of the Finns who ever travelled with their parents have taken the ferry to Stockholm to spend a day shopping and eating before taking the ferry back… and so, Sweden has always felt much closer to us than it actually is.
