Disbelief floats away as a real Finnish mermaid called Riia enchants audiences with appearances at spas and swimming pools across the country. She even runs classes for aspiring young mermaids.
The municipality of Säkylä is making a name for itself with kicksleds – a fleet of 100 of them in 2017, to match Finland’s celebration of 100 years of independence. What’s a kicksled? It’s traditional Finnish snow-how in action.
Although climate change, as noted by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, is evident in Finnish winter temperatures, ice in the Baltic Sea remains an annual obstacle for sea traffic. A fleet of icebreakers clears the shipping lanes (slideshow).