Melanie Dower's neighbourhood in Helsinki, Finland. Photo / Supplied
Melanie Dower's neighbourhood in Helsinki, Finland. Photo / Supplied
It's been seven years since Melanie Dower and her husband, Jonathan, moved to Helsinki. She shares what life is like in the Finnish capital and advice for Kiwis still in lockdown.
When did you move to Helsinki and why? I moved to Helsinki in 2014 with my husband, Jonathan, and ourson, Miko, when Jonathan accepted a job offer from Supercell, a Finnish mobile gaming company. He works as a game lead and game artist and I joined the company a year later in the role of relocation and onboarding. Miko was just 2 years old when we arrived in Helsinki.
What do you love most about the city? It's a very easy city to live in – we haven't owned a car for the past seven years and we walk or cycle everywhere. It's very safe and as Finnish kids are very independent from a young age, Miko gets around by himself using buses or trams to get to school or to visit friends, even when the temperature drops to -20C. Being a relatively small city, we are always near the sea, islands or forest and we experience four very distinct seasons each year. During a good winter the Baltic Sea will freeze, creating extra space for ice skating, walking, cycling or taking a refreshing dip after a sauna.
What are some of your favourite parts of the city? My favourite part of the city is the tiny cabin I bought last year on an island just 4km from our home. I can cycle there over a bridge and while there's no power or indoor plumbing, I have a fireplace I can use for heating when it gets cooler. We go there in summer and cook dinner on my barbecue and often see pheasants, hares, squirrels and sometimes a fox or deer.
Melanie Dower cycling to her cabin during summer. Photo / Supplied
What was Helsinki's Covid response like? Generally speaking, Finnish people are very good at following rules and prefer to maintain good social distance, so we have never been in lockdown, but have had short periods where things such as swimming pools and restaurants have been closed. We've always been allowed outdoors and there's a very good food delivery system that has meant we can order meals from restaurants when they've been open. My gym closed for two weeks and we just moved our workouts outside for that time. Nothing stops Finns from being outdoors – least of all the weather.
What remains the same as pre-Covid, and what has changed? There's now a much greater acceptance of working remotely, which has been a great relief to those balancing family commitments or with a long commute. We still wear face masks when we are in public places or using public transport and when moving about in common areas of the office. The joke here though is that people are looking forward to the 2m distancing rule being over so they can go back to 2.5m.
Have you travelled anywhere nationally or internationally since Covid? We had a trip to Greece booked over summer but cancelled it, as it just didn't feel like the right thing to do. Instead, we enjoyed Finnish summer at home – cycling, swimming and enjoying the 24-hour sunlight while it was here. This summer was really warm, with most days hitting 30C, and the city burst forth in greenery and blossoms. However, it was brief, and we are already starting to have brisk mornings and shorter days, as the long, dark winter approaches.
Are there any destinations you're dreaming of visiting now? We would love to visit NZ but it's almost impossible to get into MIQ and we hope that the entry restrictions will be adapted to reflect those in the EU for fully vaccinated travellers. I'd love to visit Greece and Morocco again but still feel cautious about getting sick or stuck in another country as well as potentially adding pressure to their healthcare systems. As we don't expect NZ to change its entry rules by Christmas, we have tickets booked for a short visit to Rome, but we will wait and see how things pan out over the next few months.
Are there any similarities between Helsinki and New Zealand? NZ and Finland are very similar in size and population and the abundance of beautiful nature. Both countries are lucky to have access to clean water and fresh air and both have young women in the role of Prime Minister. Finnish people are down to earth and like to laugh at themselves, but I sometimes miss friendly banter and smiling at strangers.
Melanie Dower's husband, Jonathan, and son Miko visiting a fortress in Russia. Photo / Supplied
Do you miss anything about New Zealand? Our family and friends! Shellfish, the salt and surf of the ocean, hot pools, mountains or volcanoes to climb to get a good view of the city, greeting strangers, cafe breakfasts and great coffee, bathtubs, fragrant gardens, bird song…all the things we enjoy when we come home for a New Zealand summer.
What advice would you give Aucklanders who are still in lockdown? It must be a very stressful time for many people and we hope everyone is doing okay. The uncertainty can be especially difficult, so I find keeping hopeful and just living week to week helpful as it's all we can be sure of right now. Don't let the weather stop you from going outside every day and know that your loved ones overseas miss you and long to come home just as much as you long to see them.
