Author: Mark Wiltshear

Päivi explains how ice cream is made at Wirtalan Jäätelö and gives a surprising answer to the question ‘What is South Ostrobothnia’s favourite flavour?’ You’ll never guess.

SJK Seinäjoki – 2015 Season Review. Veikkausliiga Champions | Suomen Mestari

Nov 8, 2015

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Lari returns to the pod to reveal his highlights from following SJK Seinäjoki in 2015. Spoiler alert, it has a very happy ending!

‘Jokkis’ Finnish Folk Racing – Motor Sport for ‘Everyman’

Nov 1, 2015

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Emilia explains the basics of Jokamiehenluoka/Jokkis/Finnish Folk Racing, before getting behind the wheel on race day.

In Competition on the Frisbee Golf Course

Oct 25, 2015

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Pekka explains the rules, techniques and tactics of Frisbee Golf, before I join him on the course in the CityFrisbee Golf competition in Seinäjoki.

Finnish Music Traditions: From Folk to Rap!

Oct 18, 2015

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A short introduction to traditional Finnish music from Piia & Mika, including Iskelmä, Choral, Rautalanka, Folk… and Rap.

The History of Emigration from Finland

Oct 11, 2015

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Tella tells about Finland’s historical emigration, where people came from, where they eventually settled and some that made their fortune and came back again.

Explore Finland’s 1st ‘scope: A Walk in the Finnish Woods

Sep 6, 2015

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in Periscope Videos

Explore Finland’s ‘scopes are first broadcast via a live stream on the Periscope app, search for ExploreFinland in the app. Follow @explorefinland on Twitter for announcements of upcoming ‘scopes. What is Periscope? Learn all about it here

What on Earth is Mölkky? And how exactly do you say it?

Aug 10, 2015

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Summer 2015 barely deserves that name, but as August starts and the school holidays draw to a close, of course, the weather takes a turn for the better! This is the perfect opportunity to try out our new garden game, Mölkky. To answer the 2nd question first, it is pronounced Meul-kuu. The first question needs only a little more…

SJK into Europe 2015-16: Episode #2

Jul 23, 2015

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The draw for the latest Europa League competition was made on Monday 22nd June, and Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho were drawn against Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar of Iceland. In this episode, recorded 22.7.2015, you can hear me speak to Wayne Brown and Bahrudin Atajic about SJK’s defeat to FH and looking forward to the remainder of the 2015 season. Read the Show…

SJK into Europe 2015-16: Episode #1

Jun 24, 2015

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The draw for the latest Europa League competition was made on Monday 22nd June, and Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho were drawn against Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar of Iceland. In this episode, recorded 23.6.2015, you can hear me speak to Chris Cleaver, and Richie Dorman about the upcoming SJK vs FH fixtures. Read the Show Notes here Guests: Chris Cleaver and Richie…

SJK Update: May 2015

May 27, 2015

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You can find all previous articles about Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (Seinäjoki FC, SJK) here The season gets underway The league season is now near the 33% stage, so it’s a good time to have a look at how things have played out so far. For SJK it has been an effective, if unspectacular start to the campaign.…

End of Season 1 Credits

May 9, 2015

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I’ve reached a convenient point to pause and take a look back at ‘season one’ of the Explore Finland Radio Show. I will return in the Autumn 2015 for a second season, but I wanted to take a few moments to consider the topics covered and thank everyone that agreed to be interviewed. You can still…

Apollo FC: The Pink Dogs’ Noble Goals

Apr 21, 2015

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There is something in the air in South Ostrobothnia. In this episode, I speak to two members of a new football club in Seinäjoki, which has the noble aim of raising money for charity, while also providing a destination for retired footballers.

Apollo FC and Finland’s ‘Pink Revolution’

Apr 21, 2015

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Season 1 Episode 16 Mikael & Jarl Matti proclaim Finland’s ‘Pink Revolution’ Listen to this podcast episode here Guests: Mikael Muurimäki and Jarl Matti Antilla, Apollo FC players There is something in the air in Seinäjoki. What started as a small idea among a group of friends is blooming into something altogether more touching, caring and beautiful –…

International Business Degree Students at SeAMK, Finland [part 2]

Apr 14, 2015

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This episode is a continuation of the conversation from episode 13. I talk with Junyi (Winnie) Ding & Betti Csiba about their experiences of moving to Finland, business culture in South Ostrobothnia, what Betti and Winnie do in their free-time and, of course, the weather.

SJK Update: April 2015

Apr 13, 2015

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Article number two in the series of articles about Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (Seinäjoki FC, SJK). You can find all the articles in this series here Cup campaigns Several eyewitness accounts suggest that SJK were unfortunate to exit the Suomen Cup (Finnish FA Cup) to Kuopio Palloseura (KuPS) within weeks of being knocked out of the Liigacup. Popular consensus is…

The Finnish Political System & Voting in the General Election

Apr 6, 2015

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I speak to Henna Rantasaari, Green Party Candidate ahead of the 2015 General Elections here in Finland. In her 2nd appearance on Explore Finland, Henna explains how the political system works, how the Parliamentary seats are allocated and how the Government is formed.

Easter in Finland: The Season of the (white) Witch

Apr 4, 2015

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Easter traditions in Finland Easter in Finalnd involves as much chocolate as my Easters growing up in the UK, but here they work a lot harder for it! My experiences below are based on my observations living in Western Finland, these differ from Eastern Finland. Growing Grass Approximately one week before Easter, the children plant…

International Business Degree Students at SeAMK, Finland [part 1]

Mar 28, 2015

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I meet Junyi Ding & Betti Csiba, who tell me about life as an international student at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK). Many thanks to Miia Koski from SeAMK for arranging (and participating in) the recording.

SJK Update: March 2015

Mar 17, 2015

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This is the first in what I hope will be an ongoing series of articles on happenings at Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (Seinäjoki FC, or SJK to it’s friends). New players As mentioned in my previous post about the Liigacup, SJK has signed several new players, in the closed season, to strengthen the squad; Mehmet Hetemaj midfield…

High-speed Motor Racing On Ice at Botniaring

Mar 15, 2015

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I speak to race organiser Kristiina ahead of the VillaAPR Icerace at the Botniaring race track in Jurva, Etelä-Pohjanmaa. Listen as she tells me about the meeting, the track and the facilities, before I visit the APR Icerace in February 2015.

Discovering Salibandy* in Seinäjoki (*Floorball, Unihockey…)

Feb 28, 2015

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In this episode I get an introduction to the game of Salibandy (Floorball; Unihockey; Innebandy) from Tuukka Kiviranta, who plays for the high-flying SPV team from Seinäjoki. Tuukka explains the rules and tactics of the game, and tells me about the history, and recent success of SPV.

Finland’s Olympic Training Centre in Kuortane

Feb 22, 2015

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It will take more than a 30 minute podcast to get me into peak fitness, but this week I get a guided tour of the Olympic Training Centre in Kuortane.

The Finnish Liigacup is Underway

Feb 16, 2015

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Find my podcast on the history of SJK here The League Cup in Finland is a curious competition. Played as a competitive series of games, it serves as a pre-season competition for the 12 teams in the Veikkausliiga (Finland’s Premier League) but, as it kicks off in mid-February and Finland is mostly under a metre or…

Distilling Moonshine, Finland’s Prohibition Era and Koskenkorva Vodka

Feb 14, 2015

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Join me as I visit the Koskenkorva Museo and learn about the history of distilling in Koskenkorva, as well as the distinctive local clocks, Könnikello, and we take another, brief tour around the saunas at Koskenkorva Trahteeri, until we end up at the ‘vodka tap’! Intrigued?

A Tour of the Alvar Aalto Centre in Seinäjoki – part 2

Feb 7, 2015

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Part 2 of 2 – I continue my guided tour of the Alvar Aalto centre in Seinäjoki, by visiting Aalto’s theatre (with it’s collection of glass and porcelain by Alvar & Aino Aalto) and the new Apila library next door to Aalto’s original.

A Tour of the Alvar Aalto Centre in Seinäjoki [part 1]

Jan 31, 2015

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Part 1 of 2 – Marianne takes me on a guided tour of the Alvar Aalto centre, in Seinäjoki, a cluster of six, civic buildings that form its iconic centrepiece. Alvar and Aino Aalto are arguably Finland’s greatest designers and, in part 1, you can hear Marianne describe the Town Hall and Lakeuden Risti Church.

Just Why Is The Sauna So Important To Finns?

Jan 24, 2015

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I speak to Jaakko and Martti Koskenkorva about the most recognisable Finnish word in the world, Sauna. I visited them at Koskenkorva Trahteeri to talk about the history, the traditions and why the sauna is so important to the Finns.

Buying and Selling at Finland’s Flea Markets

Jan 16, 2015

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I speak to Henna about the significance of the Kirppis in Finland. We attend an event to sell some clothes and I then visit a few other types of Kirpputorit in Seinäjoki to compare & contrast.

Softengine, Luritus Choir & Alvar Aalto. In concert.

Jan 14, 2015

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Many of you outside of Europe may not fully understand the Eurovision Song Contest, not everyone inside Europe takes it that seriously, and the recent balkanisation of European counties has led to countries ‘voting for their neighbours hasn’t helped that, but the viewing figures are huge and many a star has been born at Eurovision. In…

The Veikkausliiga season gets started…

Jan 11, 2015

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Well, in a manner of speaking. Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK) have a had a busy week, that culminated with the (now traditional) match between the first team and the supporters club (Klopit), who hold the honourary position of 12th man at SJK. The match was played in a friendly, light-hearted atmosphere, indoors at the excellent Wallsport…

Evie Goes to Restaurant Day in Vaasa

Jan 9, 2015

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Restaurant Day (Ravintolapäivä) originated in Helsinki, so I travel to nearby Vaasa, with my daughter Evie, to visit some of the pop-up restaurants and speak to some of the restaurant organisers about their experiences.

What I Learned at #slush14

Jan 2, 2015

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Although I risk ‘crossing the streams’ with this post – brining my day job into the Explore Finland world – this article is about an event in Finland, so it’s not completely off-topic. Slush is a fast-growing ‘trade show’ in Helsinki for Investors and Companies to meet, talk business and party a little. Below is a post that…

Brit starts his own radio show in Finland

Dec 31, 2014

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The Explore Finland Radio Show received it’s first press this morning, with a supportive article in the local paper Seinäjoen Sanomat. You can read the full article here http://www.seinajoensanomat.fi/artikkeli/257465-britti-alkoi-tehda-suomesta-omaa-radio-ohjelmaa

Seasons Greetings from the Explore Finland Radio Show

Dec 27, 2014

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There isn’t a full show during the Festive period, but I will be back in the New Year with new episodes. In the meantime, if you’re interested to read about Finnish Christmas celebrations you should head over to my journal post Hyvää joulua ja hyvää uutta vuotta! ◊◊◊ Mark ◊◊◊

Christmas 2014, Finnish-style

Dec 27, 2014

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I don’t know how Christmas is celebrated in your country, but in Finland it is a peaceful, reflective time. People send greetings like “Rentoa ja Rauhallista Joulua ihan kaikille!” (A Relaxing and Peaceful Christmas to everyone!), or “Levollista joulua teille” (A Restful Christmas to you all”). This attitude is reflected throughout the festive period. Also,…

Finnish Football Culture and the Rise of SJK Seinäjoki

Dec 19, 2014

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Lari talks about the origins of football culture in Finland, and the history of Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK Seinäjoki).

In the Woods with the Moose Hunting Team

Dec 3, 2014

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Early one Sunday morning in October, Mikko Panula, Computer programmer and sharp-shooter, takes me out into the woods with his hunting team, as one young hunter has a VERY memorable day!

Foraging for Mushrooms in Finland’s Forests

Dec 3, 2014

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Foraging for Mushrooms with Mari. An introduction to ‘Everyman’s Rights’ and the art of finding wild mushrooms.

Welcome to the Explore Finland Radio Show

Dec 3, 2014

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Hi, I’m Mark Wiltshear. Welcome to the Explore Finland Radio Show, where I introduce myself and talk to you about why I decided to record this show and what you can expect to hear on future episodes.

Magic mushrooms

Oct 2, 2014

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Well, maybe not ‘magic’ mushrooms, but the way these sprang up almost overnight was quite something to see. There’s a small trail through the woods near our house, a loop of about 400 metres – perfect for early morning walks with Boris. One morning in late-August, we entered the woods and I was struck by the…

Welcome to Hell

Oct 2, 2014

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Located just south of Etelä-Pohjanmaa, Helvetinjärvi couldn’t be named less appropriately. It’s name translates as Hell’s Lake and comes from an old story containing a warlock, an argument and cursed fish supplies, naturally! We came to visit on a Saturday in late-September and brought the kids’ cousin Siiri along for a walk through the woods to the…

Picking Lingonberries

Sep 29, 2014

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