Where the biggest liars in Finland come from
Where do the biggest liars in Finland come from? Simple: Lohja and Porvoo. Why exactly? Ask them how long it takes them to commute to Helsinki. They’ll flat out lie to you every single time… “Oh yeah, it’s only like 20 minutes from Lohja!” or “I can be downtown in less than 30 minutes from Porvoo!”. BULLSHIT!! Maybe it is if you’re driving a Ferrari going 180 at 2am in the summertime
It’s all a big conspiracy that every resident of Lohja and Porvoo are a member of. They all move out there to save money on housing cause they were all told it’s just 20 minutes away from the city. So they move out there, discover it’s like two hours in the car each day, then realize they just make big fools of themselves, then lie and tell people it takes them just 20 minutes to cover up their huge mistake. 
Other liars in Finland: People in who think Tampere is a nicer city than Turku or Helsinki. People in Vantaa who claim it’s a nice place to live. And people like me in Espoo who claim it’s a “city” (it is Finland’s second largest city haven’t you heard?)
…what other liars are there in Finland?
What’s wrong with Tampere? I like it. And I lived in Turku for 10 years.
I have friends in Porvoo. It really does take 30 minutes from the Helsinki city limits to the Porvoo city limits. I have counted. Now from my place in Helsinki to their place in Porvoo, it takes a little longer then 30 minutes.
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
What’s wrong with Tampere?
I’m just trying to pick a fight
Comment by Phil — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:13 pm
I’m just trying to pick a fight
Right. *eyeroll*
How… lame and generic of you.
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
I don’t think we have liars in Finland. Just those with different versions of the truth.
Comment by Andy Campbell — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
All I’m saying is, that Turku is just a much nicer city than Tampere, in every way shape or form.
Comment by Phil — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:20 pm
All I’m saying is, that Turku is just a much nicer city than Tampere, in every way shape or form.
I know a lot of people that agree with you.
I’m still not getting the point of all of this. Trying to stir up shit by quoting some lame stereotypes that everyone understands are a joke anyway? Seriously, Phil, Turku-jokes? What next? You’re going to dazzle us with your wide repertoire of knock knock -humor?
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
heh… you gotta come to Vaasa to get properly serviced in Swedish. (ja se on jättekiva det)
Comment by FinnFreak — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
I’m still not getting the point of all of this.
Forget the whole Turku Tampere thing. The point here is: Residents of Lohja and Porvoo are liars!!
Comment by Phil — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
Forget the whole Turku Tampere thing. The point here is: Residents of Lohja and Porvoo are liars!!
Well, OK then. Good to know.
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
Helsinki is a city. A very LIE!
Comment by european — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:43 pm
Helsinki is an idiot-magnet. (let’s throw some truth in here as well)
Comment by FinnFreak — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
Anzi, You really have a pleasant disposition!!
Comment by Unit — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
Well, it takes 30 minutes from “Porvoo city border” as its now halfway on the highway to the “Helsinki City Border” - it’ll become faster if Helsinki gets to gobble up Sipoo… Then trying to navigate past Ring III - thats another question.
So, with no congested traffic I can get door-door from home to office in some 15 minutes. And thats a short distance. I can get in some 25 minutes to the cottage… and thats a wee bit longer distance. In the summer “getting to town” takes the 15 minutes. “getting from town to highway” ten or twenty depending of the traffic and as the office is on the highway its about 20 minutes. So yeah, it depends on the position of the planets. But do I count the “getting to town” bit?
Comment by Hank W. — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
Anzi, You really have a pleasant disposition!!
Thank you! I think so too.
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Another lier - Any Finn on the phone who tells you in English ‘I will call you back.’ It’s not going to happen.
At leasr in Tampere you can find a bank machine. Good luck finding them in Turku. Also, why is Turku deserted in the summer? The movie ‘RESTLESS’ was the best marketing tool for that city, ever.
Comment by Fred Fry — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
“Helsinki is a city. A very LIE!”
Heck, I agree with european. Deep down Helsinki is ‘Stadi’. Some dubious middle-Finland types (who can’t go to Oulu, because they don’t cope here) move there and think they live in a big time world metropolis and act accordingly.
But for the real helsinkians Helsinki is rough, pocket-warm Stadi.
Comment by Antti rn — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
Fuck you all, Kuopio is far nicer than both Turku and Tampere. Jyvaskylä aint that bad either
Comment by Anonymous — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 3:13 pm
…and then, how about all those Hesburger fast food joints all over Turku..?!? - Not a phreakin’ traditional Ostrobothnian Kotipizza in sight…
Comment by FinnFreak — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 3:24 pm
Hey Anzi, shoot me an e-mail if you get a chance, I’ve been meaning to ask you something: phil@finlandforthought.net
Comment by Phil — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
I live in Porvoo (not in the town, slightly to it’s south). I’ve never heard anyone here claim it takes only 20 minutes to get to Helsinki. If anything, people exaggerate it in the other direction. Perhaps it’s because I’ve always lived here though and most the people I know are “native” Porvoo people, rather than our more recent influx. I think amongst us, we’d prefer to think of Helsinki as being further away than it actually is rather than nearer!!
In any case, it takes me a good hour to reach Helsinki centrum. It takes a good 20 minutes for me to get into the town and out over the bridge.
But yes, I agree. I prefer Turku to Tampere. Really quite nice to sit on one of the boats on the Aura in the summer with a beer. And of course, Turku has her archipelago.
Comment by JG — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
“Hey Anzi, shoot me an e-mail if you get a chance, I’ve been meaning to ask you something: phil@finlandforthought.net”
He’s asking you out!
Comment by m — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 5:47 pm
with all the respect, porvoo folks are not liars and it takes just that ten and some minutes to drive this short distance. please, go find somebody else to pick on. and markus, it takes that same time to drive to that freaking espoonlahti.
Comment by William Shatner — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
He’s asking you out!
Uh-huh.
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 8:28 pm
I live near Lohja and its 10 mins from Helsinki not 20. but then again I drive a real car not a barbie mobile. But now i’m paying thru the ass coz the fuel prices are now insane!! So much for the cheap livin??
–
Dave
Comment by dave — Wed, Jan 2nd, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
Dammit Phil Espoo IS a city!!
Comment by Angry Espooite — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 3:56 am
“Dammit Phil Espoo IS a city!!”
Another Finn in denial…
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
C’mon Phil, Espoo is a city. These days there is even a Lutheran bishop of Espoo, and religious leaders of such high stature do not dwell outside of cities.
Comment by Helsinkian — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
NR 27. Don’t tell the RKP fanatics that as already they have delusions of grandeur in Jakobstad region since they have a Bishop or somesuch.
Comment by Jansons Fisk — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 6:48 pm
NR 27. Don’t tell the RKP fanatics that as already they have delusions of grandeur in Jakobstad region since they have a Bishop or somesuch.
- BorgÃ¥/Porvoo. All Swedish-speaking parishes come under that “bishop district” (stift/hiippakunta - don’t know the English word if there is one).
Huh? They have no bishop. The bishop is in the liars’ hometown
Comment by JG — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
@15 Any Finn on the phone who tells you in English ‘I will call you back.’ It’s not going to happen.
Ah, its these empty phrases you learn in school. Like “How do you do” and “pleased to meet you” and so forth. You know, what the foreign people say instead of meaning what they say… was it “small talk”
Comment by Hank W. — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 8:06 pm
Ha, the way they talk then Jakobstad is Porvoo.. Reading Jakobstadstidning.fi is good for the blood pressure if low
Comment by Jansons Fisk — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
If you want to see some people from Pampas who are prob suffering from a high blood pressure you should read the blog of Peter Albäck who is the sole Centre party member in Kronoby’s council. I think the polite way to describe him would be “opinionated”. I like to go in sometimes when I need a laugh. http://www.bloggen.fi/riksdagskandidater
Comment by JG — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 9:18 pm
In summer it takes me 30 min from Porvoo (south-east) to Helsinki Valimo
but it might get slightly expensive… In winter 50min up to an hour, occassionally more. In Germany same distance between Cologne-Dortmund might be up to 9 hours with a bit of snow and 35 km of traffic jam.
Nobody told me it takes 20 minutes to commute: I just live in nicer surroundings than this grey blocks of flats in Helsinki. If needed, a bit of a city (thus, Helsinki) is not too far away, mainly the airport to escape from this boring country, so why complain
And even the prices for housing are getting higher, you would not get a kaksio for the same price in Helsinki as our house with garden in Porvoo. Porvoo rulez.
Comment by Sunny — Thu, Jan 3rd, 2008 @ 9:57 pm