Category: Finland

Ten Amazing Facts about Northern Lights in Finland

Whether people have travelled to Finland in order to experience Aurora Borealis or have seen them in photos or videos, Northern lights – as they’re also referred to as – are spellbinding for almost everyone. Here are ten interesting things you might not know about the amazing auroras, writtenRead more

Gone Fishing in Finland

Blue Abaya has been MIA while enjoying a nice relaxing break midst the Finnish summer. Every year we visit my home country Finland, where my family speeds most of the time at a so called ‘summerhouse’, typical for Finns to retreat to during the very short-lived Finnish summer. NormallyRead more

Never Forget Who You Are

My dearest daughter and son, While you’re both fast asleep in your beds napping, I’m thinking about the two of you, here in a hospital bed waiting for spinal surgery. All kinds of thoughts are running through my head. You both are always my first concern and I can’t help thinkingRead more

The Saudi-Finnish Temperature Extremes Chart

It was a sweltering + 44C  last day of May in Riyadh Saudi-Arabia today. Meanwhile back in my home country Finland, they’re experiencing temperatures around+ 10C, which is actually quite normal for this time of year even though it might sound freezing cold to Saudis. Despite it being only 10Read more

10 Amazingly Cool Things from Lapland

This winter we were lucky to be able to spend quality time with family vacationing in Northern Finland. We flew all the way up to the Arctic Circle! It’s holiday season so we went to Lapland to enjoy the christmas holiday break in a winter wonderland white scenery. Lapland is truly aRead more

Blue Abaya- A Finnish Expat Blogging in Saudi Arabia

The following article takes a look at and analyzes a group of well-known blogs written by foreign wives of Saudis, the three popular expat blogs about life in Saudi Arabia; two American bloggers American Bedu, Susie of Arabia and one blogger hailing from Finland; the Blue Abaya blog. The articleRead more

Memories Of Summer- 50 Images From Finland

My beautiful home country Finland. I often dream of those cool and breezy summer evenings in Finland. Sitting on the porch listening to seagulls and watching the water and skies turn pink, I am in no hurry to go anywhere. The air is fresh and there is no breeze, the sea is calm. I will go for aRead more

Finnish Cinnamon Rolls Korvapuustit

Many people have been asking me for the recipe of “pulla” or the delicious Finnish cinnamon rolls I’ve mentioned a few times on the blog.  The word pulla basically refers to any kind of sweet pastry made from this particular dough which makes the most moist and delicious cinnamonRead more

Saudi Dude’s Guide To Finnish Coffee Drinking Ceremony

So you’re a lucky Saudi dude and you find yourself visiting Finland for the first time. You think Finland is full of polar bears, Angry Birds and drunks. That is only partly true. There’s also lots of reindeer. A Finnish family has invited you to their house for some coffee and you getRead more

10 Things I Miss From Finland

I find myself missing my family, friends and my country a lot lately. It’s been a while since I was last there (well ok 5 months..but still). I make sure to go to Finland every summer because I just love how the nature is so wonderful and the weather is at its best. Last summer I spent almostRead more

The Saudi Son-In-Laws Guide To Surviving The Sauna Test

Sauna..for most people the sauna might sound like a luxury, a special treat or something very exotic. For us Finns the sauna is a part of normal everyday life. Finns have a saying, Sauna is the cure for all illnesses”. It’s a necessity, not a luxury. For the five million inhabitants ofRead more

Ten Amazing Things from Finland

Here are 10 amazing innovations, inventions and inspiration that you may not know come from Finland, Europe’s 6th largest country with a population of just 5.4 million. For more awesome facts about Finland, check out this post! 1. Sauna All Finns love sauna! We have over 2 million saunasRead more