Traveling on ice in the winter can be quite tricky! Boots have spikes that flip out from under them, and it is mandatory by law to change your bike and car tires to "winter" tires, thick tires often with metal spikes, once winter arrives here. Winter speed limits, which are slower and encourage more caution, also are enforced. Riding the buses or trains, which are specially built to handle the snow, is often the safest choice. Finnish people knit and put great value on warm clothing. There is a saying here: "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes!" When there is no sun, Finns take Vitamin D and use sun lamps or coffee to keep awake. In the summer, Finnish people garden, hike, swim and travel to get the most out of the short, warm months.
Finns have many creative ways of adapting to the environment. The most important adaptation they make, to me, is their sustainable treatment of the nature around them. Finland is isolated and until recently was hard to travel across for many months of the year. Relying on your own ingenuity and the nature around you was often the only option. Today, there is still high respect for nature, even in the big cities and tourist areas. The air is very clean, and the water is so clean that you can really drink it from any faucet, anywhere. The eggs and milk do not often cause outbreaks because farming is clean and humane through many laws and regulations. In fact, many Finnish people eat cookie batter or other raw-egg treats without hesitation, because when you take a little extra time to respect the environment, it really pays off!
