There is no debate about this. Finland is an expensive country to live in. Goods and services cost more than they do back in Canada.

But.

There is a lot to be said for paying for stuff. This appears to be a country where people knowingly pay, whether it be through high sticker prices for goods, or high taxes off of salaries, because they know that it is worth it. The country appears to possess a magnificent public infrastructure. The roads are immaculate. Cobblestone and pavement, and nary a pothole in sight. I’m pretty sure the winters here are just as harsh as ours, with lots of salt and copious freeze/thaw cycles in the Spring, so they are obviously doing something we are not. Health care? Sure, it’s free. No insurance necessary for the fundamentals, which is like ours, except the standards and services and wait times seem far better.

Education is another case. Compulsory education is free, students start at roughly age 7, and go for nine years. Students are provided with a free hot meal every day. Finland ranks among the top countries in the world for the quality of its educational system. Finnish and Swedish are mandatory (Finland has two official languages), and many students also learn German, French, or Russian. Sure, this system costs money, but I’m pretty sure graduating and being able to speak 5 languages is worth it. Literacy? One in two Finns possess a library card. Helsinki has 20 public libraries, all of which offer free access to the Internet. The National Library of Finland doubles as the University of Finland’s library.

Let’s not forget about public transportation. Sure, you need to pay for a fare. But there are monthly passes. Other cities like Toronto and Fredericton also have public transportation, but it’s slipshod compared to this. There are roughly one thousand people living permanently on the island of Suomenlinna. The solution is to provide a year round ferry to the island that runs every 15 minutes. Bear in mind that Finland’s winter freezes the harbour solid. On top of that, you’ve got trams, the metro, and other ferry services to other areas. Pretty sweet.

I think the gist of this post is that if you want these awesome things, and you don’t want your government to go bankrupt trying to pay for it through other means, you need to accept the fact that you will have a high cost of living. I think it is completely relative, though. If you don’t pay for it with taxes, you’ll end up paying for it in other ways, whether they be financial (health insurance premiums, repairs to your car because a pothole ate it, etc), or social (higher unemployment, long term health problems, poor literacy rates, etc).

I’d do it. In a New York Minute. Or a Finnish one.

On to other things. I spent today hitting a few of the places I missed out on yesterday, and I also took advantage of a brief period of sun to retake some of the photos I took in haste yesterday. It’s cloudy again, but it didn’t rain, which is an improvement. If the forecast is correct, tomorrow will be Fortress day. I’ve decided to pass on the Zoo. I was hoping that there was a reptile or bird or insect section, which is more along the lines of what I’m interested in, but alas, no.

Metal tonight. Noumena is playing at Dante’s Highlight.