Glass in Finland

My trip to Finland in February was amazing. I was lucky to have befriended a native who knew all the "places to be" for glass there. Even though Sweden and Finland are right next to each other it was quite a journey. We decided to take a boat cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki, which is an economical and popular way to travel between the two countries. All and all it took us a taxi, train, bus, train, and finally a boat to get to Helsinki. I think the travel time ended up being 28 hours. I would say that at least we got to sleep on the boat, but you don't do much sleeping on the Silja or Viking Line. The boat trip is a time for party. It was worth it.
And the traveling did not end there. Our guide wanted us to see the Ittala factory and museum, the Nuutajarven factory and museum, and a handful of glass museums and schools. This meant that we traveled pretty far north working on seeing all the sites as we made our way back to Helsinki.
I want to discuss the differences and similarities between glassworking styles in Finland and Sweden, but I am still figuring that out. Until then I will show what I saw and maybe that will get my mind working.

Factory floor in Nuutajarvn.

Factory floor in Iitala.

My tour guide and friend, Anniina Tenno. Big thanks to Anniina!