There are plenty of things that are very different here in Finland than back at home in the US. Of course, I'm not used to being in cities anywhere, let alone oversease. Still, there are many things that I can't help but notice as being completely different from any place I've ever been in the US.
Some differences are small, like the food being richer and the soda having a stronger flavor or the fact that there are more nuns walking around than back at home. I've also noticed a couple random things such as the toilets here use much less water and the toilet paper in public restrooms tends to be yellow. It's also a hell of a lot cleaner - there is little trash on the side of the street, and when you do see some garbage, it's usually an empty vodka bottle.
The thing that really intrigues me though is the bikes. I find the bikes interesting for several reasons.
Reason 1 - So far it would seem that Finland is much more bike-friendly than any place I've been in the US. In Helsinki the sidewalks were much broader to give the bikes ample room to move around. The bike lanes were not on the street, where the bikers are in more danger, and yet the bike lane is still seperate from where people walk. This part of my interest continues to also include the fact that in Finland it is much, much cheaper to go about on a bike than in a car. This is true in the US as well, because of gas prices, but in the US there is just not enough incentive to switch from a car to bike. In Finland, along with much better accomodation for bikes than in the US, there are also gas taxes and pricey, required yearly check-ups on cars.
Reason 2 - People are able to leave their bikes in designated bike areas without even locking or chaining them up. Walking down the sidewalk you may come across areas where at least a hundred bikes are kept while people are shopping or at work, and not one of them is locked up. It is simply amazing. That would never be possible at home, even in my small town. If you were to leave your bike unattended for ten to fifteen minutes, chances are some kid would have been off with it while you were gone.
The crime rates must be really low here if you can trust the people enough to leave your bike unattended and unsecured in a city square.
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Well, show them what the US is made of and steal one of there bikes, lol, just kidding.
I think there are a lot of coutries that are bike friendly in that respect. The US is in too much of a hurry to enjoy a bike ride to the store.