This is where Matrix comes in. Fully open source and supports federation the way Lemmy does. (Even more effectively, actually.)
bram
joined 2 years ago
I've had a pleasant experience with rail-on-ferry when I traveled to Sicily. It probably wouldn't work for Finland, however, as their train gauge is 1522mm rather than the common 1435mm.
Rail-to-ferry should work, however. Stockholm has very pleasant ferries to Turku and some that take a little longer to Helsinki. Both should help connect Finland.
For Element, Matrix' flagship client, you are correct.
Anyone can build their own clients, however, and apps like FluffyChat & Syphon aim to mimick the look and feel of WhatsApp.