TUESDAY 14th DAY 11 FINLAND - TURKU
Slept quite well and rose at 7.00am (6.00am in Swedish time). I climbed up on deck, uniquely alone, to a wonderful view of a pale grey dawn, silver sun shining on tiny grey islands covered uniformly with thick fir trees. If the vegetation and the climate had been tropical it could have been the Maldives. The lights of the VIKING LINE ship were still ahead of us, it was as though we’d been towed across, the Gulf of Bosnia.
Just so you can visualise where we are, if we’d sailed east from Stockholm we’d have reached Estonia. If we’d sailed north east, we’d have reached Finland more quickly, the capital, Helsinki in fact, but the focus in Finland of my fellow travellers is Kuopio, the town twinned with their town of Besancon in France, and Kuopio is located almost half way up the map of Finland, hence the decision to reduce driving by taking a longer ferry ride.
As the sun rose, the islands grew slightly larger, rocks rather than sand could be seen fringing their shore with tiny brown cabins dotted here and there, tiny jetties alongside most of them. Then much larger, beautiful, quite ornate wooden houses with verandas, balconies and windows jutting out of roofs, mostly painted yellow or green and trimmed with white.
Apparently the Finns are lovers of the open air life and all city dwellers have access to some place in the country. Most of the scattered houses that we’re passing are seemingly deserted, no boats at the landing stages, as the summer holidays in Finland are in June and July, in August the days are getting cooler. Having said that, it’s been very warm in recent days, 20-24 degrees Centigrade, about 70 degrees Fahrenheit I think.
The ship continued to twist and turn between the islands until huge cranes could be seen rising above the pine trees and suddenly, the docks and castle of Turku appeared. We’d arrived in Finland!
Disembarkation was very quick and suddenly, found ourselves driving past the Youth Hostel. It was too early to be allocated a room but we were allowed to shower and change clothes before we set off sightseeing.
Turku was the original capital of Finland when it was an important part of the Swedish Empire. It’s location on a river near the sea made it a great centre for trading from about the thirteenth century onwards and the city grew bigger and wealthier. There were very many churches, a cathedral and museums to visit.
Between 1808-1809 Sweden and Russia fought a war, won by Russia. Finland was ceded to it and Turku became the capital of an autonomous Finland. However, in 1812 the capital was moved to Helsinki because the Russian Emperor felt that Turku was too aligned to Sweden.
We visited the Cathedral, built alongside the river in a quiet part of the town. It had a most interesting past, detailed in a small museum in an upper part, lovely mediaeval relics from when it was a Roman Catholic Church, unpainted wood carvings and church silver. It’s now the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland.
We found the market square, dominated by the huge Eastern Orthodox church, filled with colourful stalls of flowers, fruit and fish. A few stalls had canvas awnings but most were just small tables, about one to three metres in length per person. The vendors, mostly in their fifties and sixties were selling just a few items each, or perhaps just potatoes or peas sold by the litre in wooden boxes or tin mugs rather than using a weighing device.
The people and the atmosphere here are quite different from Stockholm. Everything moves at a much slower pace, people are shorter and stockier, there are fewer blonde heads around. Clothes are rather like those in small town England rather than city smart. Less English is spoken but in any encounter people are very friendly and helpful.
As in Denmark and Sweden there are lots of bicycles, a special part of the road is set aside for them, far more than for pedestrians. Bicycles also appear frequently on road signs many more than in the UK.
We strolled to a shady spot by the river for a fish picnic, smoked salmon, pickled herring and smoked mackerel. I often miss out at lunchtime since I can’t eat the quantity that the others down, neither can I consume their pints of beer (wine has had to be put aside, too expensive). However, I make up for all that with desserts.
In the afternoon we visited a most interesting exhibition. Turku was almost completely destroyed by fire about one hundred and fifty years ago but a small group of houses remained. These have now been taken over as a museum and fitted out as a small part of the original town.
Dark brown wooden cabins with rooms of different sizes, the living room and bedroom similar size because of a long wooden seat which could be transformed into a bed with a mattress, or a little bed that could be pulled out to make a bed almost twice as long, a few wooden cupboards and chairs of varying degrees of simplicity but otherwise each cabin was different, the general store, the carpenter, the post office. One of the most interesting exhibitions of this kind I’ve ever visited.
Time now to return to the Youth Hostel, most impressive. A six-bedded room for the four of us, brand new pine bunks, a large pine table with benches, and a four seater pine settee. We also had access to a kitchen, a general room, showers and a laundry room. At last, the opportunity to wash a few clothes and dry them outside since we decided to stay for two nights.
In the evening we set off to find the ‘St Tropez’ of the area about ten miles out of town. Some difficulty in getting there as road signs are written in both Finnish and Swedish, aren’t very frequent and none at all for small places.
Eventually arrived in Naaftali, a delightful discovery. Very old wooden houses built around a small port, again verandas and balconies brimming with flowers, an irregular layout of windows in pale yellows, pinks, blues and white, overlooked by a small church. Lots of motor boats, rowing boats and small yachts but, at nine pm, little sign of people.
Luckily found a restaurant open and decided to eat ‘beal’, reindeer steak. Its presentation was very attractive, three little steaks, looking like liver burgers, lying in gravy into which a pale orange sauce had been dripped in a pattern, further elaborated with a scattering of small red berries, (a bit like large red currants), whilst the edge was decorated with small sprouts and little piles of ‘cloud berries’, (like orange raspberries, bitter to taste), and chips. Definitely a feast for the eyes.
The reindeer tasted slightly of liver with the texture of beef, whilst the sauce was very tasty. I’d have preferred baked potato to chips. Too late, we remembered reading that we should avoid eating reindeer as it could be contaminated by fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster just a few years ago, and not that far away as the wind blows! We’ll see.
The dessert was delicious, choux pastry crafted into the shape of a swan with the help of whipped cream, two of them floating on a strawberry sauce decorated with a tiny flower. Almost too good to eat.
We now became very much more aware of ‘reindeer’ road signs, equivalent to our ‘cow crossing’ signs I suppose. We got lost on the way back from Naaftali in row after row of wooden houses, maybe the equivalent of our cheap housing. Luckily, the Youth Hostel was located opposite the Maritime Museum fronted by an old three-masted ship, a good watermark.
WEDNESDAY 15th DAY 12 FINLAND – TURKU cont.
The next morning we set off to visit the castle. Located on the river Aura estuary it’s been guarding the city for seven hundred years. The base was built of huge stones, topped by the granite walls of a fortress. Nothing like our Norman castles. Over the centuries it changed into a palace, and halls were built during the Renaissance but all this beauty was lost when, in 1941, the castle was bombed and left in ruins.
Restoration began after the war, an immense task, we were able to see the newly renovated banqueting hall, obviously used for functions today. The castle also contained a small museum with relics from the Stone Age onwards, including furniture from different periods of Finnish history.
After the visit we sat in a sunny courtyard and enjoyed a drink. The weather is ideal for sightseeing, warm not unbearably hot.
The Great Fire of 1827 destroyed seventy per cent of the town, most of the archives of Finland were destroyed, particularly those from the mediaeval period. Twenty-seven people died, hundreds were wounded and eleven thousand were made homeless.
When the town was rebuilt the streets were constructed along parallel lines so in daylight it was easy to find our way to the main Art Museum. Portraits and landscapes painted at the turn of the century were mostly by Finnish artists. More fascinating was a wonderful exhibition of Scythian tomb discoveries from 1-4 centuries BC found in southern Russia.
Tiny discs and ornaments beautifully sculpted in gold and silver representing people and animals were full of symbols according to the video accompanying it. The artefacts were exquisitely laid out in black show cases, all pinned to ragged shapes of polystyrene painted black and mounted on tiny black legs, very effective. Wish I knew more of the history of the Scythians.
Picnicked in the park before driving out of the town in search of a quiet lakeside spot in which to relax. Yes, Anne-Marie is still doing all the driving. Danielle and Annie both drive and would willingly share some of the daily mileage but Anne-Marie is happy driving her own car.
It took a while to get out of Turku as following the coast we kept ending up in industrial backyards. Difficult to know what was being manufactured. However, we finally reached a green wooded area and crossed over a bridge onto a nearby island.
A large island, we drove for ages through fields and forests before finally gaining sight of the water again, fringed by bullrushes, alongside an area for boats, a few houses in the distance and an unattractive drinks kiosk.
However, in exploring a nearby cluster of houses we found a beautiful old stone church with the prettiest churchyard. Gravestones were formed of rectangular blocks of stone laid down sideways in rows, infront of each there was a bed of flowers, almost universally red or pink begonias, all looking as fresh as the day they had first flowered.
Decided to drive to the next hamlet in search of a drink. But the road petered out, again, at the waterside, just a cluster of red post boxes with small boats bobbing behind them in the breeze. Finland does seem to be an ideal place for getting away from the rest of the world, just need to take provisions with you.
Luckily, on the way back to town we did find a small café near a small ferry. Some difficulty trying to get details of a good place to eat later. Even my fluent English is of little use when speaking to monolingual Finns. Decided to follow the guide book to the Bear Yacht Club, an attractive old wooden building in a wood overlooking the water.
Another delicious meal, thin white salmon steak dressed with dill, some finely shredded carrot and red pepper cooked in white wine, served with boiled potatoes sprinkled with parsley, and salad, very tasty. Oh, forgot the entrée, shredded white cabbage mixed with cumin seeds, unexpectedly good. Dessert, another cloudberry special, ice cream with berries and cream, a taste with a difference I would hasten to repeat.
Later, outside the Yacht Club we watched the Viking Line and Silya Line ships glide past, around a neighbouring island as they headed for Stockholm. The ships seemed HUGE , towering over the islands like dinosaurs out for a walk.
We got lost, again, on the way back to the Youth Club. Not only are the bilingual signs confusing but also because the sign posts often don’t appear until they’re opposite the road your meant to take, by which time it’s too late to turn. It was a relief to finally reach home.
THURSDAY 16th DAY 13 FINLAND – TEMPERE
Breakfasted on coffee and cake, stocked up with provisions at the market before leaving Turku, with difficulty, those confusing signposts again, to head north.
Passed pretty scenery, forests of silver birch trees interspersed with small lakes, just a scattering of red-brown farm houses and houses. Not much sign of life until we reached Tempere. On the map and from guide books it sounded quite an interesting location, built on land between two lakes.
But we had great difficulty finding any sign of the lakes and when we did, we ended up outside the town on a path between some houses leading to them. The water was very brown and uninviting with a breeze blowing over little islands and boats in the distance. A pleasant backdrop for another smoked salmon picnic.
On the way back to the motorway, all free like ours, we found the entertainment area of Tempere, an amusement park, shopping mall, lovely tree-filled garden with modern sculptures in rust and granite outside the Sarah Hilden Museum which we decided to visit.
We came upon Sarah herself, enjoying her eighty-sixth birthday with specially invited guests. The Director of the Museum invited us to join them with a glass of champagne but, we uncharacteristically avoided the birthday cake, a large Christmas pudding shape, marzipan yellow on the outside, inside layers of sponge, cream and the ubiquitous cloudberries. We fled.
Took a quick look around the museum. One striking object, rather like a giant kaleidoscope, gave the impression of hundreds of Penelope Lumleys stretching into infinity. Otherwise, many vividly coloured abstract paintings and a strange piano, painted silver with a ‘body’ stretching across the open top amidst pots of spider plants.
Well, that was Tempere. We continued our drive north through more forests, more lakes, more signs of running reindeer, have yet to see a live one. These main roads are very good to drive on, smooth surface, rarely any hold ups as even though they twist and turn, there’s a cycle lane on the right which makes space for overtaking.
Arrived at the small town of Jyvaskyla, with some relief, it was VERY hot in the car, 24 degrees outside. Lots of buildings have a clock and a thermometer high on their outside walls. We went directly to the Tourist Information Office as usual to locate beds for the night. (Still my great concern.) The Youth Hostel was already full but found places in a Summer Hotel, a hostel usually used by students.
We found it easily in a modern city-like suburb, blocks of buildings neatly laid out amidst the greenery, a small lake in the distance. Each room was for two, two narrow beds, two simple wooden desks, a coffee table and an armchair, not unlike college rooms in Britain. Also a tiny kitchen, two little hot plates, a mini double sink and, alongside, a little bathroom with, first view of something found in most Finnish bathrooms and public WCs, a little shower alongside the toilet for those who prefer to wash themselves rather than use toilet paper.
Tired now, passing the student refectory we noticed what looked like a comfortable, smart restaurant. We decided to eat ‘at home’. A mistake, terrible noise, a television blaring at either end of the room, each on a different channel, music, fruit machines and lots of people talking.
Hearing foreign voices, a woman from a neighbouring table immediately came and attached herself to us. Decided to try and find out from her details of how to hire a chalet in the woods near a lake where we could spend the weekend. We’d seen hundreds of such chalets on our journey but no indication of how to rent one.
There followed about an hour of negotiations between us, her and some unknown chalet owner, she toing and froing, repeating in a loud voice the fact that it was good value at 400 Marks, we repeating that we couldn’t afford more than 280 Marks, she returning to the phone….returning and repeating what good value, thumping on the nearest arm to emphasise her point.
All this in the foreground, while we in the background tucked into spaghetti followed by thick crispy pancakes filled with strawberry jam and ice cream. Delicious. Eventually, she assured us that she’d found a chalet for us at the desired price.
FRIDAY 17th DAY 14 FINLAND - JYVASKYLA
Next morning, with weekend relaxation in mind, we drove ten miles out of town in search of the promised chalet. Eventually, we found a holiday village under construction alongside a pond. There was a chalet available but at double the price we’d been quoted. Not for us.
Change of focus, we drove back into town to locate the architectural creations of Finland’s most world-famous architect ,Alvar Alto, renowned for his use of white brick, marble, light wood and leather in unusual designs which create a great feeling of space.
We were only able to visit the town theatre from the outside but had better views of some of the university buildings, including a huge light wood-roofed lecture theatre, and a couple of refectories.
We looked briefly at the Alto Museum which contained samples of his furniture and glassware designs, slides of the many houses he’d created and sketches of the work in progress when he died about fifteen years ago. There was an accompanying exhibition by a Finnish artist, sculptures made of huge tree roots, old chunks of wood and lead from some scrapyard sprayed with brightly coloured paints and mounted on spacious white walls. Very effective.
We continued the Alto tour by visiting a church outside the town in a lakeside village. It had the now familiar white walls, with an Italianate bell tower and outside archways. Inside, more plain white walls, pine wood seats and a matching wood ceiling, with just a few small paintings on the altar and in the preaching area. Each pew ended with a silver candle stand, whilst candles in groups of three hung from the ceiling. Altogether a very simple design compared to those we’ve seen so far, creating a very calm atmosphere.
Change of Theme – I forgot to mention something seen in the LADIES at the university residence which I’ve never seen elsewhere. It looked rather like an upturned foxglove in white porcelain from knee to chest height, attached to the wall, a handle on each side, way down inside it looked like a toilet, a flush button above it. It floored me completely.
Anne-Marie maintained it was a ‘vomitoire’, a ‘vomitorium’, apparently common in great beer-drinking, hygiene-conscious countries ie. having drunk too much beer you throw up into the vomitorium. Too prove her point Anne-Marie, having scanned the horizon, looked into the GENTS and, sure enough, there were three more of the same!
Our journey north continued with a slight change of vegetation, still many silver birch trees but now mixed with pine trees and almost continuous views of water. According to the guide book this is the ‘Land of a Hundred Lakes’. Keep passing posters of ‘World Motor Racing Championships’ which will soon take place in this area.
Unexpectedly passed some huge fields of dark brown peat. According to the guide book, (proving very useful in the total absence of local contacts for miles), a substantial quantity is produced in this area. Still no sign of a reindeer, though road signs indicate they’re a danger to vehicles.
‘Enfin, la fin du voyage de la France en Finlande!!’
At last, the end of the journey from France to Finland!!
We arrived in the outskirts of Kuopio, our ultimate destination, and immediately find the Youth Hostel, a delight, just what we’d been looking for. The main building was constructed on a promontory into a lake, and alongside it on a wooded slope were a handful of wooden chalets, one of which we were allocated.
inside found four bunks, a table with four stools, a fridge, electric rings for cooking and outside, a veranda with table and benches with view of the lake through the trees. Perfect. We moved in for the weekend.
Despites cooking facilities in our new abode, we decided to eat in the local ‘pub’ and had a surprise, ‘Curry Chicken’ on the menu. Chicken breasts appeared resting on a bed of rice and covered with a salmon pink coloured sauce. Analysis by my accompanying French chefs. Verdict, it was a white sauce to which glace cherries had been added, surprisingly tasty, though I don’t know what any Indian would make of it.
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Next Week – The Queen’s Platignu m Jubilee Festivities – Take a Break.
Following Week – Finally Finland –Part 4
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