Finland

The day after our stop in Germany and tour of Berlin was spent at sea as we traveled toward Helsinki, Finland. The following morning we found ourselves docked there. We had selected a tour for the day that included a chance to see rural areas as well as Helsinki itself. Our first stop was in a charming medieval community called Porvoo, which offered picturesque shops along cobblestone streets. In addition to a photo of Porvoo, here is a shot of my beautiful wife on the walking bridge leading into Porvooo.



Next, we traveled to Savijärvi Farm. This farm originally specialized in dairy cows, but some years ago the Finnish government determined that there were too many dairy farms and encouraged diversification. So, the owner of Savijärvi Farm at that time (a couple family generations ago) sold his cows to someone in Russia in exchange for horses. Breeds of horses from Russia are evidently excellent, including Arabian and other lines. The farm trains horses and riders, offers breeding services, and raises its own horses. The farm is a total family operation. There were several houses on the property which were occupied by grandparents and their various children and families. Part of the family manages the horse breeding operations, others manage events and training, and others manage tourist services. Below is the original family home. After an introduction to the horses, we were treated to a wonderful meal in this home.


Below are a couple photos of horses shown to us. Although I failed to take a picture of them, they also showed us two Shetland ponies. The story was that the grandfather had always been opposed to having ponies, that is until his grandchildren arrived on the scene. He therefore surprised everyone one Christmas by arranging for the two ponies to be brought into the living room as a gift to the grandchildren. They have been at the farm ever since. All of the animals we saw were beautiful. I know Kathie would have loved to go for a ride.



I mentioned a meal in the main house. Below is a shot of the desert included with that meal. Those are locally grown berries, including currants and cranberries, which were dressed with a light, sweet sauce. The other courses had consisted of nettle soup and a stew made with fish. That's right, nettle soup, which we learned is not uncommon in the Baltic region. If you have, like me, experienced pulling nettles as weeds and getting your hands stung, you can't quite imagine eating the things. But the plant is evidently even healthier for you than spinach, and when properly prepared, it has a wonderful taste. Kathie and I both liked the soup.


After the tour of the rural areas, we were treated to a tour of Finland's capital city, Helsinki. One of the most unusual sites there was the Rock Church. As I understood it, the original plan had been to build a more traditional church at the site, but residents in the neighborhood objected to their views being obstructed. So, the architect decided to blast a recess into the rock and set the church down into it with a dome erected overtop as the church's roof. Although we didn't get to hear anything except recorded music inside, the church is supposed to have outstanding acoustics. Below is one picture from outside and another in the sanctuary.



Finally, here is a picture of the Lutheran Cathedral that dominates one side of Senate Square in Helsinki. This square is bordered on its other sides by government buildings and shops.