a day in Finland

Oh, the weather! You try to make do with what comes your way (as the Danish people will tell you -- it's not the weather that's the problem, it's what clothes you choose to wear for it). You try to shrug it off and find beauty in what's thrown at you, but at the end of the day, it really can make or break your travels. I learned that early on when, newly married, I wanted to show my then husband my beloved Alps. We went to Switzerland for a week. it rained for 5 out of the 6 days we were there. We saw very little of the Alps. 

Since then I've been cautious. I try to meet the weather moment and have a plan B if the weather does not cooperate. Rain in Paris? It can be lovely! A cold spring in Nice? Pack a jacket! And so on. But sometimes it's all just out of your hands and you roll with the dice and your trip can be grand or it may completely fall apart, because of the weather. Take this year -- there is no way I can think of to enjoy a Paris where it is 106F/41C there. You can enjoy your air conditioned hotel and spend time wondering if the country will be investing in more air conditioning units elsewhere any time soon. 99% of apartments in Paris do not have central air. The architecture doesn't easily allow for it. All 4 and 5 star hotels are required to have AC, but 3 star ones are exempt from this, and budget options only provide fans. Open air cafes? Some spray mists on you. And here's the worst part: only half of the metro fleet provides some cooling. The rest? Open windows, which, during a heatwave provides no relief.

Conversely, great weather can absolutely make you fall in love with the world. And really, though it was cool and momentarily wet in Warsaw, overall, we have had great weather on this trip. I am in love with the world, or at least my place in it.

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Breakfast at the hotel. Here's a reason to appreciate this place: there is one very special table in the restaurant. Surrounded by windows, it can accommodate several diners, but it is especially intimate for a couple. Yet they gave it to me at breakfast time. Because it was empty then. It's not often that a solo traveler gets directed to the prime table in a restaurant.

(sunshine pouring in from all sides)

 

 

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I want to go to the Finnish countryside. I love the forests, the lakes -- all of it. (The lakes don't have algae, the forests aren't infested with mosquitoes.) But to get to a National Park (an obvious choice for a walk in the forest) using public transportation isn't easy, because you have to change buses and then carefully time your return. And more importantly, you have to know the park. The trails are numerous and I would have no idea which ones are good. So I did what I normally would avoid at all costs: I booked a trip to the Nuuksio National Park (a close one to Helsinki) with a small group. Just 8 of us, plus our guide who is supposed to be focusing on the environmental aspects of our hike. (It's with Wild Frame Adventures -- surely the name tells you something...) It's billed as requiring moderate stamina, with some ups and downs and a distance of just a handful of miles. I do wonder what "moderate" means, but I think I should qualify, no?

I hurry to the meetup point. We leave promptly at 10 (it's a 45 minute drive to the north of Helsinki).

Let me just tell you the bottom line first, and then I'll take you along for my hike.

The adventure had some of the downsides of hiking with people. Walking in a group, even a small group, in a forest, feels too confined. And you can't lag because our guide was prone to taking twists and turns along new paths, so you could easily get lost if you didn't stick with the rest.  

Another downside: when you live to be 73, and you love nature, you get to be pretty familiar with the basics. Add to it your plant identifying apps, and your bird apps, and there's nothing you can't learn on your own.

I was by far the oldest. Our guide was 25, the rest were sprinkled between 20s and 40s, with one outlier at 55. (Touchingly, a young man in his 20s extended a helping hand occasionally. Either he was unusually attentive to his elders or I looked really old in his eyes. I didn't need any of his help, but still, it was very sweet. I would say that compared to the walks all over Warsaw, the planting of my garden a few weeks back, the nonstop travel we've had -- this hike was small potatoes.  

 

And the upsides (for there were many!)?  The guide, Emma, was charming and she tried hard. I'm not sure I would quite call her a knowledgeable environmentalist, but she was an earnest nature lover and it showed. 

The route she took? Fabulous! Just absolutely wonderful. Stunning. The park fulfilled all my wild side yearnings. 

And the add-ons were also fun. In Finland, parks leave you with logs to use for campfires and an ax with which to chop them. (Can you even imagine an ax being left for your use at our National Parks? I'd be terrified someone would pick it up and come at me with it!) Emma, our guide, brought with us Finnish lunch foods for a campfire, and water bottles filled with water that was lightly touched by berry juice. 

In all, I was extremely happy to have done this. 

So, now for the photos, mostly of the lakes, because they just stood out for me on this gorgeous day!

(water lilies, but no algae)

Emma explains the rules: you can pick berries (blueberries which grow in abundance, and lingonberries which are also numerous, you can pick mushrooms, flowers for yourself, but you cannot touch lichen (a protected plant which reindeer love), you cannot litter, and you must respect the need for silence, because Finnish people apparently like to enjoy nature in serious silence. We didn't see many people at all. Shocking, given that it's a holiday weekend. They must all be in their cabins or in a sauna somewhere.

 

(Emma points out a not so small anthill; indeed, ants were crawling around everywhere in this area)

(lichen: a sign of a healthy forest and very pure air)

(dense berry bushes)

At a place where they bring logs should you need wood for a campfire, Emma asked who would like to split the logs for our fire. Several of the men volunteered. None of the women did. So this 73 year old granny took to the ax. (And then she promptly sent the photo to Ed. And the daughters. She can be a bit of a show-off!

 

 

We hiked with the wood and pieces of birch bark to a beautiful fire pit by the water. Some of us tested the lake while Emma prepared lunch.

What foods? Our guide reminded us that Finnish people like simple foods. We had meat (or veggie for me) buns, grilled, sausages (pork or veggie), and Leipaajusto -- a baked cheese that I actually see at our farmers market; Wisconsin has a sizeable Finnish population. Emma served the cheese with cloudberry jam.

 

 

(a climb to the highest summit in the park -- which isn't very high, but still, it has an impressive view)

 

 

On the walk back to the van, we pass a few cottages. Emma tells the park is young -- just 32 years old (a reminder -- Finland as a country is young. -- just 108 years old). People who had cottages here when the park opened were allowed to keep them.

 

 

And then we're in the van, heading back to Helsinki. Except that this one annoying passenger -- the 73 year old grandmother type, is too enchanted with the lupines blooming everywhere and asks for maybe a quick stop so that she can take just one photo?

 

 

 

Okay, just two photos...

 

 

Once in Helsinki, I hurry a]back to the hotel. I want to greet the arrivals from Estonia! 

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Within a few minutes, the Estonia travelers arrive. It's so good to see them again!

 

 

 

We walk over to the Brasserie Lione. It has a few things going for it -- our hotel recommended it as a not too formal place that's open tonight with well liked food. And it had room for the 6 of us.

 

 

 

Half of our table had Arctic Char, which swims in the colder Scandinavian waters. But we didn't have dessert, thinking maybe we'll pick up some ice cream along the way. 

 

 

That didn't happen. Finnish people are early-to-sleep types. And it is a school night! All the ice cream stands were closed. As we turned back to the hotel, we passed the last of the Harbor fruit stands. They, too, were closing up and heading home. They had just a few pieces of fruit left. The sweet, sweet vendor handed them to me. Enjoy! -- he said. And we did enjoy! All of it -- the evening, the weather, the satisfying foods, and of course, reuniting in Finland now.

 

 

 

(the chocolates are a gift from Estonia) 

 

 

with so much love...