Winter Visits

Kunnianarvoisan Borgå Folkhögskolanin käytyäni oli kolmattakymmenettä vuotta, etten palannut ja nyt jo toista kertaa puolen vuoden sisällä. Kiitos meneväisten lasten ja hyvän etäisyyden maamme pääkentälle! Viimeksi pop-uppeilimme, nyt nukuimme kauniissa Ida-Mariassa.

One of the most important year of my life was a year in a boarding school of Borgå Folkhögskola almost 25 years ago. A whole new language and culture opened to me and life-long friendships. Now I have had a chance to visit Porvoo twice during the last six months and here are some of the pearls there during winter time! The distance to Helsinki and airport is only half an hour...

Ida-Maria is situated in a wooden house from 18th century by the old town-hall. 

You can bath in the sauna and watch the view over old town or these small friends that visited us in the morning.

Bohemian waxwings

Kahvila Helmea ei voi vain ohittaa. Moni kesältä tuttu oli talviteloilla, mutta Helmessä oli lämmintä, kakut meheviä ja kahvi kuumaa. Hassun pienen suklaatehtaan praliinit sulattivat sydänjään. Lelukauppa Riimikko sai lapsenmielen heräämään. Täältä löytyi pikkusiskolle aina kotiinviemistä.

Café Helmi is wonderful and the waiter Helmer... not to speak about the home-made cakes!

Toy shop Riimikko and the snowy Moomin house. Tove Jansson used spent her summers in the archipelago here. 

Sitten Tammisaareen ja Dragsvikin varuskuntaan! Ensi kerralla sitten sotkuun ja munkeille, nyt vain vilkutuksia ja viimeisiä rutistuksia...

Tick, tack, next stop was Tammisaari,west from Helsinki, a snowy and lovely old town with an army base waiting for the new recruits!

Come home soon, Eddi!

Joululoma on ollut lepoa ja hupaisia retkiä. Muutaman päivän kiireettömyys  sai jo luovuuden heräämään, hassuja ajatuksia putkahtelemaan, unohdettuja unelmia hereille. Kohti kevättä...

Long and lovely Christmas holiday is now near its end and the spring term with new challenges waiting. How well we are after a few days good rest and laziness! Something new pops up now in my mind every day...

Secret Report by 00PELLAS

We were asked about our way of life and we told. How it is here in the archipelago with many jobs. Busy doing and dreaming, looking forward and taking care. 

To get inspiration and to relax we need to get away for few days time to time - when you see the undone around you, it is hard at home. So we often combine the holiday with some industrial espionage and visit others doing the same that we dream of... So here's our report from the latest get-away...

Our first stop was in Halikko at Antiikkiverstas Wilma where we met the Lady of the House herself and got many good advice how to continue our renovation. She had even started a paint-factory of her own! http://www.antiikkiverstas.com/verkkokauppa/index.php 

We love to visit cafés and find good vegetarian restaurants with that little extra something. In Halikko there was this charming lunch café. The buildings had belonged to an old noble family and used for horses and storage. We tasted Isontuvan jäätelö -ice cream made at a local farm of their own milk. http://www.isontuvanjaatelo.fi/

A bit north before Helsinki was the home of the architect group Gesellius-Lindgren-Saarinen who in 1901 had begun to build a castle-like-house in jugend style, Hvitträsk. An amazing place and stories of their family and professional life here in Finland and later in America. http://www.nba.fi/en/museums/hvittrask

Then, first time since a young student back in Porvoo... We had two wonderful days wandering the old town lanes, visited the home of our national poet Runeberg - writer of our national song - and stayed in a lovely pop-up B&B.

Old Porvoo

Our pop-up!

Is it so that when you are odd and open yourself you are lucky to meet others like you? We did! A lot of wonderful, special people on our trip to Porvoo area.

100 years sintce the born of Tove Jansson, Moomin-Mum!

Of course we found the old-time hardware store, Wanhanajan Rautakauppa and bought some traditional nails.

Porvoo River

Recommended restaurants...

Old railway station store with old books, art and a small cafe..

Zum Beispiel

At Runeberg's garden

A little village called Box, Sipoo had a Cafe in a Box.. With a cup from the 60's and a cinnamon bun we sat with the locals and watched cars passing by, commented and heard stories about the villagers. Love place!

Bed&Breakfast - Värdshuset - in Box combined the cosy living with garden therapy... Exciting!

We were guided in the lovely garden by the owner himself who explained his thoughts and the stories behind all the plants; we could understand why the visitors loved to sit on the bench and put their feet in the soft sand while the trees bend over.

Coffee at the Lotta Svärd museum centre by Tuusula Lake - tasted the favourites of the war time...

On our way back home we drove via Tuusula Lake and the artist colony area there.

Home of Pekka Halonen

Many of our golden age painters, writers and composers built their homes in national romantic style there to live near the nature and be inspired. We were especially inspired by the sauna of Ainola..

Jean Sibelius and his family lived in Ainola, named by his wife Aino...

The sauna

We learnt that Sibelius saw music in colours.

Back at home...

with the souveniers and new inpiration!