Part 2 of the Vepsä Trip and more matchmaking attempts…

As promised yesterday here is the rest of the tale on the Vepsä trip. After talking to the really nice couple for a long time we went for a coffee. As we were pretty hungry we hurried down to the restaurant. I already wrote about the food it really was not at all inviting. So we stuck to the coffee and kinda Dutch as we are apart from all that wild Finnish blood running through our veins we dug up our own energy cookies with cranberries. My mother has very well adopted the Dutch way of bringing your own food and feeling no shame to eat it with your just bought coffee. All people who had been there before had brought their own munchies. We had taken pulla Kranssi, water and a banana.

Swimming and hiking up steep hills makes you pretty hungry! It was another hour until the boat was to leave so we sat down on the swimming beach that is extremely safe for children as you had to walk at least 200 m before the water would reach any further then your knees.

 

But I could not resist the water. The water here is so much warmer than in Mepala. There is no busy Ferry route passing this island so the water is not stirred up that much. It was hot and sunny with very smooth water that for once actually felt warm.

 

Then it was time to go to the boat. Now we wanted to try and go for the better seats so we could see the landscape a lot better. Soon the whole landing place was filled with lots of people.

Again we met the cool couple; she was showing us her sunglasses that were not like any I had ever seen before. The inside of the glasses contained a little build in side mirror so you could see everything behind you. Talking about having eyes in the back of the head! Pretty amazing, on the boat we sat down with them for some more talking and they kept telling us how we should take a little cruise to one of the small islands were they serve you traditional and mostly fresh fish prepared in many different ways outside on the pier. After the dinner there is life music and you can dance outside under the stars on the landing place. How tempting! Let's for a moment pretend I can dance. But as my mother was saying and who are we going to dance with each other? Hm yes it might be a thing that couples or groups of friends do together I don't know. The idée just seemed so wonderful, dancing by the sea on a warm summer night, the sound of the waves, a nice Finnish tango… Maybe another time, it was rather expensive and then it might be nicer if you have a dance partner too, one whose date isn't giving you the evil eye. I do suffer from romantic tendencies occasionally.

When the boat got back in the harbor the riverside was filled up with hundreds of Harley Davidson motorbikes and some other ones too. Never ever have I seen so many at once! In summertime motorbike enthusiasts come together to show their motorbike and admire all the cool and wild models that people have. There were all colors and different designs many looked like one of a kind.



We walked with our bicycles in our hand (my bicycle is very cool too) and had a good look at all the shiny bikes wow. Even my mother had to admit that the bike riders did not look as scary as she had thought initially and surely not all of them were Hells Angels. Only some… It was interesting to see how like it is with dog owners the bike fitted the owner.

 

Today we had to go into town to pay some bills for my grandmother and to stock up on some food besides the ice cream we stocked up on yesterday. It is Licorice ice cream that is sold here in large quantities. Finnish people are licorice crazy. Even in The Netherlands we cannot get licorice ice cream in the supermarket. Too bad it taste pretty funky. We got some vanilla too because licorice and berries don't match.

 

After we got back my grandmother was just finishing her lunch but had some of the warm just grilled chicken we brought her. That is her favorite I think so we finally had a fuss less dinner. Then it was time for an after dinner coffee and to set of to Ruissalo. There was just enough time to bike down there for the 5pm sauna. We made it. One of our friends was there too and she is just a sauna and swim freak like us so she joined us. It was a very busy sauna hour but the atmosphere is usually very nice and relaxed.

We went for a swim first. That might have been a mistake the water was absolutely freezing. We were of course spoiled the day before. The wind was getting stronger and there were even some relatively big waves (for that place). Then it feels better than ever to get into a hot sauna to warm up again. Some ladies were throwing so much water on the hot rocks that you had to cover your face with your hands. After a while it got unbearable and we went for another swim. This time it felt so much better you would think the shock to your body is bigger because of the temperature difference but it felt much better! Later when we sat down with coffee in the sun and we were chatting to everybody suddenly the lady who is our friend said she had some pictures to show me. She was giggling a little bit. She and her husband were laughing a little bit. Of she went and got her wallet, eeeh he looked kinda young. Her son is 24 but the pictures were from when he was 17, he looked very sweet and nice. I am sure he has no idea that his mother is showing his picture to girls. Well let's say I am a little bit older than that, you can't always tell but my passport unfortunately doesn't lie. She said it didn't matter at all. Hmmm well the other way round it happens all the time I have nothing against it I mean it depends on the person.

It is good to know that there is no need to be afraid that no one is interested. It is my own desire of freedom and unusual activities that usually spoils things in the romantic department. I sat there with a red face and before they left she said she would bring another more recent picture next time. It was time for us to go too, It takes an hour to cycle back ,the evening was beautiful but Mommo get's up at 6am….

One of the grill and cook sites on the Island

An adventure trip to Vepsä

We had never made a trip to one of the islands that are owned by Turku Town. Finally today we set out for a little adventure. Vepsä is an old smugglers island about one hour from Turku harbor. The boat was leaving at 11am and there was a big queue of summer holiday people eagerly waiting to get aboard the middle sized red and white boat called Lilys. We were 30minutes early but where lucky to get on board. I know it might get boring to tell you yet again that it was a blue sky, warm sunny day but it was. We were sitting on the top deck watching all the beautiful boats and the antique sailing ships that have there home at Turku harbor. The Suomen Joutsen is one of them. It is a beautiful white ship that does it's name justice: Finnish Swan/The Swan of Finland. It is an old wooden sailing ship with 3 masts that was build in France in 1902. Later in 1930 it became a Finnish Navy trainingship and now rests in Turku harbor as an museum ship. It is a beautiful ship as you can see on the pictures. What is interesting that there is also a Finnish sailing yacht shipyard that produces sailing ships under the name Swan. The yard is no longer in Finnish hands as it was bought by an Italian company. But it is a famous name in the world of exclusive sailing yachts. Maybe it has something to do with the white of the swan and the blue of the water that matches the Finnish Flag,
or maybe people just love swans because of their beauty and grace. The Suomen Joutsen is a both as you can see on the pictures.

Then we went passed Turun Linna (Turku Castle) and the parts of the harbor where Viking line and Silje line leave before we sailed past Ruissalo on the right and Hirvensalo on the left. It is incredibly beautiful from the water you have an excellent vieuw on all the Pippie Longstock style old wooden villa's. With their romantic woodwork, veranda's and some even with watchtowers. How fantastic is that! Imagine yourself having breakfast there in the morning looking over the water, or watching the stars with a glass of wine at a warm summer night.. well when I win the lottery you know where to find me. It is either training in Tian Tan or somewhere in the beautiful mountains of China or there in Ruissalo, painting by the sea.
Enough daydreaming, even if you are a bit less loaded you can have an amazing time here.

Turku council has a more socialist streak then I have ever seen. I did mention before that they are nice enough to plant flowers for its citizens and also peas which you can pick for free. Apart from that the city ownes 3 Islands (big ones) were you can rent a cute red wooden cabin for a fraction of the normal price




or camp with your tent for next to nothing. Then I mean camping in a place next to the water with smooth soft warm rocks, clear water, almost as if you are alone in nature. There is a sauna you can rent, and grill places with ready cut wood to use. The trip with the boat only costs 10e for a return I so that is pretty cool. How nice is that? You don't need a shower place because from your bed you jump in the sea for a dip. At night you can make a camp fire and grill your own caught fish that surely had a great life in clean water. Oke there are no disco's there is no bar and the restaurant served mashed potatoes with sausage saus (?) and limp salad but who cares bring your own food and you have a great time. For all you people who are packing their bags already there is one catch you must be a Turku citizen. But isn't that a cool thing of a city to do for its inhabitants? Finland isn't a socialist country but you would almost think so. And the cabins are no cheap nasty looking things, the sauna was brand new and looked a million bucks and the cabins are very cute as you can see. The Island is not very big you can walk around it in 1.5hours and that is what we did. There is a lookout point where the smugglers used to hide and there are big smooth rocks that warm up in the sun and are wonderful for sunbathing and warming up after swimming. There were 400 people on the boat but it didn't look like that on the island. Everybody found his or her own place and you can sit all by yourself if you want to.

 

I forgot to mention that the island is open to all visitors that come just for a daytrip. We met a really nice couple when sitting on the rocks. I tried to go for a swim but where we sat, there were rocks in the water



covered in green seaweed. They yelled out to us to come and swim from their rock and soon we were talking and swimming together. They were very nice and enthusiastic to talk to and told us all about the must sees of Turku. She was from Helsinki and he from Karalia but they have lived here many years and seem to know everything. From where to spot nice well trained young men (for me), to the best fish restaurant, which cycle paths go to nice places anything and everything. Apparently nice looking men you should look for in the swimming pool…. Of course if you are an professional swimmer you look pretty sharp… I could have thought of that myself. Too bad I like to swim in the sea much more and don't intend to go to a swimming pool anytime soon. Not that I was on the look out but I guess they figured that me being there with my mum must be a sign that I apparently hadn't gone to the right places yet..I like to think they are not right.

Part two will follow tomorrow

 

Love at First sight!

 

We have passed these happy smiling sheep a few times and I have introduced them to you but today we could not resist getting of our bikes and pet them a little bit. Finnish sheep are famous for their soft wool so it was tempting to stroke them. The sheep weren't' afraid at all, they loved being cuddled. You can see how they look as if almost in total ecstasy. Especially one of the brown ones seemed to have a crush on my mother straight away. He or she was tilting its head and would not go away anymore. We decided that when we ever have a chance to get a house in Finland a sheep should definitely be included in the garden!

I picked some flowers for Mommo today, there is a specific flower that grows here, it's called Ruis Kaununkki I hope it is spelled correctly, in English that would be Rye Beauty it is a flower that grows in grain fields. Turku council has planted some flowers for people to pick so I thought maybe for once my grandmother will let some outside flowers inside.


Normally she doesn't want that because of the bugs. I must admit she is right, small troops of tiny animals are parading from the vase to the window; I spent all evening catching them. She hasn't seen them yet…otherwise all hell will break out.

 

Today we had a bit off a struggle. Sometimes it is so hard to be patient and understanding. When you are old and can't move around and your body aches everywhere live is not fun anymore. But we are really trying to take good care of her and make sure she eats well and drinks enough. It is a fight every day. Somehow she doesn't think it is so necessary to eat apart from some bread and ofcourse cookies. It is like the behavior of a little toddler, I don't want this, I don't like that, and it looks yukkie, why do I have to eat again? First the trick of a big plate with everything in the middle worked (then it doesn't look like that much) but she is on to us now. We try to explain that it is most vital to drink enough especially during summer when it is warm. When we get back from swimming and blueberry picking she is always a bit mad at us because we stayed away to long according to her opinion. This evening it finally went a bit better. Hopefully that will be the same tomorrow. Then we will try to think of another meal that will encourage her to eat.

 

The sky is looking amazing tonight, these pictures are taken at different hours , very typical Finnish skies!

 

Killer geese, wolves and a poor moose

Today it was another Sauna-Swimming day; the summer is incredibly good here it has just rained a little bit nothing compared to the showers we get in the Netherlands. My mother is just telling me that it was 29,2c yesterday! Wow incredible and everybody in the Netherlands is convinced it is freezing cold here during summer (winter is a totally different story).
Today we read something in the newspaper that you would not expect near a reasonably big city for Finnish standards. In the morning some people who live at a farm not far from Turku found a half eaten moose in front of their house. It had been killed by wolves that very night. It had been chased by wolves during the night and apparently was so frightened that even the protection of a farmhouse looked like a good idea. Well the wolves didn’t care and went for the poor animal anyway.
My grandmother was deeply shocked and thinks they should shoot them all. She is still from a time when it was dangerous to go through the woods because there were many wolves. I tried to ask when the last fatal incident with a wolf was but she could not remember. Well wolves gotta eat too, they cannot be vegetarians. But I can imagine that it is shocking to find such a large animal on your doorstep, we are already horrified when the cat leaves a dead bird as a little token of its affection and hunting skills! Having wolves in the garden isn’t the most comforting thought too. Imagine if your house is very old fashioned or like a holiday cabin and the toilet is outside….



A fine example of an outside toilet



Well my grandmother lives in a flat so unless the wolves learn how to climb or walk stairs she should be fine. Of course there are always the two legged wolves to worry about.
Today when we were on our way home again we spotted the airplane from a few days before. It was taking off from the water. I love flying and planes hmmm imagine how beautiful it must look from up there! I have a picture from the plane for you and also of me cycling and being almost attacked by the Canadian geese that found their way to the shores and have no intention to leave; as they are protected they have turned into a plague that is hard to stop. At the moment they have baby geese and are very alert and protective. They like to stand on the cycling patch and hiss at you when you pass and there is no doubt in my mind that they will attack when you come to close to their young.



I am sure many Finnish people fantasize of putting a fat goose on the grill for a change instead of the traditional sausages.

27c and bright blue skies yet again

Today i climbed into this watchtower that is on the way to Mepala. The vieuw is great looking all over Ruissalo and the sea, this is how Finland looks like.










Mama picking blueberries



Even the sheep seem to be smiling contently!























the Pinetrees have this most amazing bark and in the evening sunlight it becomes even more red brown i love the contrast with the blue sky!

Finnish customs and delicacies

I can only say that today was as good as yesterday. We cooked a big lunch, with pasta and lot’s of vegetables and a nice Finnish style salad with lot’s of dille. Mommo even approved of it as she totally cleaned her plate without any complaints. And that is rather unusual. Then it was time for dessert….yesterday night I made pancakes so we had them with homemade raspberry jam, lots of blueberries, ice cream, whipped cream and a few raspberries to decorate it all. It was very very very delicious, it is that we ride our bikes so much and swim everyday that we can indulge ourselves like this. I mean it was kind of healthy even.
After that we set off to Ruissalo again. Mama tried to pick some more blueberries but the summer has been to dry it was hard to find more then we already did. I did some sketching on the beach and went swimming and to the sauna. There are not many things that you can keep on doing but swimming and sauna never gets boring. I tried to talk to the other ladies in the sauna, my Finnish isn’t that good but I try to improve and there is only one way to do so. They were very understanding and I had a great time. Sauna is a very social thing, and is quite different here then in the Netherlands. When I told the ladies that in the Netherlands a mixed sauna is most normal, they were shocked and slightly horrified. I must admit that I have never been to a Dutch sauna but some friends of mine have. It strikes me as very odd. Here men and women take turns if it is a sauna that belongs to a club or organization, or there are 2 sauna’s. Of course at home it is different but at more public places it is not mixed. I am pretty shy but when I got over it, it is the most normal thing, nobody is staring at you and it is most natural. Besides that there is always someone fatter then you so you don’t need to be embarrassed if your body isn’t as streamlined as it could be. Nobody cares or is bothered about it. A very healthy attitude I think.
I went swimming for a long time until it got very cold. Besides sauna,swimming and grilling sausages Finnish people have another addiction and that is drinking coffee, usually with some Pulla (coffee bun) .
At 5pm mama finally managed to walk away from the forest that seems to have some magic spell on her. It was sauna ladies hour again, what a luxury going to the sauna 2 on one day! I miss that a lot in Holland. It just isn’t the same, here you put your swimsuit (I have to disappoint some people yes we do wear a swimsuit) on as quick as possible and run to the sea, scream loudly when you almost have a heart attack when you jump in and then swim vigorously to warm up again. It is a great sensation first there is still a layer of heat and for a split second the coldness can’t get to you and then it is freezing for a moment and then it becomes just pure bliss. Again a blue sky, small white clouds, a gentle breeze which creates the most subtle waves, sailing boats passing, and the pine trees that almost seem to have a red trunk in a certain light. It is just something you have to experience whatever words I use it doesn’t seem to do it justice. If you are ever in Finland in summer this is the thing to try! Do make sure you do not have a serious heart condition because then going to the sauna might not be the best thing for you. Apart from that people here swear that it is very healthy. They even go in wintertime and make a hole in the ice to swim. I have seen people walk slowly and in a relaxed manner wearing only a swimsuit and socks (to prevent the feet from freezing) while it was -20c. They would swim as if it were summer and then not run back no walk back..after the sauna you would see the same people grilling a sausage. Barbequing is another Finnish passion…and sausage is one of the most popular things to make whatever the temperature is!
Oke time to go to bed now. Sweet dreams to everyone !

This is my most favorite sauna!

Cool Plane

Some people don't need to bike down to Ruissalo, they just take their super cool waterplane. The whole of Finland is like a landing zone with all it's lakes so good idea! Someone told us today that having a little plane is cheaper then keeping a big motorbike. Apparently some sort of airplane tax was abolished so it is even more tempting now to have a small plane. Well it would be an easy choice for me!



Today was a incredible beautiful day, with an intense blue sky, no clouds at all and around 25c just perfect. The water is heating up too, it is now 20c! For a change i spent some time drawing and painting. It has been to long. This evening we finally had pancakes with rasberry jam made from the rasberries we picked. hm it was definetely worthwile all the scratches and the mosquito bites!