Finnish Strong*

The last leg of Spring Break 2018 was in Helsinki, Finland. There’s no way around it- it was cold there. I feel asleep on the plane when we left Denmark and when I woke up we were getting ready to land and the entire world was covered in snow. The Finnish people were very self-aware about it. One woman told me that if they "are very lucky, [they] get spring in May.” I did not tell her that she could move almost anywhere else in the world, though that was my only thought and that has been my solution to this problem in the past.**

Due to extreme conditions, I spent as much time indoors at museums as possible. There were a few exceptions, however. I took a ferry to Suomenlinna, a fort from the 1700s that is stretched across several different islands. The ferry ride was the coolest*** part. The ferry went through not-quite-frozen-over ocean to get there. The water had huge chunks of ice that the boat plowed on through with all kinds of crunching sounds. It was about a 20-minute ride and all but 5 minutes was through icebergs.

Once I got to Suomenlinna, I walked the islands and the fort. I know I’ve said this before but I’ve got to quit going to forts.**** Guide books keep on talking them up so I keep going but really, truly, unless they promise me an incredible view or are somehow radically different from every other fort in this world, I simply can not go anymore. This particular fort had all of your fort things: walls, cannons, courtyards. I can acknowledge that on that one beautiful summer day in Finland, it is a lovely place for a family to picnic. On this day, however, it was very . . . gray. 

The guidebook highlight of the fort was the great gate. Every sign on every island pointed you to it and it was the farthest point to walk to. It looked like this:

I felt like this:

I felt like some variation of that most of the time, to be honest.

Back on the mainland, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there were more sights to behold. Churches, squares, and another church that I got to see in real time and in picture form.

I tried to spend an evening with the symphony but it was sold out.***** I did get to spend an evening at the opera, however!****** I also paid my respects to Jean Sibelius, everyone’s favorite great Finnish composer.******* You know you’ve hit it big when you have your own park and monument.

As already mentioned, the majority of the time was in museums looking at art and piecing together Finnish history. My favorite things included the Finnish Design museum where I matched and learned that the Finns designed everything worth having in this world. It was basically a design hall of fame and while many things were mentioned, the fact that the perfect scissor was designed by a Finn really put me on notice. 

And a special shout out to the Helsinki Art Museum that had a big Guerrilla Girls display******** and walked the walk with multiple solo galleries devoted to female artists. They also had a display in the women’s bathroom saying “you don’t know how beautiful you are”********* and I desperately hope they had the same thing in the men’s room.

When it started snowing, I knew it was time to get back to some Atlanta heat. Thank you, Nordic Spring Break! I hope you do get some springtime in May!!

-KT 

*This will also be the title of my as-yet-to-be-written romance novel in which a modern American woman, Mary Anne Sorenson, time travels to the 10th century and falls in love with a Viking, Erik Svenson. She is torn between staying with him and enduring a lifetime of seasickness or returning to her rightful time period where she lives in a house on land with plumbing. In the penultimate scene, her best friend from modern times, Judy Greer, time travels back with an entire package of motion sickness bracelets. While there, Judy falls in love with the aforementioned Viking’s brother, Allen Svenson. They celebrate in a dual wedding and sail off into the bitterly cold Nordic sunset together.**********

**Love you, Boston!

***LITERALLY

****World’s Worst: http://teachersummer.blogspot.dk/2017/07/saint-pierre-and-more.html World’s Most: http://teachersummer.blogspot.dk/2015/06/fort-your-consideration.html

*****Good on you, Finland!

******I promise there were other people there but I took the picture before they arrived.

*******Possibly our only great Finnish composer? For grins, I did look up other Finnish composers and I found you this guy:

********Thought of you, LaQ!

*********But not in that One Direction kind of way.

**********In the sequel, “Swede Surrender,” the Svensons have settled in 10th-century Stockholm following a boating accident that left Erik unable to sail (though still a remarkably wonderful lover). Now forced to support their families, Mary Anne and Judy begin to sell their nausea bracelets, which they have since learned how to make using locally-sourced wood. Their business becomes so successful that, within a few years, both families are able to live comfortably. Eventually, Judy discovers this same wood can also be used to create fiscally-responsible, clean, modern furniture. Over the next millennium, generations of Svensons develop what we now know as Ikea.

Denmark Times!

Whooooo, Spring Break!! The first instinct was to head for the nearest beach but heading to Denmark and points Scandinavian has been excellent. Sure, it’s a little colder than PCB but it evens out by not having to see all those air-brushed T-shirts.

I started in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Easter Sunday. Being there on Easter meant that a lot of stores and restaurants were closed but the sites were all open and the city was hopping with visitors from around the country as well as those of us from outside.

Since every European city tour includes an obligatory square and town hall, that’s where I started. The Danes appear to love a non-conventional statue so I was sure to include that in the shot. 

From there I wandered the main shopping street to the canals. As a cheesy tourist, I jumped aboard a canal tour with my people. We saw brightly colored row houses lining some of the smaller canals, the opera house, and the famed Little Mermaid statue. I’d heard the Little Mermaid statue was a bit out of the way for not a lot of pay off. I felt satisfied seeing it from behind, thronged with visitors paying their respect to Hans Christian Anderson and/or Ariel.* 

Back on the streets, I enjoyed a street art installation. It also serves as an illustration that I needed zero Danish to get around Denmark.** 

Ready for some architecture, I saw the “Marble” church. It was originally planned to be covered in marble but a delay in its construction changed their plans. It kept the nickname, however. The main feature is the dome covered in carvings and frescos.

I then toured Amalienborg Palace where the royal family still lives today. One section of the palace is a museum with different rooms decorated in the style of the different rulers of the time. My favorite rooms were those decorated with the king and queen’s own pictures of their family, but the more ornate ones showed off the country a bit more.*** Maybe I’ve watched too much “The Crown” lately, but this group of monarchs seemed pretty down to earth.

I ended the day walking past Rosenborg Castle from the 17th-century on the way to the Round Tower. The Round Tower intrigued me for it’s claim to an excellent view but my first thought was “how many steps, Copenhagen?”**** When I read it was a ramp, I was all in! They also have an art museum and were featuring photographs of Kampala Street Fashion. It was way fun!

I traveled the next day***** to the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing country within Denmark.****** There are many different islands connected by roads, tunnels, and ferries, depending on their distance. As my driver from the airport told me, it was first settled by Vikings who got too seasick to go any further. Who cares if that’s true or not, it’s awesome-sounding. There are about 50,000 people on the island and over 70,000 sheep. They claim that fishing is the biggest industry but from my own research, I’m betting rustic sweater sets are a close second.

I had about a day less to sight-see than I was expecting so I only had time for a self-guided city tour******* of Torshavn, the capital. There was the port, an area of traditional red homes with actual grass-growing roofs that now house the country’s government buildings, and a fort.******** At this fort I had the extreme pleasure of being the actual only person there. From the footprints, I know it was only me and the birds taking in the sights. That was a fort first! 

Since it’s still Europe, I did pop into the obligatory church. Speaking of firsts, this was my first church with a boat model hanging from the ceiling. These people know who they’re praying to, that’s for sure. 

For future Faroe Island travelers, the thing to do is hike the countryside. I had hoped to do some extensive walking********* but had no time. My scenery shots are all from the car or the plane and I would definitely go back for more! It looks a lot like Iceland- rocky terrain with no trees and very little growth. They had gotten snow the day before and in the higher mountains there is still quite a lot.

I guess I'll have to go back to see more of the islands! Until next time, Faroes!
-KT

*She don’t got a lot to say, but there’s something about her . . .

**This varies from the number of danishes needed to get around Denmark.

***Mom, don’t you need this rug?

****This ain’t my first rodeohagen.

*****And in a previous blog.

******Fun Fact! This is also true of Greenland. Who knew‽‽ 

*******Fantastic tour guide! Not terribly knowledgeable but willing to make up a story to fit any situation. Doesn’t call for a lot of small talk and always walks the right pace!

********Required by maritime and travel law.

*********I detest the "h" word.