FINLAND - MISCELLANEOUS - THE END

I conclude my photo report by showing miscellaneous photos. I hope that these, together with the previous ones, have given you an idea about what I saw, what I enjoyed during my week stay in that beautiful country that Finland is.

FINLAND - 1ST PART - HELSINKI

    I visited Finland for the first time. Fresh smells, a cold and consistent breeze, dark-blue evenings and quiet streets. I worked hard, nevertheless I had time to enjoy the beauty of Helsinki, a capital city whose urban cosmopolitan lifestyle exists in perfect harmony with nature.

There are flowers everywhere. The parks are so beautiful!

One of the marinas

One can find many different sculptures, here and there.

FINLAND - 2ND PART

 

Finland's greatest treasure, not squandered, is Finland itself, intact. Flora and fauna, those old favourites, are still there, along with forests, fells, dales, ridges, rivers, rapids, lakes, etc. I was particularly attracted by the stunning landscape outside Helsinki.

The lilly-of-of the valley, one of the Finnish symbols

The birch was one of the first tree species to appear after the last Ice Age

Many Finnish people have a cottage and their private beach

At the Kettuma Folk Park

The house, formerly a school, is now a Crafts Museum

FINLAND 3RD PART -PEACE OFMIND

 

Peace of Mind

One of the most interesting experiences while in Finland, was an afternoon trekking in the glorious Valkeala Natural Park overlooking Lake Rapovesi. Going over a suspension bridge, 50 meters long, by foot was a unique experience. It is about 30 meters over the water surface and on its east side, there was place to make fire and rest, with all the necessities. For my first time, I had coffee served from wood-made cups!

Tourist flocks of Russians are noticeable everywhere in Finland.

FINLAND 4TH PART: A UNIQUE MUSEUM

Visiting the idyllic mill village of Verla, surrounded by lakes and forests, is like stepping straight back into the past. It gives a true picture of the early history of the Finnish forest industry. The old groundwood and board mills have been preserved exactly as they were the day they stopped turning in July 1964.

The Verla Mill Museum is a unique and genuine entity. Yet it differs from other museums, where the items on display have been brought from elsewhere and isolated from their original environment. At Verla the opposite applies: traditions are honoured and nothing has been removed. All the main machines and equipment are still there, and more or less in running order. For visitors to see, admire and even touch. Only the operators, the workers, are physically missing, yet even so they are present in many ways.

The owner of the Verla Mill, Kymmene Company (forerunner of the UPM-Kymmene Corporation) founded the Mill Museum in 1972. In 1996 Verla was approved for addition to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.

FINLAND 5 TH PART : ARCHITECTURE AND FOOD

 

When I was much younger, whenever I had a chance to visit a foreign country, I tried to visit as many museums as possible, as many monuments as the length of my stay would allow me. These days, all has changed. I enjoy to play golf on a different course layout, to go shopping, watch people, go to a local supermarket, see the frontsides of building structures, have a gourmet meal, wonder around the city and... take photos When I get older and if my grey cells do not work properly, I hope the photos will fill the gap and enable me to recall many of my trips.