Faces of Finland

These are such a beautiful people! Everyone was so kind and friendly. Perhaps the trees all started to look the same after awhile, but I never, ever got tired of watching the people...



I have a baby picture that looks just like this...




We were amused by the Japanese tourists posing with the little Finnish kids















Shane reaquaints with and old friend--she has held on to the book he gave her for 26 years

The Helsinki Temple--



The Helsinki Temple is truly the most beautiful temple I've ever seen. We got a special tour and our guide told us that we could take our time and to touch whatever we wanted. I couldn't keep my hands off the wood and the upholstery. I would've touched the chandelier but I couldn't reach it. It did look just like icicles hanging down from the ceiling. Here is a link to see some shots of the interior of the Helsinki Temple. The most wonderful thing was to see the Finnish people from all walks of life flock to the open house. One Sunday during the open house someone left the gate unlocked and there was an SOS call out to all the missionaries that afternoon to come because the grounds were full of people who couldn't stay away. I loved to watch the faces of those who came to see and wonder what they felt there. It was also quite moving to hear the Finnish saints express how excited they were to invite their friends to attend the open house. Being in Helsinki during the open house was simply a beautiful experience.

Our tour guide Kale and his cousins he hadn't seen for half a century. Though they are not familiar with his religion, they changed their plans to come and meet him at the temple. It was a touching moment for everyone.










The members of our tour group also got our very own tour of the temple

City Streets I


When we first arrived in Finland we took a six-day bus tour up the eastern side to the Arctic Circle and then back down the western side. It was beautiful. As we lost count of the trees and lakes on the way up we also witnessed the changing of the seasons from summer into fall. On the way back down we enjoyed the addition of beautiful farmland to the scenic drive. Each hotel we stayed in was unique and interesting. It is difficult to capture the impact of the experience in word or digital pictures, but I tried...

The home of Jean Sibelius



The castle in Savonlinna




if a man's home is his castle...more castles I guess...



The oldest wood church in Finland




The interior of the hotel in Joensuu (please pass the salt and pepper)
The interior of the hotel in Kuhmo

The exterior of the lakeside hotel in Kuhmo (where I got in touch with my inner Viking princess)







George Jetson's gas station
K "market"--depending on how a large a version of the chain it was, there were more Ks--KK, KKK, KKKK...


The streets of Jyvaskyla


Sometimes you meet the nicest people...Shane, JoAnn, Vic and Anne
The chapel in Kokkola



On the island fortress of Suomenlinna--very much worth the day trip



We hiked all over the above fortress in search of this--the King's Gate--without a clue what we were looking for, but it was a great adventure!

Random shots in Helsinki


The bay by the market in Helsinki

City Streets II


Helsinki is such an amazing city! So colorful and distinct and interesting. I decided the best way to do Helsinki was not to worry about trying to see everything, but to just take the time to savor it--to feel it, hear it, and just watch--wherever I was and whatever I was doing. Several times we just got on the "trolley" and rode whatever loop was in the area and just looked out the window.












The Rock Church was built right into a big chunk of granite
















For our second (and longest) stay in Helsinki, our hotel had the BEST view! We looked out on one of the squares and could see just about anything and anybody. We left the window open constantly so we could watch and listen.

Sunrise, Sunset...


Just how many pictures of a gorgeous sunset are too many? We started to lose track of which lake, which sunrise, which sunset... One morning--the day it froze in Savonlinna--we got up early and waited two hours for sunrise. We almost took our chilled bones inside, but kept telling each other, "It's coming up in the next ten minutes..." until it finally arrived. But it occurred to us that we could've been on any one of the 180,000+lakes in the country looking at the very same sunrise. It didn't matter, it was beautiful all the same.


Off the coast of the island sea fortress Suomenlinna




Shane waiting for the sun to come up









Off the western coast (Gulf of Bothnia--Baltic Sea)
101 things to do with this old boat...
I traveled half a world away just for this very shot...my pudgy little toes in the Gulf of Finland, which is part of the Baltic Sea

Market fresh everyday--

I love the open-air markets! The freshest of fish, flowers and produce. Original fine handicrafts. Furs and hides to warm you from head to toe. Not to mention a people-watcher's paradise. My memories of market include observing a Greek man try to pick up on a Japanese tourist half his age If I buy you everything here will you be my girlfriend?, haggling with the vendors most delightedly, watching a boat pull up in the harbor and sell fish right off the ocean, walking past something I really wanted at least three times before I had the courage to go back and just buy it. Hearing Finnish, English, Japanese and a chorus of other languages along with the sounds of the sea--seagulls, ships and sailboats. Smelling the salt air and the fog mingled with the scent of fresh food and flowers. I wish I could've packed up all the sights, sounds, smells and tastes and bottled them up to bring a little back for all of you.








Can you guess which one is now sitting in my living room?

Of porridge, pulla and Karjalan piirakka--

Pulla--a larger version of this braided is a tradition at Christmas both in Finland and at my house

What I really miss about Finland is the food! Aside from the fact that I went two entire weeks without having to prepare a single meal (unless you count crackers and Edam), I just loved the variety and the fact that it was so fresh. Did I tell you I had true porridge for breakfast for the very first time? It's wonderful seasoned with blueberries and lingonberries. Let me tell you, the Finns actually put the breakfast in "Continental Breakfast." Porridge, the best yogurt EVER--with all kinds of fruit musilix granola, etc. to stir in--cold cuts of ham and turkey, fresh fruit, bacon, imitation scrambled eggs (the only part of the breakfast that wasn't just PERFECT) and the most fabulous breads EVER. (Didn't see a spec of white wonder bread or orange processed cheese.) Two of my favorites are pulla, a sweetroll flavored with cardomom and Karjalan piirakka, a sort of rye flatbread crimped around a potato filling that is topped with egg butter.Karjalan piirakka

Our dining experiences ranged from the mundane (but mildly entertaining) to the sublime The view from Cafe EngelThe food from Cafe Engel

Some of our best food (the kind we could afford) was at a little joint in the underground bus terminal (which also served as the basement for one of the numerous gigantic 6-story shopping centers) called "I heart Food." It was there I ate the best lasagna I've ever had. We also frequented a place called Chico's--which, oxymoronically, called itself an American Bistro--where I ate the best onion rings I've ever had. There were also a few other interesting specialties (besides the reindeer) that caught my eye...
We just missed breakfast at Jean Sibelius' homeTeeny fresh apples at the home of Jean SibeliusThis puts the fresh in "Market Fresh Everyday"I haven't a clue, have you?The Finns can't touch the Belge when it comes to a fresh gaufre, but they beat the Americans hands down. I haven't had one of these for 20 yearsI know this sounds gross, but licorice ice cream is delicious
At least one of the flavors I enjoyed over there can be purchased here.

vaasa, finland, i don't even know what day it is anymore--

last night we arrived in vaasa after a very, very long drive. so it was well after 9:30 and we discover one, as with the hotel last night, the hotel is located in the middle of a the walkable town center, with no access by automobile and two, our visit apparently coincides with an annual event much anticipated by the young people of vaasa, the loose translation being "party in vasaa night." itäs a rigorous competition in which one must visit at least ten of the local bars with a punch card. if you buy a drink in every one you get a most fabulous t-shirt that boasts of your ability to drink in vasaa.

the nice people at the hotel kept the sauna hot for me, which was an extremely nice gesture that is usually not offered, but was also considerate when you realize they had locked their main door at 9pm. so we got to enter the hotel from the bar, but when we got back from dinner the sauna was still hot. very hot.

and i loved every minute of it.


we have a great view from this hotel of the market square. i love market square. we need one in provo. of course it wouldnät at all be the same unless we all walked to it or rode to it on our cute little bikes with baskets on the front. but the flowers are brighter, the fruit is sweeter and the pastries are lighter in market square.
i promise.




i know this is all random, but in yet another in our list of events i refuse to call coincidence: yesterday we stopped at the chapel in kokkola. one of the couples in our group had called a member they knew there to come and meet them there briefly. imagine the surprise on the part of my dear friend sirpa when a woman she had known decades ago in finland and whom she kept in touch with on occasion rode up on her bike to the church intending to see the person who had called her. it was a joyful and unexpected reunion.

also after much discussion on the part of our guides and the standard misguidings from the gps ("turn around, as quickly as possible," she says), mingled with an event i never thought iäd witness in my lifetime--in any country--the actual asking by men for directions, we found and stood on the ground where the church was dedicated for missionary work in finland some ages ago.


given the most beautiful of chapels i have ever seen scattered through so many towns and the dedicated saints who worship there, i am most thankful for what took place there and the fact that through much difficulty the finnish saints have opened their hearts to the message of the gospel of jesus christ and worked so hard to share that message to the point they are getting ready to dedicate a temple in that beautiful land.

these are a beautiful people. i cannot describe the feeling i get each time the finnish natives who are traveling with us spontaneously burst into song upon hearing the beatiful melody of finlandia (a.k.a. be still my soul). their reverence and love for their country is apparent. that is something i will never be able to capture with my camera, but i will hold the memory of it in my heart forever.

rovaniemi, finland--

Why did the reindeer cross the road

...so i could take a blurry picture of his behind.


sorry--this will be in a rush. we have limited time on the internet, but i find i usually wake up between 4 and 5 and thatäs a good time to claim the hoteläs only computer.




we are on the top of the world in lapland. itäs fall here and the most beautiful fall iäve ever seen. i finally figured out the color of finnish houses are all colors of the leaves, from the palest of green to dark red scattered with gold and even that odd mustard color thatäs starting to grow on me.




(well, except for maybe this one...)


today after i tell you about the reindeer that are everywhere and that i crossed the line into the arctic circle

and that i spent an obscene amount of money at santaäs village yesterday i am going to turn a bit serious. the reindeer are indeed plentiful and very much protected. i thought i was going to be able to pet one yesterday in santaäs village--which is a delightful place in which to go broke--but apparently itäs the off season.


so i ate one for dinner instead.

ok, not an entire reindeer, but some reindeer. and it was very good.

but i wanted to tell you about attending church on sunday. we went to a small branch in joensuu. we were told it started at nine, but of course it really doesnät start until about 9Ö15 after the bus arrives. we were greeted by the branch president and the missionary couple who has been serving there for about 7 months.

of course the brother just happened to have been the first companion of the oldest person on our trip with us. they had no idea. what a reunion. what an experience for this elderly man (husband to my newly adopted finnish grandmother i mentioned, sirpa) to sit next to his first companion from half a century ago and prepare to pass the sacrament.

because there are only four priesthood holders in this small branch. and only one of them--besides the branch president--was there that day.


we take so much for granted.


the service was beautiful. i have been struck by the simple beauty and devotion expressed in each of the beautiful chapels i have seen here. such an amazing thing for them to have so many chapels. i couldnät understand much, except for the the english translation provided by the sister missionary who humbled me by the time and effort she took into presenting her talk in finnish--one of the most difficult of languages. it is not lost on me that she has left behind her comfortable home, the sunshine (for it will soon disappear), her children and grandchildren and all she knows and loves to come here to serve in a language she will very likely not ever fully comprehend.

the people were so happy to greet us. such a warm and beautiful people. i was struck by the thought of how hard it must be to live in such a beautiful but hard country.

harder still to be one of a handful of members of the church struggling to build zion here.

a few wonderful "tender mercies" besides the one above (not to mention the major blessing that one can find oneself getting on a bus with 25 or so perfect strangers who all end up liking one another and having a great time together! Everyone is so kind and considerate and even when we're tired and hungry--or desparate for a bathroom break--everyone is wonderful);

there are some sisters who came along to do geneaology. first we learn that one of the finnish women who has come on this leg of the tour but who is not a member is actually in their line. they have gone back ten generations and to the 1500s, and the sister was able to give the woman a copy of her line dating back that far, can you imagine traveling here and running into a complete stranger who could give you such a gift?

(the gen sisters with their laptop and their book of names--they ended up being related to everyone with Finnish ancestors--which means we all ended up being related somehow)

there are some older finns traveling with us who are members of the church and they passed about a letter in a bottle for us all to write to their grandson who is serving in littleton colorado.

imagine how that grandmother and grandfather must have felt when the same geneaology sister pulled out a photo of their grandson who had just happened to have eaten dinner at her other sister's home recently and thought to send a photo along!

we have also been blessed with circumstances in which the librarian of the lahti church happened to have been there for the first time ever on a friday afternoon to pick up something for the elders and who kindly let us in to see that beautiful chapel--three of the people on our tour had served there ages ago--and let us use the facilities (which are really a rarity on the road to northern finland).

she was still waiting for the missionaries when we left her.

and the sweet woman and the caretaker who not only let us tour the home and workshop of an amazing finnish sculptor even though they had closed the place for the season just yesterday, but also who happened to have some dough raising when we arrived and who generously went in to bake us fresh finnish pastry while we toured the place.








perhaps that doesnät seem so spiritual, but i found her work inspiring and believe such generosity on the part of anyone, but especially a stranger, a spiritual experience indeed.

joensuu finland, 5 something a.m.,

i am excited because after so many trees and lakes what i started looking at yesterday are the people and i figured out that if you flip the view screen a certain way you can take pictures of people without them even knowing you are looking at them. i am in love with the children and want to bring them all home with me.




night before last we were staying at a sports institute (founded ages ago by women and for women--the finns have a long history of strong and forward-thinking women. i love this finland!) in savonlinna. i love savonlinna! we walked down to the lake and were standing on the dock and we saw a real finn leaving the hot sauna and getting ready to whip off his towel and jump in the freezing lake
(yes, it froze night before last in savonlinna). i politely kept on walking and never looked back. i think shane was really tempted to take his picture, but did the proper thing and refrained.


(Jean Sibelius' sauna)

yesterday was quite the adventure. we had to drive clear to russia to find a water closet.

we were on our way to joensuu--which was supposed to be the shortest let of our six-day tour into northern finland--when it was to go near the russian border in search of a war museum.

i have to interject that our native bus driver
is darling and even though i canät understand a word he says, i like him a lot. but there is something about seeing three grown men huddled over a brand new gps and several maps--and yes, the driver is driving i donåt know how many kilometers an hour while staring at the maps--that i find amusing. even with all that help we still end up taking the scenic route every time we get off the main highway.


every time.

but itäs all good because now i have decided that everyone should get themself lost in europe on a daily basis. one sees the most interesting things...

in any case, this was decided, but no one else knew about it till we were well on our way. i was game for the adventure, especially because if i was coming this far i might as well get as close as i could to the russian border, but there are some darling native finns on the trip--female native finns--who are forces to be reckoned with--and they were not so happy about this detour, especially as we all at this point really needed to go to the wc.

the road trip was lovely, but i have to admit that after so many gazillion (and iäm not exagerrating here) trees and lakes they all start to look the same. and when one really needs to go to the loo the last thing they want to see is another lake.

so finally we stop in the middle of nowhere to figure out where we are, and meanwhile the rest of the group is scavenging for food as we have stumbled upon wild blueberries all over the thick forest floor. we were picking and eating the berries--wondering when and if we would see civilazation ever again--when the other finnish ladies ran over to us and scolded us because the berries were better on the other side of the road.


sure enough, i looked over there and saw that the moss was greener over there as well...


anyway, a few more miles down the road and a quite relieving visit to one of the most rustic outhouses i have ever seen and we all seemed to be in a better mood.


so i was visiting with the finnish women and i thought i wouldnät be able to understand a word they said. i should not have been able to understand a word they said. but suddenly i realized they were in a quite passionate discussion about how they would've preferred to have been dropped off at the hotel first, and then let those who wanted to go in search for the war museum (which we never did find, but we did see an old bunker and stand on the ground on which the way undermanned finns outsmarted the russians in complete darkness--they fought hand-to-hand in the dark with knives, identifying the enemy only by the feel of their backpacks). somehow i knew exactly what they meant, so i looked at the one finnish lady who does speak english--her name is sirpa and i love her--and said to her, "i think itäs kind of a guy thing." she looked at me in surprise and then told the other finn that what i had said and we all had a good laugh.
(Sirpa is wonderful--and she has the best laugh)

that understanding of the universal ways of man really does exceed all boundaries of language.

really.

helsinki, finland, september 15, 4:00 a.m.--

observations:

i may not be as afraid of flying as i think i am. Aside from a few moments during take off thinking, "This Bernoulli guy was just plain crazy"--mingled with fervent prayer--itäs not really too bad.

snakes on a plane are not nearly as dreadful as...


...trying to sleep on a plane.


i really, really like europe. not at all in the itäs-so-superior-to-the-u.s. kind of way. itäs just so cool! i forgot how great it is to be somewhere that has history, art, culture and tradition dated by millenia, not just mere centuries. i also love how international it is, too.


that said, i'm also bemused by the fact that here i am entire continents away and the hotel bathroom is tocked with dove cream wash, creammy body wash and shamppo. nearly everyone iäve encoutered speaks great english and there is was what finn refers to as the american embassy--the golden arches--on every block (not really--but almost).


love the abundance of trees and lakes here. for awhile i kept thinking we were crossing different points of the same lake. then i realized they were all different lakes. lakes in finland are like mormon churches in utah valley. there is one on every corner.




not so sure about all the mustard-yellow building and houses, but you gotta love a country that makes it look so easy being green (in both senses of the word), that believes in random acts of sculpture scattered everywhere, and that has a woman president.


the dutch donät seem to bet he most patient of people. i was at more risk of a horrible accident in the airport being wheeled around on a cart (my knee went out a few weeks before i left) by a crazed and flustered dutch woman than i ever was flying through the air at 30,000 feet in a gazillion-ton tin can. i am quite sure we took a couple of corners on two wheels and we came within mere centimeters of takin out a priest and an indain woman with small children. there is a reason they call them the flying dutch.


hooray for and god bless the finns for finally getting their own temple. one, itäs strikingly beautiful (and weäve only seen the outside). the steeple with the angel moroni is a sight to behold. it just sort of jumps out at you from nowhere--just like the portland temple--through the trees (in fact, Finland--hey hey I finally found the cap key on the Finnish keyboard--really reminds me of all i love about the pacific northwest]. coming from a place where we have so many temples within an hours drvie we take for granted--what a HUGE deal this is for these wonderful people to have on int heir own country. and its not just for the finns. this temple will serve countries speaking eight different languages--including russia--and when i was on my mission missionary work had not even been officially allowed yet in russia (i am old, but what iäm trying to see is that the spreading of the gospel has come a long way).



that is truly something wonderful to contemplate!


signing off now--scuze the typos and the lack of punctuation--i finally understand missionary e-mails now!

p.s. i was actually thinking i would love to live here--itäs truly heavenly. then i realized in a couple of months it will be 20 below celsius, be buried under six feet of ice and snow and have only three hours of daylight and i would likely not be nearly so charmed. right now, however, iäm loving it!