Domestic Touring

This summer we skipped long trips by plane and let our VW Golf lead us to near destinations.

We have a family cottage in Eastern Finland and headed there to stay there for a week in the beginning of July. On our way the weather was not at all promising, heavy rain showers and temperature between ten and fifteen degrees. 

Having a break with Harri and Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi

When we entered there the sky turned blue – this is the normal and magical phenomenon in the area happening in seven p.m.

My cottage look

There we met my daughter and daughters of my sisters. The latter ones met me as Anukatariina for the first time and took the situation very naturally. After some days also my other daughter came there with my grandkids, followed by my eldest sister and my wife’s daughter. The weather didn’t turn very warm but it was possible to do some activities as fishing and sauna bathing with swimming in a lake.

Kids vs. fishes 1-1: One tiny perch first caught and then escaped

On the ridge by the lake

Burning lupines to avoid them to conquer the roadsides. Their roots were bigger challenge though

The big event was the 70^th wedding anniversary of my parents. They still live in their own apartment though their locomotion has naturally got slower. There were more than 20 people celebrating, maybe more their offspring together than ever.

My father

Wedding day cakes

After the event we had planned to stay some days at the cottage but the weather turned wet and cold again so we just cleaned the places and delivered biological waste to Kitee town waste sorting centre and continued our journey.

The plan was to go the western coastal area of Finland from Raahe to Pori, the area we both have somehow neglected so far. The forecast promised us much better weather in west which also persuaded us to go on. To get to Raahe from Kitee it would take some time and we left Kitee only at 4 p.m. So we had a break to stay overnight in Runni Spa Hotel near the Savolean town Iisalmi.

Runni is founded in 1904 and it is famous for its healing water with lots of iron and other minerals. We came there rather late and just in time for the supper before the kitchen closed. There was a grand piano in the restaurant hall so I asked if I could play something after having permission I played one piece and was asked to play something more – which I naturally did.

The old spa building

Jazz at Runni

Tasting Runni mineral water

Runni Spa is situated by a little river and we walked the path on the banks of it. On our way we crossed the river along the suspension bridge. My wife thought we would get back by crossing the river in the other place. As we walked further it turned out there is no other bridge available near enough and even the path disappeared. So we came back the same way we went there. The Runni mosquitoes seemed to like my wife and gave a plenty of itchy souvenirs to her skin.

By the river

Crossing the river

The unburned Midsummer night bonfire

The old boat shed

The landscape of eastern Finland is filled with hills. As we got to west the landscape became more even with lots of swamps and fields.

Raahe is situated by the sea, about 100 kilometers south to Oulu. By the sea is somewhat relative expression in the western coast of Finland: Because of the ice age the ground has been pressed down and even now, thousands of years later it is lifted almost a centimeter in a year. The effect is strongest just in the areas we traveled. That’s why the old towns can be quite far from the sea though they have founded as harbor towns. Most of the towns we visited were founded in 17^th and 18^th centuries by the Swedish kings and queens – Queen Christina’s administration was very active in this branch.

Raahe has been founded by a governor of Queen Christina, Per Brahe. It still have its old wooden city left, though the condition of the buildings is rather poor compared with some other cities we visited. Maybe the housing bureau of Raahe is too lazy to make people keep the houses in shape.

A view of old Raahe

The Raahe main square, Per Brahe behind me

The place we stayed night was very charming in the center point of the old town. It was a combination of cafe and hotel with four rooms. The building has been originally a trading house and the hotel rooms for the staff and the traders who stayed there before going back to their own place. Everything in the building was somewhat in old style, except the bathroom which naturally had modern WC and shower.

Cafe at our Raahe residence

The yard of our Raahe residence

Supper in the yard of our Raahe residence

Nex day we headed to south along the coastal line. The first place to mention is Kalajoki, which is famous for its dunes by the sea. Nowadays the area is full with tourism that makes it no so attractive. The weather was sunny with hard and chilly wind and this fact dispelled our wishes to go to swim very effectively.

The windy Kalajoki beach

South of Kalajoki we also visited another beach area Vattaja. Vattaja has been closed area because it is next to army shooting area so tourism has not spoiled it, yet. In the end of the peninsula there is a picturesque fisher village and the nature with sandy beaches and forests seem to be almost intact.

Vattaja fisher village

Vattaja waves

The next town was Kokkola. Its Swedish name Karleby seem to refer to some of the Swedish Carl kings but actually means the Swedish ‘man’ (=karl)

It has been founded in 1620 by Gustaf Adolf the second to an old harbour place. It has its modern centre but just behind it it has its old town. The old town in Finland means wooden houses from 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries. The condition of the houses were significantly better than in Raahe.

Kokkola old town

Kokkola old town

The population of the coastal line is mostly Swedish speaking. Raahe is still Finnish, Kokkola is both and the proportion of Swedish speaker increases until it gradually decreases after Närpiö.

Our next town destination was Pietarsaari. We chose the route through the archipelago between the towns. On our way we drove through Luoto, a tiny and peculiar place. Many of its inhabitants belong to a religious group that seems to have their own thoughts of the world. The real hit there is silver water drinking. The other norm there is avoiding vaccination which has led to a measles epidemic, imported from Jerusalem. When we went through the main village we noticed the Lutheran church

Pietarsaari has been founded by Count Jacob de la Gardie in 1652 under reign of Queen Christina. The Founder has his name in the Swedish name Jakobstad, the Finnish name refers to Per Brahe. Pietarsaari is a bit smaller than Kokkola and definitely more Swedish speaking.

Pietarsaari market square

Compared to these two the next town Uusikaarlepyy is a miniature. It has been founded by Gustaf Adolf the second in 1620 to replace the problem of Kokkola: The missing harbour because of the ground lifting. The plan didn’t seem to work very well in long term evaluation, the town has not increased to a modern city. But on the other hand it is a picturesque attraction for us tourists.

We stayed our next night in Jutha next to Uusikaarlepyy. The name Jutha is famous of the Runeberg story of the general Döbeln in the so called Finnish war against Russia in 1809 where the Swedish army won the Russian troops just one more time – shortly after this Russia conquered the whole Finland for the next hundred years. Our sleeping place was an old manor but I didn’t find any mentions of general Döbeln staying there.

Another bridge problem: This time it should have been there but it was under construction. So walking back by the other side of the river failed again. 

The Jutha manor - we stayed the night in the other building

Next day we first scouted the nearby villages. Munsala is one of the best examples of coastal Swedish landscape. 

Having a conversation with the Munsala poor boxes man

As we drove farther from the centre of Munsala we noticed that there were lots of beautiful but obviously abandoned pheasant houses. We have got used seeing such in Eastern Finland where people tend to escape to better living conditions but this was a surprise for us.  Maybe it is so easy to go to Sweden for Swedish speakers so the houses will be abandoned.

Vaasa is the biggest city in the Swedish speaking area and because its importance it also has quite a lot Finnish speakers in its inhabitants. It has been founded in the year 1611 by Charles the IX. The old city has burned almost totally in the 19^th century and the new one has founded nearer the sea – guess why! Because there is not much historical things to see in Vaasa we just drove through it and concentrated to the archipelago in front of it.

Raippaluoto is one of its islands. There is a huge bridge leading to it. It is called The Ole Norrback bridge because a former minister was very active in its building activities. In Finland we call this kind of activity the bridge drum policy, getting extra votes for something concrete just for one’s own ward.

Raippaluoto bridge behind me

Raippaluoto village is also very pretty. Its small wooden church seemed to have some evaluation out of the rectangular concept which made it even more attractive.

A view from the Raippaluoto church yard

In Raippaluoto crooked church

Our next destination Närpiö is famous for its tomatoes, a majority of domestic tomatoes comes from there. The other famous thing is its ancient oriented dialect, even many Swedish speakers have difficulties in understanding it. The third thing to mention is the Church area with lots of red cabins for the people who stayed the night before the sermon.

Närpiö cabins

The next town Kaskinen is famous for being the tiniest town in Finland. It has been founded by Gustaf the third in 1785 and seems to be a failure, it has not increased until a pulp factory was founded. It still has only about 1200 inhabitants. The centre of the city is practically wooden and with no modern business buildings.

The hectic Kaskinen city main street during the rush hour

Near Kaskinen is our next destination Kristiinankaupunki. It has also founded by Per Brahe in 1649. It has stayed a little town and preserved its look beautifully with very narrow streets and all of its modern business buildings built in separate area and even in the way they also look old.

Kristiinankaupunki street view

Posing with TaruNina in the corner of the narrowest street in Finland, The Cat Whipper's Street

 We stayed the night in Kristiinankaupunki. Our friend TaruNina offered us the whole second floor of her wonderfully reconstructed old house.  She also was our guide to absorb more of the history and culture of the city. The next day she also was our company as we attended the Kristiinankaupunki fair where the population of the town suddenly increases to tenfold.

Kristiinankaupunki market place - that day the whole center was a market place. 

The old church of Kristiinankaupunki with its not so upright tower

Improvising in the old church

We continued our journey to south by driving near the coastline to Pori. Pori city was too familiar and too normal to us to get any new inspirations so we skipped it and headed straight home.