Dalmatian Week without Black Spots

Today I finally have time to write up my memories of our trip a month ago.


In October we had the conventional autumn holiday and we made our long term wish to visit the Dalmatian coast to come true. Our main destination was Dubrovnik and Split as the secondary target. We thought the time to go there would be perfect because we like neither heat nor crowds of tourists. The temperature was about 23 degrees in the days and about 16 degrees in the evenings – the nights we tend to sleep nowadays.

Dubrovnik is a very old town – actually it has been a state competing with the mighty power of Mediterranean Venice. It has been sort of democracy where the rector was elected to rule only a month! During the colonial time Dubrovnik lost its power to more powerful countries like Spain, England and Holland and it was a part of the Austro-Hungary Empire, Yugoslavia and finally Croatia. The last dramatic period for the town was the siege and bombardment by the Serbian troops in 1991. The center of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO world heritage site and was destroyed very badly. Nowadays it has been restored quite well.

Split also has very long history. Its center is built inside the Palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian who happened to be a Dalmatian.  

Our apartment was situated one and a half kilometres from the center of Dubrovnik. It was quite near the sea and we had a balcony view to the twinkling Adrian.

On our balcony just after arriving

 On the other hand the sea was not so easy to reach, the steep rocky embankments were not too easy for Sini. So we went swimming only once near the apartment.  Sini is a very skilful swimmer but because her just operated shoulder she chose the pool instead the waves of Adriatic Sea – which happened to stay very calm all the time.  

Stairs to our nearby beach...

...which also was rather rocky

The second day was for Split. The distance between the cities is about 170 kilometers straight but because of the serpentine shape of the coastline road it would take about four hours! So we had a plan to stay there about three hours. Because some delays during the trip it took five hours so we had less than two hours in Split. The view to Adriatic Sea and its Archipelago was terrific and we surely had enough time to enjoy it.

Before we got there we had something else to worry about. Dubrovnik is separated from the rest of Croatia by territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We had only the ID cards which work nicely in EU and Schengen countries but in that border control we should have had passports. We asked advice in advance from our hostess and she called some official and said it should be o.k. also with our ID cards. She also gave us some phone number for the case we would have some troubles with the matter. Luckily we didn’t need the phone number, everything went o.k. on the passport checkpoints.

Passport (??!!!) control at the Bosnia Herzegovinian border

According to our diminished schedule we had only time for eating and visiting the palace area which is a mixture of ancient Roman and medieval constructions. Anyway we had enough time to sense its powerful feeling of its area of greatness.

As it was October the sun started to set soon after we stated our way back to Dubrovnik. So the view was different this time, and rather dark after the sunset. 

The sudden sunset seen from the bus window

We were a bit worried about the safety of  travelling in the bus. Later we found out there has been a bus fire a week before our trip where a Finnish couple had managed to get out just in time.

The nice little nuance was the grenade apple given by a toilet lady in a bus stop station half way to Dubrovnik. We had the apple as a part of our breakfast next morning.

A breakfast with a grenade apple given by a toilet lady

The third day was committed to Dubrovnik center. We had two guided tours, the first in the streets and the other on the walls surrounding the old center.  Our first guide has lived his childhood in these narrow streets and seen the old shabby period, then the war period and the huge growth of tourism in current century.

The Serbs bombarded Dubrovnik from the hills behind the city

The main street seen from the walls

The walls of Dubrovnik, some stairs to climb when walking round the old city

A grumpy priest has written complaints on boys’ noisy football playing in the hoods our guide also used to play – in the 17th century!!  

Our guide and the ancient  anti-football graffiti made by a priest

The tiny church where the siesta of the priest was interrupted

The second guide on the walls was also very informative but on the other hand full of Croatian patriotism with not so accurate facts on the people and history of Dubrovnik.

The fourth day was for the Adriatic archipelago. We visited three islands near Dubrovnik. The trip was very well organized, we had car transportation to the harbor and there was enough food and wine on board. The weather was optimal for such a trip, sun was shining and there was no wind and waves. One of the islands was perfect for our beach life, we had more than an hour to swim and have some sunbath. The beach was on the other side of the island from the place we landed but we took a golf cart cab to get there.

Not so safe feeling drive to the beach

So peaceful and pleasant!

After swim Spritz

The other island was more rural with a nice fisher village. The third was quite near Dubrovnik so it seemed to be a sort of suburb. Anyway I had time to walk behind the houses and find a remote olive grove.

The harbor of the fisher village

A view of the fisher village

The olive grove behind the village

One night Sini broke her toes and this made her walking very uneasy. So the fifth day I took a walk to neighborhood of our apartment.  I ended up to a hill and walked for some time in the rocky and bushy slopes of it. I tried to look carefully to my feet to avoid stepping on any poisonous snakes living there. I only saw a rather long tail of a lizard escaping me and a dead snake. I also spotted a hiding mantis and some interesting butterflies.  

On the hill there was a chapel dedicated to St Blasius, a guy you have severe difficulties to avoid in Dubrovnik 

A view from the hill 

A view from the hill to the direction of the Lokrum Island 

An upside down mantis 

A whip snake - very rare and unfortunately also very dead

Macrtoglossum Stellatarum, a butterfly hovering like a humming bird

Buteo Lagopus, a buzzard we use to see in Finland on their way to Lapland

In the morning of our departure day we hired the taxi to the airport. I asked the taxi driver if he knew something about the burned bus. He replied he knows the owner of the bus and that the old buses of him overheat rather often. At the airport I had the first contact to my everyday life: I met my colleague Pirkko-Leena who also had been near Dubrovnik the same week. She told her husband knew about the burned bus but didn’t tell her because they had a plan to visit Montenegro by bus.

The last view to the Adriatic on our way to airport

The blog may be commented in English

Blogia voi kommentoida myös suomeksi

Bloggen kan kommenteras även på Svenska

Opening the Fall 2019

Happy with the boletus

The late summer was so dry especially in my “territory” so I didn’t even try to pick blueberries. Instead of that I contacted a semi professional person whom I knew to an immigrant. When I called her her husband answered and told the berries would be ready in six p.m. When I arrived there he told there is two hours delay.  I told him I’ll go to a mall nearby and asked him to call when the berries are ready. After an hour he called to tell me the berries were ready. The reason I told the story was this:  During the procedure he thought he had been spoken to a man and met a lady and I had to explain the situation before he got it.

The mentioned blueberries

I’ve been as Anukatariina at work almost every day. Till this semester I still didn’t do it when I had education to professionals. This time I also broke that rule. As a consequence a former student of mine came to tell me how I’ve looked good and got ten years younger! She was my student ten years ago and I just wonder how old I must have looked then...

Starting the semester with colleagues

The political and social activities have been the main reason for my busy fall. We have updated the home page of Dreamwear Club which have taken some effort: Both the content and the technique of the page have been out of date and we had to build a brand new version. It is still under minor modifications but I’m happy to its main characteristics. 

The other big effort has been TransHelsinki happening in November which has quite a lot of preparatory work, because the “staff” has not been too big. I also have attended some meetings around the Against Hate program been, at the Seta desk at the Early Childhood Education Fair, done some experience teaching and been interviewed as a Seta activist at my home.

At the Victim Support Organization with Samuel and Julian from Trasek ry

At the early childhood education fair with Tuija

The fall meeting of the Dreamwear Club had Oktoberfest as its theme. This kind of themed meetings seems to be a good idea and we decided to continue this tradition.

The official part of the meeting as the chair

The inofficial part of the meeting in dirndl

The next day after the fall meeting I travelled to Brussels. Finland holds the Presidency of the EU and organized an event with the Commission, which set out guidelines for the EU equality policy, especially with regard to the LQBTI people. The situation in different EU countries is strikingly different and in the Eastern countries it is alarming, mostly because of the skilful and well planned international hate campaign against us. Finland had quite a big delegation and I and my friend Tanja were part of it, also representing our associations Dreamwear Club and Regnbågsankan.  It seemed I was the only transvestite in the congress among 600 people. We had possibilities to our initiatives to promote equality and resist hate politics in Europe and some of our points were present in the final statement of the congress.  

Relaxing in the foam bath between the congress days

At the congress with Tanja 

Part of the Finnish delegation

 

Some might lose her heart in the place she loves. I lost my coat to

Brussels Airport because it was too warm to wear it there and because we had too good time before the flight back.

Did my coat go there..?

The blog may be commented in English

Blogia voi kommentoida myös suomeksi

Bloggen kan kommenteras även på Svenska

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.