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Porvoo, Finland - 4th September 2009
By: Delenna
Phew! I arrived in Finland!
It's Friday and my new hostfamily goes to the sauna on Fridays. So, I got to clean myself too - in a very Finnish way!
We took the photos when the sauna wasn't on, to get better photos. Their sauna is heated with electricity but there are sauna's that are heated with wood (mainly in summer houses etc.). Before one goes to a heated sauna, (s)he has to take a shower, just to get wet. Then one sits in sauna and throws water on the sauna stove (hot stones) to get more heat/humidity. A good temperature is 60-80 degrees Celcius - says my host, people like different degrees. If you sit in a sauna long you have to pour some water on yourself or go in the shower in the middle. Sauna doesn't feel good if you're dry.
In the summerhouses with saunas people usually have a sauna whisk, made of birch. You hit yourself gently with it - it doesn't hurt because there are the leaves on. A sauna whisk is an extra way to get clean - and it helps with mosquito bites too!
Sauna relaxes your musles and opens your skin pores. So you get clean from the inside too. After sauna you take the shower again, but this time you wash yourself.
You'll definitely want a cold drink afterwards too
PS: they even have a society for saunas!
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Posted Sep 7, 2009, 9:31 am
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Porvoo, Finland - 5th September 2009
By: Delenna
This is me by the Baltic Sea! I know I know, it's not a n open sea view because of the archipelago - but it's still the Baltic Sea Did you know that the creator of Moomin used to spend her summers on an island nearby? No wonder Moominpappa loves thesea!
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Posted Sep 9, 2009, 1:31 pm
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Porvoo, Finland - 8th September 2009
By: Delenna
Finally we had time for some sightseeing in Porvoo! We drove to the city, walked on a hill and here's what we saw It's a nice view to the Old Town. The Old Porvoo is famous for its narrow lanes and brick-coloured riverside warehouses.The hill you see in the second photo is called Castle Hill ands we'll be going there one day too. The town of Porvoo has about 48 000 inhabitants and an area of 654 km2. Porvoo is a bilingual town with about 33% of the inhabitants speaking Swedish as their mother tongue.
It's starting to be autumn here - the mushrooms prove it!
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Posted Sep 10, 2009, 6:04 pm Last edited Sep 14, 2009, 1:20 pm by Delenna
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Porvoo, Finland - 8th September 2009
By: Delenna
We walked along the hill and got a very nice view of the old shore houses. The website says this about them: The shore houses are now red, but they got their colour only in the late 18th century. Red ochre paint was used to paint the shore houses in honour of King Gustav III's arrival from Sweden. All of the houses along his route were painted, in order to make them more beautiful. The red ochre also helped protect the logs from wind and sun damage. Exotic fruits, wines and spices were brought to Porvoo, and the shore houses also served as intermediate storehouses for coffee an tobacco. Today the shore houses are used as private living quarters and storage space.
We ended up on the sightseeing tower from where I got a nice view over the city (the newer part). The last photo shows the tower. It's made on two huge rocks. The story tells that a giant threw them there. The giant had heard that they were building a church in Porvoo and got very angry. He threw the stone from very far but misses the church. In the old days (older than my host) they told children that babies were brought from under this rock!
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Posted Sep 10, 2009, 6:06 pm Last edited Sep 14, 2009, 1:20 pm by Delenna
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Postcard Event, Hämeenlinna, Finland - 12th September 2009
By: Delenna
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Posted Sep 16, 2009, 7:20 am Last edited Sep 16, 2009, 7:21 am by Delenna
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Hämeenlinna, Finland - 12th September 2009
By: Delenna
After the meeting we drove to the center of the 370 years old Hämeenlinna. I saw the beautiful Hämeenlinna Church on the end of the market square. The church's architectural example was the Roman temple of Pantheon. The church was completed in 1798. The architect was Louis Jean Deprez, court painter to King Gustav III. The altar painting depicts the Saviour's appearance to Mary Magdalene.
Do you know what that yellow wooden house is, in the middle of the modern buildings, next to a mall (!!!) ? It's the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius! He's Finland's best known composer and born in Hämeenlinna on 8 December 1865. His childhood home has been converted to a miniature museum. The Empire style building with its period furnishings and artefacts affords the visitor a glimpse of the composer's childhood and youth. The lounge is a perfect place to rest for a while and listen to the music of Jean Sibelius. We didn't have time to rest! We headed towards a mailbox and a castle!
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Posted Sep 16, 2009, 9:12 am
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Prison Museum, Hämeenlinna, Finland - 12th September 2009
By: Delenna
We mailed the 409 cards we had signed at the postcard event and Postcrossing Meetup. It took us a while... Then we got arrested for mailing too many cards!
Ok, just kidding. We went to the Prison Museum that was next to the mailbox (we mailed them from that location because of the special Prison Museum cancellation).
This is what they write about the Museum:
Prison Museum
The prison museum introduces to the visitors the history of correctional treatment in Finland and the prison life in the past and these days. The most valuable item is the museum building itself with its authentic premises that have been maintained in their original condition since the time when the building still functioned as a prison. The building and the exhibition consist of three floors.
The prison museum functions in the former premises of the provincial prison of Häme. When the building was finished in 1871, it was the first prison in Finland with cells, and it was used until the 1993. The museum was opened to the public in June, 1997. The building was designed by the architect L. I. Lindqvist. The museum features a permanent exhibition and changing exhibitions. For more details, take a look at the museum's calendar of events. Special exhibition: elementary studies in prison. In this exhibition, you can find answers to questions about how and why reading, writing and basic mathematics were taught in prisons. Paid guided tours available only if booked in advance.
It was quite an experience. A little scary too! We saw ancient methods of Crime Scene Investigation (ancient compared to CSI on tv!), crafts the inmates had done, letters from inmates, photos, clothes of guards etc. There was also a spot for the modern version of police work.
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Posted Sep 16, 2009, 9:27 am
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Häme Castle, Hämeenlinna, Finland - 12th September 2009
By: Delenna
After we were reliesed from the Prison we looked around and smelled the fresh air The Prison Museum is situated in Häme Castle, so we walked around to have a look on this famous sight.
Häme Castle is one of Finland’s medieval royal castles. It is believed to have been built at the end of the 13th century, following the crusade by Swedish Earl Birger to Häme region. During the Middle Ages the original fortified camp was built into a residential castle for its commandant. In the 18th century a third storey was built and curtain wall buildings partly replaced the original outer walls. The castle and its surroundings were in prison use from 1837 to 1972. The main castle is now presented as a historical monument. The Häme Castle and its redbrick barracks are on the shore of Lake Vanajavesi. The promontary has been a meeting place for centuries, and the walls almost echo the voices from the Middle Ages.
It was smaller than we had thought and walking around it didn't take long. We did enjoy the sight of both the castle and the lake. But finally the sun r´started to set and we had to head back home.
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Posted Sep 16, 2009, 10:14 am
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Helsinki, Finland - 17th September 2009
By: Delenna
I visited the capitol of Finland, Helsinki! That meant a lot of walking and a few tram rides I saw many touristy spots, like the Cathedral at the Senat Square and Havis Amanda but also regular street views.
I walked thru the Esplanade Park: Situated in the heart of Helsinki, the Esplanade serves as a promenade for tourists and a place to relax for city residents. The park and the Espa Stage host many popular events, including the Marimekko Fashion Show and raising of the midsummer pole accompanied by folk dancing in June and the Jazz-Espa concert series on weekdays throughout July.
At the other end of the Esplanade was the famous statue/fountain Havis Amanda. Behind it was the Market square and the harbour. That's where the big ferry boats to Sweden and Estonia start their journeys.
The Cathedral: The Cathedral designed by C.L. Engel in splendid Neoclassical style. The work began according to his designs in 1830, and was completed after Engel's death in 1852. In addition to serving its own congregation, it is the scene of major state and university events, while exhibitions and concerts are held in the crypt.
The Senat Square: The Senate Square and its surroundings form a unique and cohesive example of Neoclassical architecture. The square is dominated by four buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel between 1822 and 1852: Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. Helsinki Cathedral is arguably Finland's most famous and photographed building; it celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002. The oldest stone building in Helsinki is the Sederholm House located on the southeast corner of the square.The main building of the City Museum can be found on the Sofiankatu museum street.
Main Railway Station: The Central Railway Station was designed by Eliel Saarinen in 1909 and the station was opened in 1919. The station is mostly clad in Finnish granite, and its distinguishing features are its clock tower and the two pairs of statues holding the spherical lamps, lit at night-time, on either side of the main entrance. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building.
Next to the Main Railway Station is the Main Post Office. It's now covered in plastic as they repair the outside. Behind the Post Office is the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma with the statue of Mannerheim on the yard. Next you can see the Parliament where all the big decisions are made.
The last photo shows the Main Bus Station Hard to believe if you don't know it's also a mall. Only the two bottom levels are for the buses.
Phew! What a walk! And it wasn't over... We had one more stop to go to...
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Posted Sep 21, 2009, 8:44 am
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Sea Life, Helsinki, Finland - 17th September 2009
By: Delenna
The last stop was Sea Life, an aquarium! They had different themes in different rooms: tropical, ocean, ship wreck, ice age... Each place showed sea creatures typical to those places. I saw sharks that were smaller than me! And sea horses, jellyfish, turtles... We got to see how they fed a few tanks. Some fish were fed only once a week! Some small sharks can be very... umm... "eager" to eat - they almost jumped out of the tank!
There was an ocean tunnel too! We walked under the fish It looked very cool! They had lots of information on the walls, signs and screens. And the fish feeders told us about the fish they were feeding. We spent 2 hours there and I would go again if possible
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Posted Sep 21, 2009, 8:53 am
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