Today we journeyed an hour or so outside of Helsinki to visit Porvoo and the Finnish countryside.
Porvoo is the second oldest city in Finland. It is far enough away from the coast so that it was never bombed or burned down. The cathedral here was the site where the 1809 Treaty between Sweden and Russia that created Finland as a autonomous area within Russia was signed. Alexander II allowed the Finns to keep their language and religion, as well as their own currency and army, which was very unusual under the Empire. That treaty marked the beginning of Finland as a separate country (it had previously been a part of Sweden.)
We walked around the cathedral (which was closed as they were resealing the pine tar on the roof), and along several narrow cobblestone streets that were lined with early 19 century wooden buildings, most of which were homes, although many that were closer to the town square housed interesting craft and other shops.
The area along the river was lined with the famous red warehouses for which the town is known. Porvoo is on Finland's list of National Heritage sites and under consideration for UNESCO status.The red paint came from the copper dust from a nearby copper mill - which made a cheap, durable and insect-resistant paint - until the mill closed.
We continued our policy of supporting local economies in the charming town, enjoying the interesting coffee shops, craft stores and candy stores, where we bought chocolates as well as our first Nordic licorice.
Our “day-in-the-life” activity was a visit to the North Side Farm (Norkulla Gard in Swedish), a farm run by a fourth generation Swedish family near Porvoo. Willie, the young farmer bought the farm from his parents, and he and his charming Swiss wife, Daphne, run the farm with help from his parents. His wife and mother cooked and served us a lovely homemade lunch. His mother showed us around some of the first floor rooms of the house which was built in 1869 and had been in the family since the 1920s when their ancestors had immigrated from Sweden. The interior was partially renovated by a group of student interior designers who restored it in 2004.
Later Daphne introduced us to some of the horses that are boarded there, and we got a closer look at the magnificent old barn. The focus of the visit was supposed to be an opportunity to to learn about the lives of the Swedish minority population in Finland. Other than the fact that they can speak Swedish as well as Finnish and English, they seemed very well integrated. It was an interesting visit with warm and interesting family.
Back in Helsinki, we stopped at the Oodi Library - the National Library of Finland, known as the “living room of Helsinki”. It was an interesting facility, designed to offer a variety of opportunities and services to all Finns for free (or at very low prices). People could reserve sound studios and rent instruments to record music for free, do 3-D or large format prints at the cost of materials, reserve meeting rooms, computers and even learn to knit or do other crafts. They can do free online gaming, or even read books and periodicals. There are many different areas with chairs for reading or lounging and a good sized cafe. The place was FULL of people just enjoying their lives. It was a great symbol of the Finnish attitude and investment in equitable access to resources and opportunities.
In the way back to the hotel, we did a number of errands, visiting the Post Office, the grocery store, and the Stockman Department store (for socks). Then we had a quiet dinner and relaxed.
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