Helsinki is the capital city of Finland, but until 1812 the tiny hamlet of Porvoo claimed that honor. Today Porvoo is a tourist attraction representing what architecture and structures looked like in the 1700s, although the square in front of the old city hall dates back to the 1350s. What this means is that Porvoo was the center of civilization in Finland 150 years before Columbus set sail to find the passage east by going west. Today Porvoo is an interesting mixture of the old, the modern and the remnants of the Russian occupation. The latter is a collection of utilitarian structures that are indistinguishable from each other much as the Russian worker was supposed to be indistinguishable from another. The shops in the old section are similar to those found in any tourist area, with the exception of the handmade goods found in many. As an example we decided to purchase a Teddy Bear at Shop Sadunhenki at No. 20 Jokikatu Agatan (Sadunkenki@gmail.com). The shop owner hand made the Teddys and her mother hand knit the hat and scarf. Each Teddy was one of a set of no more than six the owner made. We are now the proud owners of Vula no 4, who just happened to have the biggest scarf symbolic of the long and very cold winters in Finland.
After our brief stop in Porvoo, we visited Savijarvi Gard (www.savijarvigard.com) which is an active horse farm in Sipoo, about half way between Porvoo and Helsinki. A family owns this horse farm with over 65 family members living on the 600 acre estate, of which 200 acres is actively farmed. Our stop was to have lunch and visit the stables where over 60 horses are either stabled for others or currently being raised for the riding school, therapy or competition (dressage, jumping as well as carriage driving). The madam of the manor, who greeted us spoke of the therapy work they do with children as young as babies who area able to loosen muscles while lying on the back of a walking horse. She told the story of how her father would never let his children own a pony, but when the grandchildren arrived, suddenly they had three. The excellent meal consisted of Thorny Nettle soup, a thick fish chowder with French beans, boiled potatoes and the owner’s son’s favorite: blueberry birthday cake with rhubarb, frozen red and green currents and Lingonberries. The owner explained that the berry picking season is so short in Finland that they freeze everything they harvest and eat frozen berries all year around. While my spouse sought to feed sugar cubes to the horses in the stable, most were not interested in the sweet treat.
In Helsinki the first stop was the Rock Church. The story goes that a group of Lutheran worshippers sought to build a new church on a park in downtown Helsinki. The local residents fought the loss of their park, so the architects decided to excavate under a huge bedrock formation and build the church underground so much of the park would remain. The result is one of the most popular churches in the city, particularly for weddings, because the acoustics are exceptional. From the Rock Church we proceeded to the Senate Square, which is one of the oldest and most historic sites in the city. We drove through the square, noted the historic architecture, but kept on going to the city market a block away. The market is on a harbor and most of the merchants sell in tents. However, we were on the lookout for a dark Finish Rye bread we wished to try. Our travel guide mentioned that we might be able to find such bread at the ‘covered market’. When we arrived, we saw a building along the water and headed directly toward it. Once inside we found it was a permanent market for restaurants, cheese shops, bakeries, meat purveyors and a wine shop. The smell as we came in the door almost transported me to my childhood, with smells of fresh baked breads with cinnamon. We found not only the dark Finish rye, but also a heavily seeded bread that we’d discovered in Copenhagen when we’d stopped for a quick bite at a sandwich shop on a side street just off the main square.
Our stay in Helsinki barely scratched the surface, but what we did find not only delighted us, but resulted in purchases and recipes that accompany us home.
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