There were no University classes as it was ‘Winter Week’. This provided opportunities for me to explore Finland more so than usual. My cousin, friend and boyfriend visited this week which also encouraged me to sight-see, rather than continue with my normal daily life in Finland.
I visited the capital city, Helsinki, to meet my visitors and spent the day there observing the beautiful architecture and surroundings. I walked round the shopping areas, thinking I had seen most of the city; however when I checked the map in the evening it seemed I had only seen the south-east area! Helsinki appeared to be considerably larger than Turku, so I decided to re-visit the city when my boyfriend was returning to the airport. On return I visited Helsinki’s Zoological Institution Museum where the building itself was impressive along with the excellent display exhibits.
In addition to this I visited the town of Naantali, the home of MoominWorld. It was recommended to me by my University tutor, and on reflection I was pleased I had taken her advice. I am told that MoominWorld opens during Winter Week each year. I got to meet the Moomin’s in person and enjoyed looking around the Moomin House! There were opportunities to ice-skate and to use the snow-slide (which I did!).
Including all of the above, I investigated Turku; I visited the Cathedral and Turku Castle. The Cathedral was nice; however the Castle was more interesting, full of history and many objects to illustrate this. I decided to walk by the Harbour near the Castle to take in the view. It was amazing to see the frozen Baltic Sea with various ships anchored to the Harbour and appeared to have been there for some time. As I observed the peaceful scenery, I noticed a random skier skiing along the frozen water around the ships. This strikes me as a dangerous activity, however it seems that it is perfectly normal for the Finn’s and I admire their skill and courage. Finally, while in Turku I took my visitors to the Finnish Scouting Museum as they have a keen interest in Girl Guiding and Boy Scouts. This was a nice activity enjoyed by all; the scout expert was very friendly, enthusiastic and interested in mine and my family’s background.
Overall, this week has been beneficial for my increased knowledge and understanding of Finland and I look forward to exploring more as the semester continues!
Picture 1: The Zoological Museum.
Picture 2: Exhibit outside the Zoological Museum.
Picture 3: Me inside the Moomin House!
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