Four nights in Finland part one: Porvoo & Helsinki.

I arrive on a short flight from Copenhagen, losing an hour in the crossing. At the airport I take a long escalator deep into the underground. A dance performance is projected on a large concrete wall opposite. A collaboration between Finavia and the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, Kulttuurinäyttämö brings opera and dance performances to passengers heading to and from their terminals.

On the platform I purchase a ticket into the city; the train arrives shortly thereafter and I settle into my seat for the 35 minute ride into the center.

It’s a pleasant trip through the suburbs into the city. The tracks terminate at the end of the station and instead of walking through it I walk alongside, following other passengers as they disappear into the city.

It’s a short walk to the hotel. I pass through a connecting plaza to Mannerheimintie, one of the main streets that run through the city, before crossing to the hotel.

I check in and take the lift to the fifth floor. The room is small, only just wide enough for a queen bed; the room is furnished with a twin. It’s long and narrow with a view of the courtyard.

Checking the time I decide to try to make it to Restaurant Forza for dinner, a pizza place that’s ranked 22 in the top 50 pizza places in Europe and I’m a sucker for lists and pizza.

I leave the hotel and begin the walk south, walking through parks and streets lined with beautiful homes and cafes. In Sinebrychoff Park there’s a dumpster on fire. Most pass nonchalantly, ignoring the smoke that rises up into the grey skies. Three girls passing in front of me look back nervously.

I’m ten minutes too late. The kitchen is closed for the night. I shrug and thank the hostess and head back into the well-lit night. Löyly Helsinki, a sauna in the south of the city once named one of the 100 greatest places in the world by Time magazine, isn’t too far off. I have plans to visit during my stay but haven’t brought my swim trunks. I decide to walk over and take a look anyway.

Swimwear rentals are offered and I’m tempted to make this my first activity in Finland. I remember the words of a group of students studying in Finland I had met in Tallinn, who had told me that their favorite thing about their winter in Finland was sauna. I’m determined to go, but decide to come back another day.

I walk back along the sea, turning towards the city where the promontory ends. I follow an apartment block and head north and then east.

I pass the impressive spire of the Mikael Agricola Church and skirt the park in which it sits, following the road until I reach another small public park.

The twin spires of St. John's Church poke out from the trees and I climb up to the church to see what I can.

The church is closed for the day and so I walk north, following the main road to the hotel. It’s late but the sun is still up, muted by the overcast skies. I settle in for the night and plan the next day. It looks like the rains might not come until later in the day and I plan to make the day trip to Porvoo. It’s a short bus ride away and I decide not to set an alarm. The town is small, and by all accounts it won’t take too long to visit.

In the morning I wake up late and move slowly. I don’t make it to the bus station until near 11h; the next bus leaves in about 30 minutes. It takes me almost as long to book the return tickets; the 3G internet on my phone is slow. I hesitate to book a return, but have already hit the button and don’t want to wait for another long page load, and so I give myself a little over six hours to visit the town.

I arrive about a quarter to noon. The bus station is near a pizza place I’ve decided to go for lunch and debate killing time around the restaurant. Instead I opt to walk towards the river to take a look at the red-painted wooden warehouses for which the town is known. I cross over to the other bank and make my way along the water for my first looks.

A path leads up a wooded hill behind me and I take it. climbing up for the views. From the path I can see the warehouses and Porvoo Cathedral rising above the town.

I climb to a viewpoint that overlooks the modern part of the town, and I trace the river south to where it reaches for the sea.

A bistro sits atop the hill and I step inside to have a look. There’s a brunch buffet set out as well as an a la carte menu. I look it over and am tempted to eat on the patio, but remain steadfast and walk back down the hill towards town.

After lunch I return to the old town and walk up to the Cathedral. From my approach I first see the separate belltower and stop to admire it before walking around the corner of the church to the entrance.

Inside, the church is somewhat plain save for a beautiful pulpit. An organ rises from a balcony on the back wall.

Outside, I wander back towards the center of the old town and the public square. I take a coffee at Café Fanny with a view of the oldest town hall in Finland and write some postcards as the sun fights the cloud cover to shine on the cobblestones.

After my coffee I decide to head back out of town and climb Castle Hill. The castle no longer exists, but a series of moats remain. Wooden bridges span them, allowing passage to the top of the hill. It’s a nice wooded walk, and I appreciate these forested areas so close to the center of town.

I follow the road back to town and am quickly back on the cobblestoned streets of the old town. I make my way back to the town hall and decide to step inside to check out the museum.

The ticket covers entry for this museum and another to the side, housed in a former merchant’s home. The attendant suggests I start at the top and work my way down.

I climb the uneven steps to an uneven top floor and look out the window at the square below. The sun is starting to come out and a line slowly forms in front of an ice cream cart.

I tour the Town Hall and am particularly taken by the cut out portraits and landscapes and an exhibit of glassware by Saara Hopea-Untracht, who was born in Porvoo.

Afterwards I walk over to the Holm House. The woman at the front desk checks my ticket and advises me to start at the top. On the main floor there’s an exhibit of old signs, which I linger over, wishing there were more to see.

Now that the sun is out I retrace my steps from the morning and recross the bridge to the other side of the river in order to take more pictures of the warehouses. The sun brings out the color in a way the overcast morning couldn’t.

I walk back along the water the way I came and continue towards the sea, crossing at a far bridge in order to visit J. L. Runeberg’s Home Museum, the original house of Finland’s national poet.

When I arrive I’m told it’s just about to close, but they let me in. I tell them I’ll be quick. I don the shoe covers and shuffle my way through.

In Copenhagen, my friend Teresa asked me why I wasn’t visiting museums so much. Partially, it’s the seasons and the weather, I tell her. I’d much rather be outside. However, I’ve come to realize I really enjoy visiting museums that are in people’s homes or where the home itself has been turned into a museum. This one is no different.

I leave just as they are closing and take a walk around the small gardens before taking my leave. Checking the time I see I have more than an hour before my scheduled bus is to leave and so I return to the river and buy an ice cream and watch life go by.

With a bit more time, I head back to the old town and buy a box of chocolates from PetriS Chocolate. It’s too much; knowing me I’ll eat them all in one sitting, and so I return to the Holm House and share them with the staff. Why? they ask. No reason.

A bus is at the station when I arrive. It’s not mine, but the driver lets me board anyway and we are soon on our way back to Helsinki. I stare out the windows at the landscape, seeing in reverse what I saw coming.

The day has become overcast once more and rain threatens. Back in town I decide to walk to the harbor in hopes the Old Market Hall may still be open.

The old market’s closed, but there are stands set up in a plaza that runs along the harbor. They all sell the same thing: salmon, fried lake fish, potatos, a salad, and white sauce. They’re all having sales at the end of the day. I pause in front of one and a woman lets me try the fried fish. I head to the register and order a mixed plate of all of the above. It’s raining slightly and I take my plate to a seat under an orange tent, watching as the woman entices others, calling out the sale, offering samples of fried fish.

I walk past the Allas pool and check the prices. I debate whether I want to swim here; it’s so close to the boats and there’s no way to swim in the open sea and I decide against it.

Walking back to the hotel I choose some streets I haven’t yet seen. The rain has stopped, but the day remains dim. I’ve walked almost 20,000 steps and my feet are sore. I lay myself down in bed and check the weather. It’s not going to be much better and so I book a slot at Löyly at 15h, when the rain is supposed to have ended. I’m going to sleep in. 🇫🇮