Terve Terve –

I’m sitting at the Frankfurt Airport waiting for our flight to SFO. It’s already been a long day — wake up call at 4:30 am; out the door at 5:30 to what we thought would be a taxi — but it turned out that all taxis were occupied as were all “comfort cars (limos)” and so the company sent a bus! An 18-seater for just the two of us. Seemed ridiculous, but no choice. So off we went in the bus that had dark windows. Very cushy.. but totally crazy.

Our last dinner was quite wonderful — at Boulevard Social — a modern twist on Mediterranean cooking with recipes from Tunisia, Greece, Morocco, Lebanon… Started with some of their signature drinks. I had the Tsatziki Stan (vodka, yogurt liqueur, cucumber, pepper, lemon). Started with some small plates including a Moroccan “pizza”, green gazpacho shrimp cocktail, and mini lamb kebabs… For main course we chose the beef tartare MUHAMMARA (with roasted walnuts, red pepper, garlic, capers, and crispy bread). Dashed to the hotel by about 11 and packed.. so it was a tough night and morning..

OK.. the wrap up on Helsinki and Finland. Briefly…

First what’s different and changed over the years (progressively over the decades, not necessarily since 2009):

• it’s more diverse (when we lived in Helsinki everyone was a Finn; I can remember that one African American guy – an artist – moved to Helsinki from the US and he was so exotic that he practically attracted crowds in the streets and the Finnish women with their fair skin and blonde hair were all over him) — diverse racially and ethnically.. Not huge numbers but it is pretty common now to see Africans, Muslims, Indians, Pakistanis, Asians.
• more diverse food and very good restaurants (when we lived in Helsinki the only non-Finnish food was in one or two Russian restaurants); food was always fresh but not very inventive.. and the staples were potatoes and cauliflower (and naturally lots of fish but always baked with lemon and herbs); and they had a lot of stews and also reindeer. But now, it’s got really inventive food and great restaurants — always using locally sourced ingredients
• it’s impossibly expensive. Europe on the whole (big cities, London, Paris, Berlin, etc. ) are all expensive, but Scandinavia is shocking. A simple taxi — base price before having the taxi move one iota — starts at 9 EU (about $11); simple Metro ticket for the day is about $4 (and remember that the Metro has only one line going back and forth); coffee and simple breakfast pastry is about $8; Iitala (glassware made in Finland that was unbelievably cheap when we lived there).. a simple glass runs about $25… Dinner for two with two glasses of wine (one each), two small plates, one main course to share, one dessert to share comes to about $120 in a nice (but not most elegant) restaurant.. a simple lunch in a basic café is about $50. So, if you plan to visit Helsinki — and you should — start saving now! (a University of Helsinki tee shirt in the student bookstore costs $30)
• some things have disappeared — corner flower stalls that used to proliferate in every neighborhood are gone; little “baaris” that were at nearly every corner (serving coffee or wine or beer, simple sandwiches, pastries) are gone — replaced by more upscale cafes.
• more people overall — while the nation’s population has not increased much, the population of Helsinki has increased significantly.. people are moving from rural areas into the cities
• Metro (when we lived there, the Metro hadn’t yet been built)
• Waterfront small boats that pull to the shore and sell fish right off the boat replaced by larger ships picking up tourists to cruise to Scandinavia and Russia
• Everyone can speak English (especially in the city), as well as an assortment of several other languages

Second what’s stayed the same:

• It’s a wonderfully thoughtful country that maintains a steady position
• The preservation of design and keeping crafts alive are secure and respected
• A sense of place and purpose, a concern about the environment, a strong K-12 education system
• Financial support for the arts, architecture, healthcare, publishing (One of our friends who recently retired as a Professor of Sociology was funded to write a book on his evolution of his thinking methods as a sociologist)
• Bookstores everywhere, including one of the largest in the world — Akateeminen Kirjakauppa..
• A prevailing sense of calm, although there is a wide variety of activities in which to partake (music, theater, art, outdoor activities)
• It’s clean; you never see trash or graffiti (unless it’s purposeful art), no litter, and if there is homelessness it’s very very tiny..(and with services)
• Low income people live side by side with wealthier people in wonderfully designed housing
• No sprawl and no “fake communities”
• Finland has a strong multi-party system and coalition governments that form as a result of the largest party. Parties not part of the government are called opposition parties. The system has been stable for about 100 years..

But what you really realize is that with a 35 – 45% tax rate on income (for professionals and those in the middle class — higher percentage for those making more money) and no military budget to speak of and no wars to support, Finland is able to be an amazingly human and humanistic nation. They can fund a superb healthcare system, public education (K-12 cited over and again as the model for the world — although I’d have some questions about that), a strong university system, the arts, infrastructure, etc. Of course it’s a small country.. 5,000,000 people +/-.. .. And the spread between the rich and poor is not like in the US.. and you don’t see the trappings of wealth and/or poverty like you see easily in the US. I don’t think there’s a lot of “old money” and the few highly successful and very very well paid entrepreneurs (like the founder of Rovio – Angry Birds or the founder of Nokkia) don’t seem to be the models for what one wants to be). To live in Finland (to really live in Finland) means to love the countryside, to revel in the small nation’s successes, to agree that healthcare, child care, and good housing are rights, and to see the arts (poetry, visual, audio, etc.) as an important ingredient for life. In Finland, women get an automatic 6 months with pay for maternity leave; 6 additional months if you want with 50% pay, and up to 18 months’ time off with your job secured for your return. University faculty are part of the civil employees union. So it’s easy to see where your tax dollars go, and that must feel good.

It was good to return to Helsinki even for such a short time. We know the city well and we’ve traveled throughout the country several times. So it feels like home.. but a very different home than we have in the US. Everyone should experience it, but it’s a difficult place to visit for just a short time as I’ve always felt that without the particular excitement and focused attractions of other cities (London’s theater and Paris’ food, etc.), Helsinki may at first appear dull.. But it’s definitely not that once you know it.

Take care..

Headed to board the Frankfurt to SFO flight

Viime päivä (Last Day) in Helsinki…

Jäähyväiset Helsinki ja Suomi : Farewell to Helsinki and Finland (for now — until 2019) It’s Friday evening.. just about to head out for dinner to Boulevard Social.. owned by the same folks who have Gaijin restaurant which was quite wonderful. I ate at Boulevard Social when I was here in October.  Took off early this morning for Market Square.. walked around (I still have the cane — which I’ve already lost twice in shops and cafes).. We remembered the market fondly having spent a lot of time there getting our food since in those days we didn’t have a freezer and we had only a very very little refrigerator.. and yes, we did eat at home nearly every night. We were pretty poor (living on Fulbright stipend).

Anyway, parts of the market remain unchanged.. but there are now goodies for tourists and more places to eat.. and Helsinki also has one of those ridiculous ferris wheels that all cities (including Seattle) seem to be installing. It’s a broad outdoor market that edges the waterfront so it’s a great space surrounded by city streets and slightly up the hill (about three blocks) in one direction are the grand buildings of the University of Helsinki and off to another end just in the distance is the old Russian Orthodox Church, complete with glittering gold ogee domes. It’s a wonderfully urban waterfront. We also strolled through the Vanha Kauppa Halle (Old market hall) which has been renovated completely. It was originally built as a complete indoor market in 1888 (and when we lived here it was just that).. fish mongers, meat stalls, vegetables, etc. It’s still wonderful but very different. The renovated version (impeccably done as only the Finns can do it) houses some meat and fish and vegetable stalls, but also wine bars, and little tiny restaurants, and coffee section, etc. We immediately decided we’d come back later in the day for a nice simple lunch (perhaps choose from one of about 20 different kinds of smoked salmons??) We then headed off to see a newly constructed small non-denominational chapel — Kamppi Chapel — right in downtown (we walked by the way.. had planned on taxi, but it just didn’t happen as we kept walking as we talked about maybe getting a taxi to preserve my foot.)

It’s quite innovative and uses only wood. The main hall is quite imposing and serene.. about 40′ high… It’s amazingly spartan and serene with the curving wood wall in a seamless movement.. and funny since it sits in a totally bustling area with buses and taxis and department stores all around… But all of that is blocked out.. the only light comes from above and you really feel the warmth of the wood.. The façade is made of horizontal spruce strips, bent at different radiuses. The wood is glazed with a special wax utilizing nanotechnology. The frame was made with huge gluelam beams, which were cut to shape.

Then we went to visit the new university library which is also a really interesting building with a supermarket on the ground floor, a connection to the Metro at the first level, lobby is a café, and about 7 floors of books and meeting rooms with incredible light coming through some oval shape skylights high above.. The building also has open spaces and decks and is situated smack in the center of the city.. It is contiguous to housing and office buildings that have nothing to do with the university..

OK.. we did the architecture bit!

On to have lunch at the market hall.. Then we just walked the town.. in between the rain.. And now we’re headed out to eat..

I’m going to write one last note tomorrow with some thoughts about Finland — a country that doesn’t have to pay for a military.. and what that means from a social standpoint.

Best to all.. We’re headed home tomorrow (Saturday).

 Fern

Terve Terve –

For the foodies.. our sapas were quite wonderful, although small and requiring at least one main course (which we shared)… Began the meal with cocktails.. me: gin with some spruce sprig and gooseberry soda.. Mike a traditional scotch. We shared a bunch of “sapas” including: Trout sausage with roe and horseradish; Baked porridge with smoked Baltic herring and cucumber; potatoes from Herttoniemi with onion; “Cabbage pie” with kohlrabi; Organic beef, dill and beetroot; and beef on a stick with fennel.. and for the main course we had some kind of pork with black currant leaf and marinated onions.. followed by a dessert which was a “cheese” cake (not actually cheese) with local berries.

That was dinner.. in a very cute, neighborhood place with a name chef (something unheard of when we lived here and food was quite basic.. meat and potatoes or fish and potatoes.. and maybe cauliflower soup.. )

On to Friday (perjantai).. our last day in Helsinki (viime päivä)… By the way, absolutely everyone speaks English now.. and I mean everyone.. and they speak it very well. When we lived here only a few (mostly the most educated) spoke English. It’s useless for us to even try to use what little Finnish we remember as everyone immediately flips to English.. It’s embarrassing. Especially since most of them speak other languages well (beyond English.. and they all speak Swedish fluently.. that’s a requirement.) I might have mentioned earlier that since Finland is a bilingual country.. all signs are in both Finnish and Swedish.. and if you go to a town where the Swedish Finns are the majority the signage is in Swedish first and Finnish second.. But when you are in a city where the Finns are the majority Finnish is on top.. and Swedish second. Same in the cinema where the titles are also in both languages and priority is based on majority population. It’s been wonderful to be back.. It does feel like a second home.

Today we are off to see a new library for the University, a new church in the downtown which is the result of an architectural competition (as are many of the building here).. and to the market and random places in between. Hopefully no more shoes (especially ones that I am unlikely to wear after my foot heals). By the way, yesterday, as we were in the taxi, the Presidential “motorcade” passed by and traffic stopped.. Motorcade consists of the president’s car and one other car.. Not much of a big deal. The taxi driver was laughing as we couldn’t figure out where the President was coming or going.. “so maybe,” said the taxi driver, “he’s just going shopping” as he was very close to Stockmann’s, the major department store!

Fern

Terve Terve

Hope all is well in the states and wherever you may be.

Started out this morning at the Clinic Mehiläinen — a private clinic with every kind of specialty you can imagine. Took a number (you take numbers for everything in Finland) and was called up in less than five minutes. After filling out a simple form and paying 150 EU, I was sent to wait in front of an examining room and the doctor (in jeans and sneakers and somewhat unshaven in a sexy way.. oh had a lab coat on too) came out to greet me about a minute later. Looked at my foot and decided I should get x-rays — down the hall. I was called for the x-ray immediately and they shot three angles.. then went back to the doctor who looked at the x-rays with me on the computer. So I have a fracture in the fifth metatarsal (but in his words “in a very good position”). I think this means that it is not near a joint so there is room to heal. He suggested I wear some shoes with thick rubber soles and take it easy, but did not say I needed to be bedridden. I left with a CD of the x-rays.. and had to pay an additional 75 EU. (I could have gone to the ER at the public hospital and been treated for free, but I would have to wait, so this seemed the easiest.

From the Clinic, we stopped at a shoe store and I picked up a rather nice pair of black shoes (Campers) that have a soft thick sole.. I wore them out of the store.. Then we headed by taxi to Eerikinkatu 25B where we had an apartment when we lived in Helsinki. We’ve returned to take pictures in front of the building every time we’ve visited. The building hasn’t changed at all, but the neighborhood is much more upscale than when we lived there. The neighborhood is called Kamppi and because of its proximity to both downtown and to the harbor (which at the time we lived there, was a working harbor) it was known for its high number of “pulijokis” (drunks). Indeed in the little park (a small triangle area formed by the convergence of some angled streets) there is now a statue to Arvo Parkkila (a formerly homeless alcoholic) who formed a support group for other homeless alcoholics and helped them find food, shelter, and emergency care. (So who knows, I might have met Arvo when I lived there as we came upon many drunkards on the street when arriving home late.)

Because of my foot, we walked slowly — covering less ground than I would have liked, but still we walked from Eerikinkatu (which is no longer the haven of the homeless and alcoholics but rather the center of the Finnish Design District with lots of small stores of artisans, jewelers, craftspeople, weavers, and clothing and furniture designers!!) So we strolled the area in a somewhat pre-determined route because there were definitely a few places we (maybe I) wanted to get to, including the atelier of Vuokko a wonderful Finnish fabric and clothing designer with a long history in Helsinki — designing her own collection since the 60s and before that she was a major player in developing the artistic style of Marimekko, as the head designer. In my opinion, her work is much truer to the origins of the Marimekko line than the Marimekko we see today. Indeed, she was responsible for the simple Marimekko stripe shirts. Vuokko Nurmesniemi’s signature design was the simple red and white striped shirt named Jokapoika. At 84, she’s still a strong designer and working away! Anyway, while I’ve been to the shop many times over the years it is rare that I can buy anything for myself as her designs are for much taller women.. But… Mike bought a great shirt! Watch out.. here comes Mike the fashionista!! (Oh it’s just grey and black stripes.. but quite wonderful)..

After about an hour or so, I felt the new shoes were actually hurting my foot… so we stumbled on some weird shop that was having a sale with piles of shoes in random sizes and styles all over the place.. and I purchased another pair of shoes.. sort of black sneaker-type shoes made in Sweden for 10 EU.. A total bargain.. I’m sure the place is a front for something.. So then I wore those shoes for the rest of the day.

Along the way we stopped for a light lunch.. at Maxell.. a small café not too far from the Design Center.. shared a salad that had (naturally) grilled salmon, a variety of lettuces, cucumbers, avocado, ginger, and a wasabi dressing.. and wonderful black bread with fruit baked inside. Yummy.

Made a brief stop at the Architecture Design Museum, which is in a wonderful Deco-ish building (Helsinki has a large number of fantastic buildings from the 1920s that are beautifully preserved, with a great deal of stone carvings and interesting graphics).. They had an exhibit of the award winning architecture for the year. Finnish design — always well done (except for that Radisson Hotel we stayed at for the first two nights), lots of wood and glass, strong geometry, great sense of place and space. Eventually meandered back to the hotel just as the rain started. Just as we settled into the room to relax, the sun came out.. Considered strolling to Market Square at the water, but decided not to risk it since it looked like rain would start again.. And it did — about 30 minutes later. I had a conference call to take with a Miami group.. So now we are both working (me– as soon as I finish this note), and will head out for dinner in an hour or so. I think we are going to a new place (lots of interesting new young chefs in Helsinki creating very fascinating fusion cooking) We’re headed to a place called Juuri.. serving “sapas” which are like tapas (but maybe smaller?).. but named after the chef I believe.

Will let you know the results of the meal.. tomorrow.

Back to work.

Fern

Terve Terve

After returning to the Radisson Hotel last night.. and limping along from the Metro station to the hotel, we decided to relocate early this morning to the Hotel Kamp… a wonderful hotel with a colorful history in the very center of Helsinki … in close proximity to everything and excellent access to public transit.

Like the Soho Hotel in Berlin, the Kämp also has an interesting story –It’s 125-years old. Carl Kämp was born in 1848 and moved to Helsinki as a young man and established a restaurant which became well-known. His goal was to design and build a modern, continental hotel in Helsinki. He hired Theodor Höijer who created a grand design that was completed in 1887.. right at Pohoisesplanadi and Kluuvikatu. It was praised as “regal, magnificent” and was the first hotel in all of Finland to have an elevator. It quickly became a gathering place for the political and cultural scene of Helsinki. In those days, cafés and restaurants were where people got the latest news and gossip and Kämp became an important center for daily news. Indeed, the staff of what is now the Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki’s version of the New York Times) used to have daily meetings in the Hotel café.

Some very important Finns gathered at the Kamp and even stayed for long periods of time. Mannerheim, Finnish military leader, stayed at Hotel Kämp for several months in 1919. (Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, commander in chief of Finland’s defense forces during WWII, and the 6th president of Finland. They say that in a survey conducted in Finland more than 50 years after his death, Mannerheim was named the greatest Finn of all time. He’s also credited with preserving Finland’s independence from Russia, and is basically hailed as the father of modern Finland.) Many other important Finns, including Sibelius, would gather at the restaurant/hotel. In the 60s the bar was a hangout for Finland’s left.

But then the hotel hit rough times and in the early 1960s one of the large banks (Kansallis-Osake-Pankki) decided to buy the building and use it as a bank and office building. To do this they wanted to demolish the old building and replace it with a modern one. A people’s movement formed to stop the demolition and the issue became a national controversy. In the mid-1960s, there was a party to give the old hotel a farewell and a new bank was built, but with some nod to preservation by retaining the façade and some staircases. The bank (KOP) was located at the site until the late 1990s when the Hotel was brought back to life. It’s a great hotel with impeccable service, grand rooms, and the lap of luxury. (Mike thought this would be good for me medically!)

Anyway, we checked into the Hotel and headed across the way to Fazer for a light but traditional Finnish breakfast…Karjalan Piirakka (Karelian Pie) With Egg Butter.. It’s a traditional Finnish item made with a thin rye crust and a filling of ground rice. Egg butter is spread over the top and it is heated.

And then we headed to the TaideHalle (Art Hall) to meet old friends (Antti and Heidi Paatero) to see the exhibit of the work of Hilma af Klimt — a Swedish painter (1862-1944) who was painting abstract works in the early 1900s, years before the major works of Kandinsky and Malevich. In her will, she protected her work from publicity, such that it was not to be exhibited until 20 years after her death.. She was apparently convinced that only future generations would appreciate it. It was quite fascinating and her story was interesting.. She was part of a group of women who called themselves “The Five” (a group that met weekly to discuss their work and also their belief in mysticism and supposedly performed séances). Her paintings were often a representation of spiritual ideas. The Five created what they called “automatic drawing” in the late 1890s.. and she dealt strongly with a visual language that was highly geometric. Obviously in those days women artists were not taken seriously and that could be why she didn’t want her work exhibited until much later…

From there, the four of us walked (yes I’m walking.. although still limping) to a classic Finnish restaurant called Elite (a mainstay since the 1930s favored by Finland’s cultural and artistic circles.. We had so much to talk about and reminisce about that we were at the restaurant for about five hours. We managed to cover family changes, professional changes, the state of the Finnish and European economy, US politics, American and Finnish health care, and more). Antti is a (somewhat recently semi-retired) interior architect, known for having done the interior spaces and also renovation of many public buildings — most especially the President’s official residence, as well as the Mikel and Rauma town halls, several churches and also the Helsinki Opera House. Heidi was the minister of social affairs and health. I met Heidi rather randomly when we lived here.. (I was trying to buy bread crumbs, but I didn’t know the Finnish word for it. I was in a bakery in the neighborhood where we lived.. and I asked for “small bread” — Piney Lippi; and they showed me rolls, so I asked for “pieni, pieni, pieni leippa”.. small, small, small bread; no one knew what I wanted.. But I was determined and the line behind me kept growing longer and longer; people were probably getting frustrated. Anyway, suddenly a woman came from the back of the line and asked if I spoke English.. and what did I want. She laughed and asked for the bread crumbs in Finnish.. and then she invited us for dinner the following week. We became good friends as did Mike and Antti who share a lot of similar philosophical positions about architecture and planning.)

We all then hopped on a tram to meander through Helsinki noting new buildings, changes since our last visit (five years for Mike and only 10 months for me).. and happily arrived at the hotel before it started to pour (complete with lightning and thunder and a grand rainbow). So we did what all good Finns do — we retreated to the bar! and continued the ongoing conversation.

Tomorrow morning I will go to a local clinic to have my foot looked at; perhaps an x-ray. I don’t think it’s a problem, but Heidi with her medical background convinced me that it should at least be looked at. So, rather than sitting in a hospital ER she said I could go to one of the new private clinics (yes they have private medical clinics now — something they didn’t have when we lived here) in a social-democrat country. And that’s a long story.

Off to dinner.. More tomorrow. I think we are fairly free and on our own most of Thursday and Friday. We’ll scout around to some of the places we were familiar with in the days we lived here.. Possibly drive (or train) to Porvoo, but I think the extent of the travel will depend on my foot… I’ve been walking and it’s been fine.. just a little slow and a slight limp.. but much less pain. (Thanks to all of you who have contacted me with worry about my foot).

Hyvästi nyt (goodbye for now)

Fern

PS — Just got back from dinner and the small world stories continue.. In the hotel restaurant (which we decided to frequent given that it was raining hard and my foot was tired from a whole day of activities.. ), Mike ran into a faculty member from UW Architecture School. She had been teaching in the department’s Scandinavian Summer Program.. and had stomach pains for a few days and finally went to a doctor to check it out and had a ruptured appendix and was in the hospital for 12 days.. This was her first day out of the hospital!

Terve Terve –

First whole day in Helsinki

For those following the travails… It’s great to be back in Finland (even though I was just here in October). I truly love Helsinki and am happy to return whenever I can, although the general plan is to come every 5 years and we’ve been doing that consistently for the past 25 years. It’s great to return to a place that you know fairly well, where you have friends, and where you can also see change (and be able to support and be critical of that change).

We tried to get an early start this morning, but it was slow going with my foot… So the first stop today was to the Apteeki (pharmacy) where I bought a cane! I’m not very good with the cane and nearly killed myself tripping over it.. But I’m getting the hang of it. Once fitted with the cane, we walked to the next block to have breakfast/lunch at Ekberg.. our favorite bread and pastry place in all of Helsinki.. with a history of more than 170 years in the same location on Bulevardi in downtown Helsinki. How convenient that the Apteeki was just a block away!

After this, we took the Metro to Herttoniemi.. Given that I can’t walk much or for great distances we decided that we’d head out to get some gifts at the Marimekko factory store which we could reach by Metro (although once you exit the Metro it’s about a 3/4 mile walk).. It seemed like shopping would be a good activity since we had plans to meet friends later in the afternoon and with limited mobility this seemed like the plan.. Herttoniemi is a neighborhood (we might call it a suburb) in Helsinki. It’s about 7 km east of the city center and takes about 10 minutes by Metro. There was once a large harbor in Herttoniemi, but in the 1990s, the industrial harbor was demolished and replaced by a residential area and marina. but there is still the feeling of industry in the center.. and Marimekko has some functions there. As most people now know Marimekko is a wonderful Finnish design company that is an incredible export of the country. The name Marimekko came about with the first four letters as an anagram of the first name of the company’s founder (Armi = Mari).. and the word “mekko” means “dress” in Finnish.. And it was the dresses that Armi Ratia designed and the fabrics she silk screened that started Marimekko… in the early 1950s. When I lived in Finland there were about four Marimekko stores and the only way to purchase Marimekko products was to be in Finland.. Now it’s an industry with stores all around the world and many many more products than just fabrics and dresses. And the prices reflect the growth and success.

Anyway, after Herttoniemi (I walked back to the Metro station… so by now I had walked about 2 miles).. we came back downtown.. had a very quick lunch at some Nepalese place near the Metro station.. and headed to the hotel to freshen up to meet friends. Took Metro out to Myllypouru where our friends have lived for many years. By the way the Metro in Helsinki … which didn’t exist when we lived here … is just one line that goes about 17 stops and covers about 14 miles.. After about 11 stops it splits and one line goes to Vuosaari and the other goes to Mellunmaki.. In general it ties the downtown to the eastern suburbs. Anyway, after a nice reunion, a great dinner, champagne, and wine, we headed back to the hotel, to pack up as we decided to relocate to a different hotel.

We are headed to the Hotelli Kamp… It’s a wonderful hotel situated right in the center, just off the Esplanaadi. Long story about the change, maybe to be explained tomorrow.

All my best

Tervetuloa –

Fern