I just returned from a weeklong school trip in Sweden and Finland. During our travels we went to many architectural sites to study the design elements, sketch, and listen to student presentations about the buildings.
First, this trip revitalized me soul. Getting out of my normal routine in the city, away from school work, and into an exciting environment with lots of nature and new people to meet made this trip immensely gratifying and rewarding. But briefly, the food was best in Sweden, but I had the most fun in Finland.
We flew to Stockholm on 10/21 and spent 3 days, 2 nights there. During our time we walked through the medieval city, went to the modern art museum (very nice), saw lots of churches, a library, and a cemetery. While in Stockholm I picked up some postcards and a propaganda pin from China with a bust of General Mao. As I said, the food in Sweden was fantastic. Swedish meatballs combined with mashed potatoes, and a tart lingonberry sauce (I think it was Lingonberry sauce) is to die for. At the Artipelag museum outside of Stockholm we had the best buffet I have every been to. Endless amounts of food created by a chef who recently won first place at an international gastronomy competition made this meal the most memorable of the trip! The Artipelag museum is also on a beautiful lake and surrounded by woods and walking trails. After walking around the surrounding forest I sat on the rocky shore of the lake and meditated. It was this moment that I truly began to de-stress. I cannot tell you how good it felt to be surrounded by nature, sitting on a rocky lake front that looked exactly like the campsites in Georgian Bay and the Apostle Islands. On October 23 at 19:30 we boarded the large cruise ship that would take us to Turku, Finland. This ship was run by Viking Cruise Line
We had a dinner buffet on the ship -- which wasn't very good. After dinner I spent time talking with friends on the lower decks. Later in the evening I spent time on the top deck of the ship, enjoying the dark silhouette of passing conifers and the crisp air. I awoke early to meet friends on the top deck and see the sunrise at 6:10 Finland time. But, as a true testament to the Nordic countries and their short winter days, the sun did not completely rise until 8:30. So we just watched the moon instead! Overall, the overnight cruise gave me a chance to hang out with my new friends and enjoy a mode of transport I don't often take. Luckily I did not get sea sick!
Now in Turku Finland, we boarded a bus to visit some famous churches and the Villa Mairea -- a house in the Finnish countryside designed by Alvar Aalto. In Finland there are many moose crossing signs. I was lucky enough to see a moose while we were driving. It was standing at the entrance of the woods. Quite amazing! After the 4 hour bus ride we arrived in Helsinki at 18:45. I went to a nice restaurant with a few friends and had a reindeer steak. The meat was pretty rare and certainly gamy. Luckily the sauce was very good! Anyway, you can see why I loved Finland so much. Within 12 hours of being there I had already experienced an AMAZING sun rise while riding in the bus, a trip to the country side, seeing a moose, and eating a new food -- reindeer! The next day, Thursday, we went to a college campus, saw a Finish middle school, and went to an old house/museum. The museum was boring but I did find a book about the cutlery company Fiskars! I bought the last one. It it filled with fantastic hand drawings of the tools and knifes that Fiskars used to make. Very happy with the purchase. This souvenir is another reason why Finland was great. However, my time in Finland was over-the-top amazing because of what we did Thursday night - our last night in Finland.
After a long, jam-packed day, we drove 45 minutes out of the city to a National Forest. A middle aged man named Pekka Väävänen had rented land from the National Forest and had created a sort of visitors center were he guided tours into the forest, served traditional Finish food, and offered guests the opportunity to use the wood sauna. We arrived at 18:00 and sat down for a traditional Finish meal. We had a delectable and creamy mushroom soup. All the mushrooms were harvested in the wild by Pekka! Then we had shredded reindeer meat with mashed potatoes. It was so good. Then all the men went to a log cabin built in 1804 and had coffee (made on an open fire in an old kettle in the fireplace) while the women took their turns in the sauna. We shared stories and Pekka's intern sang traditional Finish songs and played the guitar. The air outside was cold, the fire inside warm, the stories that Pekka told of a life in the woods was inspiring. Again, this experience in the woods in a traditional cabin with a real fire rejuvenated my soul and made my time in Finland unforgettable. After an hour or so we went to the sauna. Many of the males in our group were anxiously excited. They asked the girls for tips and details about what it was like. They jumped up and down, patting each other on the back in nervous excitement. I stood in the corner, calm and ready to face the cold water and the hot smoke of the sauna. I walked into the cold air and confidently, yet cautiously made my way down the icy, wooden pier. I arrived at the edge of the dock, the first male to jump into the 6° C water. I let my towel drop to my feet and jumped without hesitation into the cold water, ready to be cleansed. With the body shocked and shaking violently I wrapped my towel around me and carefully made my way to the sauna. The sauna was a fantastic bonding experience for all the males in the group. We had great conversation. Each of us jumped into the water 6 times. On the 5th jump we all swam in the water for at least 30 seconds before we got out of the water. After the sauna, bodies detoxed we headed back to the red 1804 cabin to join the girls. Pekka is a very old school type of guy -- a man's man who lives in the wood. His old school ways allowed us to experience the old, non-computerized ways of entertainment -- singing songs around the campfire, telling stories, and encouraging the musically inclined in our group to sing and play guitar. It was an amazing experience--one that touched my soul. We then got on the bus and drove back to Helsinki -- arriving back at the hotel around 22:20.
It had snowed while I was sleeping. Helsinki now had a beautiful dusting of snow. We walked through the city and went to the Helsinki Senate Square. The stairs to the main building are so steep. The massive scale of the square combined with the cold and snowy weather make it feel like we were in soviet Russia -- of course this was just a feeling and may not be accurate at all (especially because the architecture in the square is not very soviet). After that our group went to a cafe and had hot drinks and cake. We looked at each others sketchbooks as we warmed up. Next, two of my friends and I went shopping in the downtown area. I went into the Marttini Knife flagship store and bought a very traditional Scandinavian wood carving knife. We also went to the Marrimekko flagship store -- very cool and popped into some other design shops. Next, we went to the Ateneum museum and saw some amazing Finish art. Last, we went to the Alvar Aalto cafe and took pictures. Our group got on a bus to visit the last site of the trip. Finally we went to the Helsinki airport. Our flight was delayed 2.5 hours. I was extremely tired and really needed some alone time to recharge the batteries. Finally, we got on the plane and landed in Copenhagen about an hour later. Walked quickly to baggage claim and then headed straight to the Metro. Got off and caught the 6A bus to my dorm. The bus was jam packed. Got to room and collapsed on my bed and went to sleep.
-John
