In August we travelled to Finland and Sweden for a summer holiday, one glorious week in each country. It feels like a bit of a distant memory now, two weeks into the new school year, (and straight into autumn with unseasonably cold temperatures), but it was probably one of the best holidays we've ever had.
We went with another family, friends since university and with teenage children of similar ages to our own. I often think that holidaying with friends makes us make that bit more effort; go that bit further, stay out that bit longer, perhaps be a little more adventurous. It was a better holiday for sharing it with such lovely people. We laughed a lot.
We stayed in an AirBnB near Ekanas in Southern Finland. It was magical. The house was two buildings, an old and new one, joined by a glass walkway.
It was crammed with books (so many books!) in many languages, art, effortlessly elegant Scandinavian furniture and clutter on every surface. It was captivating.
Windows at the rear of the house looked out over the water, reflecting the ever-changing sky and landscape. The island opposite us reminded me constantly of Tove Jansson's Summer Book and Winter Book, with their evocative descriptions long, light months spent swimming and exploring from her summer cabin.
The grounds were endless. You weren't really aware of neighbours - there might be another summer house in the distance. They were lovingly maintained with a vegetable patch, log pile, many outbuildings, fishing rods and even rowing boats for us to use.
But I think probably the best thing was the sauna. This building below, with the pink door, housed a wood-fired sauna and changing room. It was probably the highlight of the whole holiday.
From the sauna, you could walk down to the water and climb down the steps, ready to swim.
And then you were in the Baltic sea, which here was surprisingly warm and felt a lot like swimming in a lake as you could see land all around you, so you never have that open sea sense of wide horizons.
We went out and about exploring every day, but I think the highlight for all of us was coming home, lighting the sauna, sitting in the sauna, then swimming in the sea afterwards. I never really understood the appeal of a sauna before, but followed by a dip in the sea, I do. You feel cleansed and energised. All the cliches are true.
Then we would shower and start cooking dinner, often on the barbecue outside.
We were very lucky with the weather the whole time we were in Finland (and Sweden) with temperates in the low to mid twenties and blue skies. There was the odd rain shower but nothing much. Apart from the day we visited Helsinki, in which it rained really heavily a lot. We sought shelter in Temppeliaukio, the church built into the rock.
Hanko, known as the Finnish Riviera, felt like a different country.
Turku was also not far from us, perhaps an hour, and full of more of a faded European charm than Helsinki, which felt quite Russian in some of its architecture.
We sat outside by the river, with coffee and cinnamon buns, before exploring the cathedral.
On the way back from Turku, we decided to stop off at Paimio Sanatorium, a wonder of a building nestled deep within the Finnish forest. Designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto, this used to be a hospital to help people recover from TB, back when people believed that fresh air and sunshine would cure all. Functional, beautiful and designed for the greater good, it's a brilliant example of the Finnish sense of social responsibility and love of nature, so that people could heal in the specially designed rooms and balconies with the clean air around them.
Another highlight was the village of Fiskars, home of the famous scissors and an excellent example of a Finnish phone box.
It's sort of a cross between a museum and craft fair, with lots of pretty old buildings selling all manner of handmade items with some lovely restaurants and cafes. We found an excellent brewery in which I had some of the best fish and chips I've ever tasted.
I'm still regretting not buying those blue and white socks though.
Ekenas, our nearest town and supermarket, was small and friendly. We explored the old town, ate a Finnish buffet for lunch (lots of fish, lots of dill, lots of potatoes, all delicious), wandered around the harbour and I had my first liquorice ice cream. No other ice cream will come close.
We loved Finland very, very much.
I don't know if it was the sauna, the liquorice, the wide open spaces, the deer (and even a moose!) we saw constantly in fields, the swimming in the sea every day (even in the rain!), the food, the friendly people, so keen to show off their stunning country, or just all of the above.
It was perfect. People often worry that Scandinavian and Nordic countries are expensive and I think, in the past, yes they were. I remember that when John and I went to Copenhagen for our 10th wedding anniversary some years ago we found it pricey, and I have read that Norway is still very expensive to visit. But we didn't find Finland or Sweden particularly more expensive to shop, eat and drink than the UK. Due to the rise in the cost of living here in the UK over the last few years, food and drink prices felt quite similar. Food shopping was more, but we were buying more treats than we would at home, so it was hard to make a fair comparison. Eating out in cities in nice restaurants was on a par with eating out in London; local places were cheaper. I think I helped boost the Finnish economy with the amount of Marrimekko products and liquorice I bought though, so that's good.
Week two in Sweden is coming up soon, then I need to show you my souvenirs, and tell you all about the holiday embroidery I've begun.
