Published on

March 1, 2024

Hobbyhorsing in Helsinki

Helsinki is a good place for riding!

Our friends from Colorado spent 2 hours with us, enjoying and getting a lot of laughter from the people that saw us. 

They wrote to us:
Hi Timo,

As I suspected but can now confirm, our hobby horse tour with you and Olga was our favorite activity in Finland! We are on our last night in Helsinki and you win the gold medal! 

Thank you and Olga both for an absolutely wonderful time trotting and talking and learning about Finland. We wish you all the very best and again, thank you!

Hugs,
Heather and Tommy

Published on

December 3, 2023

Christmas event in nuuksio

In northern part of Nuuksio National Forest is a cozy small cabin "The Northern Village of Nuuksio - Nuuksion Pohjoinen Pirtti". During first week of december we had a traditional day of christmas stuff sales, sledge-riding and good food.

Santa and mama Santa had a horse-pulled sledge tour - this is a real finnish tradition!

Santa and mama Santa found one of the best male singers, mr. Jari Sillanpää visiting Nuuksio Northern Village.

Published on

November 7, 2023

Mushroom picking in sipoo

Rather near Helsinki we have the National Forest of Sipoonkorpi, In late autumn there grows a lot of delicious Funnell Chanterel mushrooms.

Funnell Chanterel mushrooms

Funnell Chanterel mushrooms grow often in the moss

After picking up some mushrooms, we had also Real Finnish Forest Food: Sausages!

Published on

October 23, 2023

Church of kallio helsinki

We had a rare opportunity to climb up to the tower of Kallio Church in Helsinki

Stairs up to the tower

Round hole above the altar

The same hole from above

This is how it looks like above the internal roof of the church

The church bells are operated with this drum timing machine. Bells play Jean Sibelius tune "A Choral Collection, Vol 2" 2 times a day.

Sibelius tune

Published on

September 22, 2023

Mushrooms from sipoo forest

Rule number one: get to know the poisonous mushrooms
Rule number two: Pick only mushrooms you know

These mushrooms grow rather late in the autumn, until they freeze and crack

Hmmm... mushrooms

Published on

September 16, 2023

Hobby-horsing in Helsinki

jillian Stewart from Australia riding a hobby horse in Helsinki

If you don't try, you'll never know how ridiculously fun this riding is...

Published on

August 24, 2023

GHOST CASTLE OF RÖYKKÄ

In Nurmijärvi southern Finland we found an old hospital building named Röykkä.

This old hospital has served as pulmonary sanatorium but the previous owner town of Helsinki has wanted to ret rid of it. Look how beautiful architecture it has! 

This building has been used as the home of the hospital doctor. Desigh by Helen Schjerfbeck's brother Magnus Schjerfbeck!

We have heard rumours that in this tower wanders an old white-drobed ghost lady, searching for something that we do not know

This old hospital building is located beside chrystal clear water lake

Published on

July 2, 2023

Portugal and spain lighthouses

Finland's Lighthouse Society members planned to have a 2 weeks tour into the Atlantic coastline of Portugal and Spain.

In Lisbon, Portugal they have a tram which can climb up the hills by tilting the cabin

Tram service had an accident and we had to take a Tuk-Tuk to see some sights of Lissabon - driver droved like he lived there...

Portuguese Bögö

Portugal is a sea-farer country. They have built a lot of lighthouses on the coastline, here is the first we saw, the Santa Marta Lighthouse.

Atlantic cost has completely different kind of flora than in Finland

Lighthouse lamps

Vigo harbour in Spain

Vigo airport car rent office gave us a car that had scratches in the sides. Take always photos of the car when you receive it!

After leaving Vigo, it was time to have some lunch in Santiago de Compostella

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The organs of Santiago de Compostella Cathedral had "Spanish horns"

We wanted to log the geocache in the church wall, but this older man was muggling around. Finally I just took the container and logged the cache...

This is the place whre the Santiago de Compostela walkers are ending their walk: FinisTerra beside the sea shore

One German geocacher was found

Icecream time!

In Spain we saw food storage constructions standing on legs and stone plates

Next lighthouse...

Nice sunset

Seawater farm for oysters or other mollusks

Sea Fennel (merifenkoli, Crithmum)

The oldest lighthouse in Spain was built by the Romans a couple thousand years ago

Kaija and Arja at the Hercule park

European Pea (Ulex europaeus), Euroopanpiikkiherne

Here should be a geocache? Pretty hot to walk down and up

Oh Yes!

This site had also been a military cannon bunker

And then, back to the basics!

Many kind of seafood available

 LOS CUBOS DE LA MEMORIA DE LLANES

Kiiltokielopuu 

Roof paintings in a cave

Modern way of lighting a candle: place the donation and the candle will spread the light!

Jesus Christ!

One hour of walking down and 2 hours back...

Canfranc railway station converted to a hotel

Published on

June 23, 2023

Malesian group in nuuksio

I was lucky enough to be the gude for one Malesian traveller group in Helsinki.
​They wanted to go to Nuuksio, but as it was midsummer, I had to tell them that all services, including the restaurant in Haltia would be closed. So I proposed them that we go to Salmi area.

Our bus driver was a member of Etelälahti caravan area club, so we drove there and had a nice walk in the Northern Nuuksio park.

Language education

Team leader in Pikku-Parikas lake

Published on

June 18, 2023

Summer tour to tallinn

Summer 2023 had better travelling opportunities and gave also more guided tour opportunities after the Covid 19 pandemic.
We had travelers from several areas of USA, and mostly often the weather was also brilliant.

Old houses in Tallinn's evening

Medieval old town walls and guarding towers

Town wal gate beside "Fat Margaret"-tower

During the soviet occupation many Estonians were arrested by the soviet secret police KGB and disappeared. Tallinn has a special museum to remind people of the russian way of security

During one tour to Tallinn we were lucky to meet local old church Pyha Vaimu (Holy Ghost / Spirit) priest and also one of the bishops from Finland, mr. Matti Repo (brother of the author, by the way...)

There is always room for a good beefsteak!