How to scare Finnish people

Finns are quiet reserved people who specialise in minding their own business. They are helpful, not unfriendly, but they do not engage in casual conversation like New Zealanders. Talking to a stranger scares them and they actually jump in surprise! If you have a map in your hand and ask for directions, then that is fine, that has some purpose, but friendly chat is something else.

In a quiet street, two women were admiring a vintage Volvo and I stopped to take a look as well (it was in great condition and at a guess it was from the 1950s). When I said that I thought the car was great, they were visibly startled (there was no one else around) and when I continued talking one of the women straightened up, faced me directly and in a very formal tone said 'Can I help you with something?' It was so funny that I had to laugh which really puzzled her even more. I explained that I, like them, was admiring the car. She then asked where I was from and when I said New Zealand, she relaxed. Clearly my strange behaviour was now explained, but they were still disinclined to chat.

Getting it very wrong

Helsinki is a smart stylish city and the shops are packed with really great stuff that you just want to buy.

Then right in the heart of the city is this horrible apparition entitled Bad Bad Boy. Created by Finnish artist Tommi Toija, the 8 metre high statue is of a boy urinating into the harbour. It is supremely ugly and is so out of place, looking more like an angry alien than a naughty boy.

As expected it is controversial and no one is sure if it is temporary or permanent. Maybe it will just be blown over into the water.

Finnish architecture - Getting it wrong

Even the most stylish make mistakes and the Finns are no exception.

The parliament buildings look like they were dropped into the middle of Helsinki direct from North Korea. Clunky and dull, the ugly buildings are a blot on the stylish cityscape.

Not quite so bad is the National Museum. The main building isn't so ugly, but then the architect plonked this huge over sized church-like tower on to the building with all the wrong proportions.

Finnish Architecture - Getting it right

Architect Alva Aalto's Finlandia Hall still looks stylish even at 43 years old. My first  impression was that it looked very ordinary, however, later,  I realised that it looks ordinary because it has been so widely imitated and there are Finlandia Hall lookalikes everywhere including both the Wellington and Christchurch town halls.

Right next door is a brand new orchestral  concert hall, appropriately, but obviously called the Sibelius Hall.





























Even more extraordinary is the Church In The Rock. The foundations for the church were begun in 1939, but the construction was halted by the war. It wasn't until the mid 1960s that the plans were revived and this time the scale was much more modest due to budget restrictions.

As the site was a raised granite mound in a city square, the winning plans were for a church partially underground. Originally the bare rock was to be covered but as rock improves the acoustic values, the walls were left exposed.

The result is extraordinary and the church is the second most popular tourist site in Helsinki. It is very difficult to just put a finger on what makes this church magically, but you can see that it really affects people. No doubt it is a spiritual experience for some people, but for most it is an amazing contemplative space.   People just sit there just thinking. A small group of Japanese affected by the atmosphere all bowed before the altar.

My feeling it is the simplicity of the bare, solid and ancient granite that gives this place the unique feel.

Finns and food....

Some smoked fish options

Ever been to a Finnish restaurant? Ever even seen a Finnish restaurant? No? That is because there aren't any. There is of course good Finnish food but the best description is 'hearty' and given that they have seven months of winter, hearty is precisely what you want.

If there is a highlight, then it has to be fish - smoked and pickled fish in particular, both of which I really like. Of course they don't just smoke or pickled the fish, but add a wide variety of spices and herbs and then serve them every way possible.

My favourite is a herring dish baked into bread and served with hot butter... yum

Why would you?

I just don't get this sculpture. Why would any self respecting bloke do metal work naked? Playing with fire and swinging heavy hammers all without your clothes on? No way.....

Finnish Style - not a new thing

I always thought that Scandinavian style is a relatively new thing - certainly post WWII. So I was surprised to see in the Helsinki Design Museum ceramics that looked modern but were much much older. The shops here a packed with fantastic (and expensive) glassware, ceramics and fabrics all made locally.


This coffee set looks like something your mum would have had in the 1960s and only used for best when you had visitors. In fact it dates from the 1860s

These cups looks so incredibly modern yet date from 1870.

Temuka coffee set 1970? No, Helsinki 1905.

Nokia. This is the end....

For those lamenting the decline of the printed book, give poor Nokia some thought. These big bulky phones were described in 1987 as a 'mobile phone'. From these beginnings Nokia went on to dominate the mobile phone market, but now even the most optimistic Finn can't see Nokia surviving much longer. In less than 20 years, Nokia has gone from international giant to being on the brink of extinction.

The Finnish Prime Minister recently declared that ' the iphone killed Nokia and the ipad killed the Finnish paper industry.

Sign of the Finnish times ...

 This is a very upmarket women's clothing store. Maybe Acne is the name of the designer - I certainly hope so.....

 No one can tell me what Vietnamese coffee is but when the temperature is just 3c I am not really inclined to go and find out.

 This is a dog training school with the English name lost in translation.

Who said the Finns are pessimistic people? The water is freezing, the Gulf of Finland is polluted and there is no surf on the Baltic Sea, but there are at least two surf shops in Helsinki.

Lutherans again

Why do Lutherans have these cage like pews in their churches? Is it so that they can lock the worships in? Or do those little doors make it just a bit harder to sneak in late or more importantly slip away earlier?

At least the Lutherans get to sit down. In Russian Orthodox churches there is no such luxury of choice - there you either stand up or sit down, though you have a good deal more to look at.

You must be happy

Finns have a reputation for being somewhat gloom and morose and given the climate and the dense forest it is not hard to see why. But in Helsinki, the city authorities have created bright colourful  reminders to cheer up. They even have a happy website.

Finnish meat pie

This is what passes for a meat pie in Helsinki. The bun is like a soft doughnut and then it is filled with a savoury rice mix topped with relish. While tasty enough, the meat content can only be described as flecks of meat....

Old walls

Fat Margaret on the left

One of the most appealing features of Tallinn is that about two thirds of the old city walls and towers still remain. Most old European cities have either torn down the walls to save maintenance or provide roads (In Palma the ring road around the old city follows precisely the zigzag line of the city walls) and parks (the Planty in Krakow), or had them torn down by various invading forces.

The oldest remaining tower dating back to the 15th century is aptly named Fat Margaret and is hugely outsized compared to her tiny companion on the other side of the gate. However, this the main gate to the city from the port so a bit of weight was probably necessary. Most of Tallinn's remaining towers are more pleasantly proportioned. 

Where old communists go....

In the basement of Tallinn's Museum of Occupation is a curious collection of Soviet statutes. Naturally there are several of Lenin, but also a collection of Estonian communists - the defeated end up in the basement near the toilets.

Also in the basement is a small collection of Estonian Communist era posters. What make this particularly special was a video of the women who painted the posters. She graduated from art school in Tallinn around 1950 and painted these posters in the 1950s.

While the posters are Estonian, she had to follow precise instructions from Moscow on what to paint. It was always a woman who point the way to 'peace'. In this poster she has her protective arm over a Northern Korean boy to express solidarity. The more general poster had to include a worker, farmer, Pioneer and a patriot.

 The video was made after Estonia regained independence and the woman concludes that she produced nothing of lasting value and made no contribution to any artistic heritage. It was really moving to watch her lament her wasted life.

Lutherans

My understanding is that Lutherans are great believers in simplicity and equality before God. I was therefore very surprised to discover that what looks like an old railway signal box mysteriously transported to this Lutheran church is in fact the private box of the wealthiest family in Tallinn. Clearly even Lutherans have their price.

A sheep in sheep's clothing

I am sure these little knitted numbers are designed for Estonian dogs and not for the local sheep, though they are without a doubt modeled by small wooden sheep.

The Museum of the Estonian Drinks Culture.

 When I saw the oddly named 'Museum of Estonian Drinks Culture' marked on the map of Tallinn I couldn't resist checking it out. As is turned out it was a very old wine cellar that became a wine importing business in the 1920s and had nothing much to do with Estonian drinking habits. None the less it was a very pleasant place and I ended up spending far too long there. 

 

 

Tallinn

Estonia is a good deal more prosperous than Latvia. Post independence, the Estonians focused on building ties with Scandinavia, especially Finland with Helsinki a mere 80kms away across the Gulf of Finland (Estonian is also closely related linguistically to Finland). The connection has paid off and now Estonia is clearly within the affluent Nordic orbit.

While the world watches with interest the developments in Ukraine, the Russian land grab  has sent deep shivers down the spines of eastern European and Baltic countries. Latvia in particular, with Russians making up 40% of the population, is very nervous. Not that they expect a similar land grab, but it is almost now inevitable that the Russians will throw their weight around in this part of the world. The weak EU response has really alarmed people here and in particularly Germany's conciliatory approach to Russia (even though Poland is a more important German trading partner than Russia). Moreover, the economic sanctions imposed on Russia are in reality having the greatest impact on the countries closest to the restless bear.

Tallinn is lively city with a small but stunning Old Town. Much smaller than Riga, it does not have the magnificent 19th and 20th century districts of Riga but what it lacks in one respect, is more than made up for by the eclectic mix of old buildings and stylish modern architect in the districts immediately surrounding the old centre.