Kuivasaari Coastal Artillery Fortress – standing guard over Helsinki

Kuivasaari

Of the coast of Helsinki, on the island of Kuivasaari (“Dry Island”), the Kuivasaari Coastal Artillery Fortress stands. Until not to long ago, Kuivasaari was a working coastal artillery fortress guarding the approaches to the capital city of Finland but the guns have now been removed from active service and … Continue reading

The Life and Art of Pekka Halonen

Pekka Halonen

Pekka Halonen was a painter of Finnish landscapes and people who would go on to become one of the more notable painters in the world of Finnish Art. This Post provides what’s probably the most detailed information you’ll find on Pekka Halonen in English (there’s not much….) as well as … Continue reading

Valaam Monastery – Step to the Skies – a documentary

Valamo Monastery

Valaam Monastery. Valamo Monastery. The heart of the Orthodox Church in Karelia and an outpost of Russia within the lands of the Finns. Mount Athos of the North – so was called this ancient monastic dwelling, which was founded a thousand years ago in the dawn of Christianity in Russia … Continue reading

Valamo Monastery – former heart of the Finnish Orthodox Church

Valaam Monastery

The Valamo Monastery is an Orthodox monastery in what used to be Finnish Karelia but is  now part of Russia, located on Valamo, the largest island and part of an island archipelago of the same name in Lake Laatoka (Ladoga), itself the largest lake in Europe. The archipelago consists of … Continue reading

Finland’s Steam-powered Phoenix Log Hauler

Forestry Museum of Lapland

In the Forestry Museum of Lapland you will find the “Sandberg” Locomotive – which is actually a steam-powered Phoenix Log Hauler imported from Wisconsin. In 1913, the first of two of the log haulers was delivered to Finland via the harbor at Hankko (the second arrived in 1914). They were imported from the … Continue reading

Forestry Museum of Lapland (Lapin Metsämuseo)

Forestry Museum of Lapland

The Forestry Museum of Lapland (Lapin Metsämuseo)  saves, researches, maintains and presents the cultural heritage of Lapland’s forestry history – and funnily enough, it’s the only museum in the world that concentrates on fostering the history of forest work in Finnish Lapland. It’s an outdoor museum located in the Pöykkölä part … Continue reading

Christmas in Helsinki

Christmas in Helsinki

Christmas in Helsinki begins when the lights are turned on along the street Aleksanterinkatu on the 24th of November, a traditional start to the Christmas Season and to serious Christmas shopping for those so inclined….24 November 2013 was the 64th year in a row for these lights. Shopkeepers along Aleksanterinkatu … Continue reading

Katinen Manor House Hotel & Restaurant (Katisten Kartano) – Hämeenlinna

Katinen Manor House Hotel Hämeenlinna

Katinen Manor House Hotel & Restaurant is in Hämeenlinna (Southern Finland), only 3 kms from the Hämeenlinna city centre and surrounded by 850 hectares of land and forest belonging to the Manor. The Manor is only an hour’s drive from Helsinki or from Tampere and is a great place for a … Continue reading

Finnish Manor House Hotels – Haikko Manor – Porvoo

Finnish Manor House Hotels

Historic and attractive old Manor Houses are scattered across Finland, mostly in the southern regions. Quite a few of these are now operating as museums, restaurants or hotels. There are quite a number of Finnish Manor House Hotels, although for the non-Finn they can be a little hard to track down. … Continue reading

Söderkulla Manor Restaurant – Dining in a historic Finnish Manor House

Formerly a landed estate, today Söderkulla Manor Restaurant welcomes its guests by offering them Finnish and international delicacies. Söderkulla’s kitchen specialises in meals made of fresh Finnish ingredients of good quality and served with carefully selected wines. The emphasis is on traditional Finnish food with an international influence. The Manor features a … Continue reading

Örö – visit an Island Coastal Artillery Fortress in the Archipelago

Örö

If you’re aiming to visit Bengtskär, Hanko or the southern archipelago, it’s well worth checking to see if you can visit Örö – an island coastal artillery fortress in the archipelago that offers up some unique scenery and wildlife as well as the interesting military and cultural history. Örö is still … Continue reading