Dear reader,
this is my first post for the Buenisimo Travel & Languages blog , where I intend to write about travelling in different countries and also, try to have a closer look on the everyday life of those destinations. I will also write about travelling in our home country Finland and how to try to get that ”out of routine”-feeling that the travel gives you even in our hometown Helsinki.
Who am I?
My name is Laura and I have been passionate about travelling all my life which led me to studying languages and living abroad. Currently I am back home in Helsinki and a little confused about my latest change in life, becoming a mother 1,5 years ago.
Long weekend cottage getaway
Recently, I had a few days off and I was thinking how to spend the holiday now that travelling is strongly unrecommended due to the coronavirus situation all over the world. I had been eager to leave the busy and noisy Helsinki for a while already, so we decided to rent a cottage in the countryside.
Our only requirements were that it wouldn't be a too far drive away from Helsinki, because we have an impatient little traveler on the back seat, and that the cottage would have a sauna by a lake.
The perfect setting for our little weekend getaway was found in Joutsa, in Central Finland. A local farmer had also some holiday cottages by the lake Rautajärvi he would rent out to city dwellers like us. The magnet that drawed to this particular place was a canoe that came along with the cottage. I had tried a kayak a few years back, but I had never tried canoeing before.
My grandfather was actually from Joutsa, but he had moved to the south in search for work a long time before I was born. I remember some visits to his old family house and meeting with relatives from my childhood. Then, it was this mythical place of hilly landscape in the middle of forests and lakes far far away with a few houses here and there. It was a surprise to me that it is actually just 200 kilometers away from Helsinki and it was a quick drive of just two hours there.
The cottage itself was a beautiful log cabin that looked like it was from a fairytale and soon some elfs would come out of their hiding places. In Finnish folklore, it was believed that every place on a farm would have its own elf that takes care of the place. So that there would be an elf living in the sauna, another one in the stables, another one in the cattle shed and so on.
It was believed that one should behave well when visiting one of these places that had a protector elf, for example leave some wood burning so that the sauna elf could bathe after you finished your bathing, or leave some food for the other elfs. Otherwise the elfs could become angry and do some harm for you.This was long before the belief of the Christmas gnomes helping Santa Claus would become a thing.
We arrived in the evening of the slowly darkening autumn month of September and suddenly we found ourselves in a pitch black, quiet, quiet place. It seemed that the other cottages were empty, and we were on the other side of this huge area from where the farm was. At first we had a bit of an otherworldly feeling, but soon started to make ourselves home in this strange place.
Sebastian started to heat the sauna, my mom cooked something for dinner and our son began his exploration around every corner of the house examining every object in the cottage like only a 1-year old could do. I took a moment outside breathing the fresh country air and realized that I could see the stars! Not just a few stars here and there like in Helsinki where the light pollution covers them, but a whole sea of stars!
The holiday had started. The next few days we took everything out of the sauna and lake setting we had, bathing and swimming every night even though it was a bit cold already in mid-September. They say it's healthy to swim in cold waters. We also tried the canoe and the rowing boat on the lake, and it was exciting because the lake was huge and it was a windy day so there was even some small waves and the wind tried to push us its way, and us citydwellers cooperating on a boat together was a scene without a doubt.
Nearby Joutsa there is also an interesting place to visit, the church of Toivakka, which is famous for its wall paintings. They were made by a local artist Pellervo Lukumies in 1972 and 1973. Lukumies graduated from the Art School of Ateneum, the National Gallery of Finland in 1958. The paintings of the church of Toivakka made him famous around Finland.
The original idea was to restore the paintings of Alvar Aalto from the 1920´s, which were in a bad state. It was a special project for Lukumies, he knew the church because his father had been the previous vicar. Lukumies read the Bible while planning the works and every painting is based on a particular verse of the Bible.
The paintings are influenced by pop art, Bible and Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and had a controversial reception in the beginning. The vicar of the church did not accept them and during the painting process, he even left the doors of the church locked, so that Lukumies couldn´t go in and paint. Lukumies had a helper who climbed to the church through the ceiling and helped the painter enter the place and continue his work.The paintings had their defenders and critics in the village and as a result of the dispute, the vicar ended up leaving the parish.
Nowadays the church and the village of Toivakka, located just next to the highway Nr. 4 connecting South Finland to the northern part of the country, is much visited because of the famous paintings.
After seeing the paintings, I have to say that the paintings are quite unorthodox to what one is used to in churches, and in some ways it's understandable that people may have been unapproving of them at the time. The pop art influences are visible, and you can also feel the 70´s in them. There are different characters and angels from different parts of the world such as African, indigenous and Asian figures. Jesus has trumpet trousers in the 70´s style and one of the angels has a leather jacket.
“My idea is to describe the people of the earth as angels, but as the people are nowadays”, explained Lukumies his view of the paintings to a journalist of Helsingin Sanomat in 1972.
The description of the book of Revelation about the rejoicing church that came to heaven inspired him. “The texts say that there are all tribes, peoples and languages”, commented Lukumies his choices.
So, angels in Toivakka continue to wear an Indian sari or the outfit of a roma woman, or have features from Egypt or China. The blond Kati Josefiina has trendy boots and a hat. Everyone has wings on their backs.
Toivakka itself is a pleasant old village built on the both sides of a road leading to the main attraction, the church. Toivakka has a few restaurants or bars to get a quick lunch, but another option not that far away is the city of Jyväskylä, which is about 35 kilometers away by the E4 road. We had lunch in the center of Jyväskylä in this Chinese restaurant called Hualong, and the food was really tasty, especially the Chinese dumplings I had to try over and over again at the buffet.
Jyväskylä was a nice day trip to us, moreover because none of us was very familiar with the city. We strolled around the center without a specific plan and visited one of the city's attractions: the Harju recreational park and the stairs of knowledge or the Nero stairs. Harju is a rather high hill and there is a wonderful view over the city from the ending point of the stairs. Up on the hill, there is also the Vesilinna observation tower to visit.
As we travel with our little toddler, every now and then, it is necessary to visit playgrounds and Mäki-Matinpuisto just next to the Harju hill was the perfect place to end our day. It is this old fashioned park for kids with wooden cars and tipis and things like that to play. There is also a cafe, so it's nice also for the parents to have a break.
Last but not least, I have to say a few words about sahti. It's the local traditional drink of the region of Middle Finland and it's quite close to beer, but it can also be made without alcohol for kids. I remember in family parties in my childhood there would be some sahti for everyone and now we saw that it's starting to be produced commercially, and some local sahti called Varastopanimon sahti was sold in a restaurant called Ravintola Kellari in Joutsa. It had 7 percent of alcohol and it was made from malted grains of barley, rye and juniper. It's a strong flavour and I recommend trying it for anyone who is into craft beers and wants to try something local. We also called some of our remaining relatives in the village and tried some of that sahti with them.
All in all, it was a lovely trip to our “roots” and I would recommend the area of Joutsa and Central Finland for anyone who is interested in letting go of the stress and the fast pace of the city and spend a peaceful weekend in the middle of nature watching the stars.
Source on the paintings of Toivakka: Yle
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