Naantali ♥

This is my last official summer post, and the pictures are a month old already. On a hot day in July, my daughter and I visited the old town in Naantali. Old town means the area that was first built after the town was established in 1443, though the buildings in these pictures are of course considerably younger. Here it is - meet my favorite Finnish town.

1-9 Walking down the main street in the old town, Mannerheiminkatu. Only people who live along this street are allowed to drive here by car, and also two little trains that transport tourists around town during summertime (see image 6).

4-5 Children's second hand market that was held twice last summer. I bought a children's table and two chairs... and then carried them up a hill in 28 C / 82 F to where our car was parked.

10 Kultaranta (see my last post) from this side of town.

11 The starting point of the Path of Love. It leads to the Copper Hills (Kuparivuori) and the best views over town.

12-14 Along the idyllic narrow streets.

15-16 A piece of environmental art, Riippumaton Rakkaus, which translates both as The Love of a Hammock and Independent Love. It's meant to be sat on and the view is towards Kultaranta. First there were two swings, until some pitiful person condescended to steal the other one. The black velvet ribbons signify the grief of the artist. Everything is not perfect even in the most charming little town.

The beach again??

Yes, we had one quick last trip to the beach this summer.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to do yet another post of pictures from the beach, but last night I dreamed that you, Lara, and your mom came to visit in Oregon and we all went to the beach!!  So that settles it!  Here are a few shots from our final beach trip this summer.  The first picture was taken on the short walk through the grassy dunes from the house to the beach, right in town, though it feels like being miles from anywhere!

Presidentin puutarhassa

The summer residence of the president of Finland, called Kultaranta (Golden Shore), is on an island just opposite the old town in Naantali. There are tours for both adults and children, but on Friday evenings you can also wander around the president's garden on your own. Which is what we did - until the kids got bored and wild! The flag was up, meaning she was present that evening. I'm so proud our president is a she!

Mustikka

Come July, most Finnish people go crazy over strawberries. But I have to say I find blueberry even more appealing. It's the ultimate superfood that has even been used for medicinal purposes. No preservatives, remains of pesticides, or artificial anything! When I stop to think about it, it just blows my mind that such a berry grows abundantly and completely naturally in my own yard - all I have to do is gather it. And that is such a wholesome experience that can be enjoyed through all the senses! The scents of the earth, the sounds of nature. The perfect smoky shade of blue that turns purple in your hands. And of course the taste. Picking blueberries is one of the most relaxing things I know of. In fact, I'm sure gathering blueberries for your family must have something to do with the meaning of life! I'm only sad that now that it's a good year, I don't have time to gather it all! Not from the yard, not to speak of the nearby forests. Blueberry time is almost over, but lingonberries will be ripening shortly. For them I'm going to have to move beyond our yard, at least for bucketfuls of them.

Purje

I'm also going to introduce a place or two we've visited this summer, but first let's spend a few more moments in our yard. It can't be called a garden, it's more like the remains of a forest, a little lawn here and there, and a lovely patio my husband has been skillfully repairing. For the time being the wild character of our yard is fine with me, because I have zero time for gardening right now! In Finland June and July were among the hottest in 50 years with long periods around 25-30 C (around 80 F), some days even above. It's also been a great deal more humid than what we are used to, and we've enjoyed frequent, spectacular thunderstorms. During the past summers we have grown tomatoes in buckets (we used to call them our babies), but since this year we have a real baby and are too busy as it is, we decided to skip the tomatoes. What a shame - they would have loved these greenhouse conditions! At the beginning of the summer my husband put up this triangle-shaped canvas (we call it a sail, purje) to provide some shade on the otherwise very sunny patio. It's simply stretched out between two poles and a hook on the house. I've been loving it! There have been plenty of days when it would have been unbearable, even dangerous, to sit or play outside in the sun.

Wild west

Quick geology lesson, not even.  The west side of the mountains in Oregon are super rainy, soggy, everything I complain about.  But drive east for a bit, and you're in dry, dusty, sagebrush-and-tumbleweed old west, like the west you see in old movies.  Except with a whole bunch of volcanoes.  It's the best.  That's where we went this week, to a beautiful town called Bend.