]]> http://www.visitfinland.com/article/restaurant-day/feed/ 0 http://www.visitfinland.com/article/on-finlands-magical-glass-trail/ http://www.visitfinland.com/article/on-finlands-magical-glass-trail/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 12:38:57 +0000 VisitFinland.com http://www.visitfinland.com/?post_type=article&p=6030 Glass design has a long history in Finnish culture - take a trip on the glass trail and immerse yourself in innovative art, and a little retail therapy.]]>

Glass design has a long history in Finnish culture – take a trip on the glass trail and immerse yourself in innovative art, and a little retail therapy.

The glass trail winds from Helsinki to the north via Riihimäki and Iittala to Nuutajärvi or through Fiskars to Muurla.  It’s a year-round experience not to be missed – you can visit glassworks and studios, museums and exhibitions, watch glassblowers and artists at work, pick up souvenirs from the outlets and galleries and get to know Finland’s rich history of world-famous glass designs and their groundbreaking, individualistic creators.

Helsinki: design is a lifestyle

For many a Finn, life without design glass seems almost unimaginable. For a non-Finn to understand this, it’s best to start with a visit to Anu Penttinen’s Gallery Nounou situated in Helsinki’s design district Punavuori. Like many Finnish designers, she works for Iittala, Finland’s leading glass design company whose glassware is present in virtually every Finnish household. A visit to its flagship store on the Esplanade (Pohjoisesplanadi 25) is a must, as well as an excursion to the Design Museum.

Another key trip is a visit to Helsinki’s other design district, Arabianranta. Here sits the elegantly designed Arabia Center, which houses Iittala’s headquarters and its outlet, the Arabia Museum, and a host of other designer shops.

Riihimäki: Finnish glass in all its glory 

For more profound and captivating insights into the 300-year-old history of Finnish glass production and glass art, visit the Glass Museum Riihimäki. The museum also organizes various exhibitions of Finnish and foreign glass artists, as well as concerts, flea and glass markets. And don’t miss the nearby glassblowing district “Hyttikortteli” with its historic houses. Go and take look at hot shop and gallery Lasismi in the old glass factory and witness  the delicate art of glassblowing first-hand.

Iittala: the heart of glass manufacture

The village of Iittala gave the glassware producer Iittala their name. On the glass hill, at the Iittala Glass Centre, tour Iittala’s main plant, watch the making of its signature glassware, stroll through the delightful museum that displays legendary classics or shop at the outlet.

Nuutajärvi: 220 years glass as lifestyle

The glass village of Nuutajärvi with its picturesque buildings is home to Finland’s oldest glassworks and largest community of independent glass designers, glassblowers and a glass school. Check out their hotshops, studios and galleries like Gallery NuGO. Maybe try your hand at glassblowing yourself.

Participate in the 220th anniversary celebration of the Nuutajärvi plant where Iittala and its formidable glass craftsmen produce glass art. The festivities include a summer exhibition with contemporary glass and ceramic artists, music week, flea market, children’s workshop, summer festival, jazz concert with dinner and a glass auction. A must is a visit to the factory’s marvelous  museum by Kaj Franck. Andyou can even spend the night in the village.

Fiskars: center for art and design

In the romantic village of Fiskars you find plenty of design glass, for instance, in Gallery Sirius and in the Co-operative Onoma or the Glass studio Blu Bianco where Tarmo Maaronen, who worked with the two Finnish glass masters Kaj Franck and Oiva Toikka, presents his creations, organizes courses for glassblowing and lets you watch him work.

Muurla: Stylish outlet, stylish glass

Outwardly unassuming, the stylishly furnished outlet of the glass works Muurla is a gem little known to most tourists.  You will find reasonably priced eateries along with a wealth of glassware and interior decoration by such renowned designers as Ristomatti Ratia and Jukka Rintala.

You might have heard that Finland is ‘the land of a thousand lakes’*, but did you know that Finland also has a coastline strewn with tens of thousands of islands? Finland’s Baltic coast is a perfect travel destination for anyone looking for a sailing experience with a difference.

The Finnish coastline stretches from the eastern Gulf of Finland to the western edges of the Åland islands and then north to the far end of the Gulf of Botnia. The shortest route to cover the whole coast is a mere 660 nautical miles. But what miles those are!

Never a boring second out at sea

Time spent on the water is, of course, what you like most about sailing, and so here you are in for a treat. No two minutes will be the same – in the Finnish sea waters you are actively sailing all the time: get a thrill out of trimming the sails as the wind and your course constantly change and practice your navigational skills along a total of over 10,000 km of marked channels as you brush past some of the 80,000 (yes 80 thousand) islands. And never even think about putting on the autopilot because taking the helm is so much fun.

If you are not preoccupied with the sailing, simply sit back and enjoy the endless variations of the scenery. Close to the mainland lush green forests and colourful holiday homes line your route. Further out to sea, you can spot the traditional red and yellow wooden houses of fisherman and farmer villages, nestling in the shelter between the smooth cliffs and patches of forest.

Furthest out, towards the Baltic, the islands become mere windblown, barren cliffs, homes to wildlife such as birds and seals. And don’t forget to look up to spot the most majestic of the animals in the archipelago, the white-tailed sea eagle, with wings like barn doors, that slowly circles overhead looking for prey.

The archipelago experience

Do you feel like a short trip or full day of sailing? You decide how much and where you want to sail. One of the 240 marinas and guest harbors along the coast and on the Åland islands will be waiting for you, regardless of how you plan your day.

Some of the marinas are located on islands that have been inhabited for centuries by people living off the sea and the rugged land. If you stay overnight, don’t miss the chance to stroll through the nearest village and get a feeling for the courage and determination needed to live out in archipelago.

Other marinas are very modern and built with the discerning customer in mind. The service level of all marinas is high: free water, and power and clean washing facilities, with a sauna are standard, naturally. Most are very affordable – a night in marina is typically around 20 € per boat, including services.

Once the boat is secured and you’ve recovered your land legs, you can enjoy dinner on your boat in the warm and light summer night, or give the cook a day off and head to a nearby restaurant. Afterwards you can just stroll along the shore and drop in for a coffee or a drink in a café or bar.

Regardless of whether you are a hard-core sailor – looking for challenges out on the water – or an explorer of new places, Finland can offer you an unforgettable sailing experience.

* Calling Finland the land of a thousand lakes is actually a serious understatement as there are over 180,000 of them!

Helsinki is a buzzy foodie city in the cutting-edge of Finnish new cuisine. The innovative use of Finnish ingredients as part of the New Nordic tasting menu and a laid-back atmosphere is what Helsinki’s bistros are all about. Below Carina Chela, a Venezuelan journalist who loves hunting and discovering tasty dishes both in her Helsinki hometown and abroad, lists her 10 favorites.

KUURNA

Meritullinkatu 6

Kuurna’s worn-down style décor gives a charming atmosphere to this small bistro. Their dishes are influenced mostly by Finnish and classical French cuisine. Kuurna favours organic and local production. Kuurna serves only suppers.

JUURI

Korkeavuorenkatu 27

In a fusion between bistro and fine dining there’s Juuri, a restaurant which is all about Finnishness. Their philosophy is to transform Finland’s nature ingredients into an innovative delicacy to suit modern tastes. Juuri’s famous sapas, a kind of Finnish tapas, is their bravado.  Among their most interesting sapas are buckwheat blinis with herring; black pudding with lingonberry; and smoked bream with potato mousse with fried rye dough.

konstan möljä

Hietalahdenkatu 14

Stepping into Konstan Möljä is going back in time and having homemade food surrounded by sea memorabilia. This is the place to eat if looking for a basic Finnish meal: the famous Carelian roast, smoked reindeer soup or salmon. And Finns’ beloved potatoes are prepared in all possible ways: mashed, boiled, and fried or with dill. Not a trendy bistro, and definitely not a gourmet restaurant but nonetheless a unique, cozy and small eatery with unpretentious but good food. Also great for student budgets.

Pure Bistro

Pohjoisesplanadi 9

This much-talked-about modern bistro serves dishes that are beautifully timed with both classic and modern combinations. Their cooking sparkles with unusual combinations but everything has an impressive coherent punch with nods to molecular cuisine. Pure Bistro’s pike-perch à la Mannerheim served with horseradish and mushrooms and their dessert sea-buckthorn with liquorice sauce is a dazzling combination of Finnish flavours.

 Lungi

Korkeavuorenkatu 2

Lungi is located in an easy-going neighbourhood which also reflects in the restaurant’s atmosphere. Lungi is informal but no less delicious with its food . Their Lungi salmon burger is a great favorite among locals and even their famous risottos are often served with a Finnish Lungi twist adding chanterelles or boletus.  Lungi’s comfy sofa, magazines and art make any visitor feel at home.

Rafla

Uudenmaankatu 9

A popular neibourhood bistro in the trendy Punavuori district which is packed full with locals, especially at lunch time. Rafla offers easy and good food for a moderate price . A must starter is their blinis with Finnish freshwater whitefish roe and gravlax.  Rafla’s French-Scandinavian home cooking can be enjoyed by city execs and food lovers alike.

Bar 9

Uudenmaankatu 9

Bar 9 is a regular get-together for many Helsinki natives. It has a lively bohemian atmosphere, good music, chatting customers but not much elbow space, especially in the evenings. Very reasonable prices.  Artists living in Finland exhibit in Bar 9.

Kolo

Fredrikinkatu 37

Kolo, which means little nest or hideaway in Finnish, is truly intimate and small. Produce is fresh and mainly local. Both à la carte and lunch always have Finnish seasonal ingredients. Kolo pulls it off with delicious aplomb offering a fusion of Scandinavian tastes. Often good tasters are offered between meals.

Bistro Helsinki 15

Korkeavuorenkatu 48

A classy and stylish bistro situated near Helsinki’s Design Museum. Bistro 15 prices are a bit higher but worth trying if in search of continental European food. A restaurant that suits both formal and informal diners, and great to just pop in for a glass.

Kom

Kapteeninkatu 26

This renowned restaurant  in picturesque Ullanlinna neighbourhood was built next to the theatre in order to accommodate theatre-goers. Its classic recipes include many favourites among Finns – such as Kom’s very own organic meatballs, salmon soup with lemon grass and a must dessert liquorice panna cotta. Dinner prices are fare. On Monday and sometimes Thursday evenings there are performances during which food is not served.

Christmas is a time for families to make new memories together, yet it is usually over in the blink of an eye. This is where Finland steps in with a winter wonderland that is so enchanting that even Santa Claus calls it home.

Whether visiting the north or south, your family will always treasure their trip to Finland: Remember the time mum drove a snowmobile? What about that sleigh ride and dad falling over on ice-skates? And how can we ever forget meeting Santa…

Santa’s magic and secrets

Only elves know the exact location of Santa’s toy factory, but the man in red isn’t one for hiding away. Santa Claus Village, located on and under the Arctic Circle, offers visitors more festive fun than they can shake a candy cane at.

You can study at Elf School, bake with Mrs Claus and then head underground for an unforgettable meeting with Santa.

Joulukka, also the Arctic Circle, is home to the Christmas Command Centre. It’s described as one of Santa’s best kept secrets and is a bustling hive of elf activity. Be warned: Only good children are allowed in!

Complete the Santa experience by taking your family on a magical sleigh ride, courtesy of Rudolph’s many reindeer cousins. As you swoosh through the snow, gaining speed, you might wonder if you really are going to take off into the night sky.

FROM Snowmen and ice castles…

If you have only ever built an elf-sized snowman, prepare to be impressed by the awesome snow castles and villages in Kemi and Lainio. However, the fun really lies in the fast ice slides that will leave children impatiently waiting for their parents to have ‘just one more go’.

Keep sliding by grabbing skis, a snowboard or a sledge, and feel the icy wind on your face as you whizz down the slope time and time again. Don’t forget to build the biggest snowman of your life, so pack a large carrot for the nose.

…TO CITY SKATING and winter markets

Snow-covered cities in the south, such as Helsinki and Turku, offer different Christmas experiences for visitors, such as ice-skating in the heart of the city and winter markets that lure you in with their mouth-watering aromas.

If history, culture and cuisine are close to your heart, head out to a countryside manor for a romantic break and a whiff of times past.

Be it noble families or industrial magnates, the rich have left behind some impressive estates around Finland, many of which have been turned into charming holiday retreats. Here’s a few of our picks:

Haikko Manor, Porvoo

Located only 50 kilometres from Helsinki, Haikko is one of the oldest and best-known manors in Finland, with history dating back to the 14^th century.

The beautifully green setting is complemented by a spa and seaside saunas. The most scenic route to Haikko is the waterway from central Helsinki on the M/S Runeberg.

Svartå Manor, Mustio

An hour’s drive from Helsinki, Svartå Manor was built around an ironworks. The manor now serves as a haven for art, relaxation and cuisine, and old worker dwellings have been turned into guest accommodation.

The five historical buildings of the grounds all have their thrilling stories, including “The White Lady” ghost story.

Wiurila Manor, Salo

Since the 15th century, a manor has stood in Wiurila, 50 kilometers from Turku. The current main building was designed in the 19^th century by famed Finnish architect C. L. Engel, and it is one of the most elegant country club buildings in Finland.

Besides golf, Wiurila Manor offers a country boutique, horse stables, and a horse carriage museum, among other things.

Vuojoki Manor, Eurajoki

Arriving at Vuojoki is a somewhat surreal experience: The C. L. Engel designed manor is like a piece of Helsinki’s Senate Square in the middle of an idyllic Finnish West Coast country landscape.

The well-kept garden and orangery add to the distinguished atmosphere, and the focus on art takes it a step further. The 160-year-old spruce lane is an impressive sight to behold.

To Finns, visiting Bengtskär lighthouse is almost like going on a pilgrimage. It’s something everyone has to do at some point in their lives. Paula Wilson, the lighthouse keeper there explains the magic.

“It’s probably the biggest lighthouse that was ever built. And do you realize that this is the very last island, nobody lives beyond it – there´s nothing but sea? We’re looking the sea straight in the face, so to speak, and far behind us are all those people who live on islands much nearer to the mainland. It’s a wonderful thought, don´t you think?”

– Moominpappa in Tove Jansson’s “Moominpappa at Sea” (Translated by Kingsley Hart)

A charm of its own

- I first visited Bengtskär in summer 1968 when I’d just got engaged to my husband. It immediately had an indelible impact on me. The lonely island, miles from anywhere, felt like an enchanted place. As if you were out on the open sea, yet with your feet still firmly on dry land.

A new lease of life for the lighthouse

- By the early 1990s, the once impressive lighthouse on Bengtskär had badly fallen into disrepair, having stood empty for 25 years. My husband and I urged Turku University, the owners of the building, to renovate the site and so it gained a new lease of life. We have since restored the edifice to its original condition and we rented the site ourselves to run as a museum for visitors, while we’ve now been living here ourselves for 16 years. We look after the lighthouse and we run a small hotel in the building, with the bonus of  a granite sauna built in 1907 that we heat up for our guests in the evenings.

A historically important landmark

- Bengtskär is the tallest lighthouse in the Nordic countries – an impressive, national romantic landmark which has played an important role in Finnish history. The lighthouse was built in 1906 and until the Winter War, five families lived on the island all year round. At the start of the Continuation War, in 1941, a ruthless battle was fought for the place, the traces of which can be seen to this day. You can still sense the atmosphere that its eventful past has left in its wake. The building’s ’s history and the fate of the island’s former residents make a deep impression on visitors and lingers in the minds of the residents.

A bare and beautiful place

- The island Bengtskär is  small, treeless and only about 2 hectares in size. Over millions of years the sea has shaped the rock, forming gently rounded curves. Here and there, in small inlets and holes in the rock, you can find birds’ nests, hundreds of them populated in the summer. But what really strikes you is the way the weather is constantly changing, this farout at sea, sometimes it’s completely calm, yet the next minute the rocks are being battered by huge waves.

Open to everyone

- Although Bengtskär is my home, the most important thing is that it’s a lighthouse that belongs to everyone in Finland. It’s an important part of our cultural heritage, a national treasure like our castles and churches. The lighthouse is open to the public every day from June to September.

In the far north of Finland, there’s a place where top Finnish design is on display in the middle of nowhere.

When people talk about Finnish design in international forums, they always talk about  how important the natural world of the country’s far north has been for creativity. So, almost as a logical conclusion of that, deep into Lapland, there is a place where top Finnish design can be seen right at the source of this inspiration: Design House Idoli is an extraordinary design studio and showcase right in the heart of the wilderness. Its creator Pekka Sillfors explains why.

A Labour of Love in Lapland

- Design House Idoli all started about twenty years ago when my wife Hanneli and I met in Helsinki and fell in love. Almost from that very moment, we started looking for a place in northern Lapland where we could spend a year’s sabbatical and forget the busy pace of life in the south. We found an old lumberjack’s cabin on the shore of Lake Inari and, with a bit of work, turned it into a home.

Studio reached by a plank walk

- During that  “year out” we realised that we wanted to stay in Lapland permanently. We started to brainstorm ideas for a top Finnish design exhibition in the middle of the wilderness. We designed a studio next door to our home, reached via a plank walk across the marsh, in which we could show visitors to Lapland something of the impact  that the far north has had on modern culture.

Inspiration: the wilderness

- Finnish artists and designers have always drawn on Lapland for their inspiration. But deep into the location itself, you can really see how the power of nature and the unspoilt purity of Europe’s last wilderness have been translated to the products. Timeless design meets a  precise moment in time  amid the peace of nature. It’s where inspiration meets harsh practicality, so it’s no surprise that Finns are world leaders when it comes to functional design.

Stunning in summer

- Neither my wife nor I are originally from Lapland, but when we left Helsinki behind us we had no doubts about heading north. Our roots may lie in the south but our hearts are definitely in the north. Although the summer is short here, there’s an extraordinary amount going on. The colours and the sheer exuberance of nature are stunning. And, after 20 years, here the light of the sun on a summer night still feels magical. It would be a sin to go to bed.

Finland’s lake district is a dream destination for sailors. Ari Juva has been sailing his own steamboat on Lake Saimaa for decades. 

There’s a popular Finnish song that says sailing is the only thing in life worth doing. For most of us Finns, the lyrics are only a joke. As far as we’re concerned all you need for a summer holiday is a cottage with a sauna in the middle of the woods somewhere. Sailing boats are not essential. However, there are some for whom enjoying the view of the water from the shore is simply not enough and whose holidays only begin once the bow of the boat pushes off from the jetty. One of them is the commodore (chairman, in other words) of the Finnish Steam Yacht Association, Ari Juva.

Caught the steamboat bug as a boy

- Steamboats have been a hobby of mine ever since I was a child. I first got the bug when I was a little boy of ten, on a boat on Lake Päijänne with my uncle and godfather. The amazing technology of the steamship – burning the wood to make the steam that gets the ship moving and the low, booming noise of the engine – it was all so different from ordinary boats. I was entranced by the hustle and bustle of it all.

Steamships on the brain all year round

- I bought my own ship, S/S Antero, in the early 1970s, as soon as I had earned enough money. Antero (the name is the Finnish form of Andrew) was built in 1924 and was originally used to tow barges. In the 1960s it was still being used to take rafts of logs to the sawmill before it was retired and finally ended up with me. Although the old steamships were skilfully built and still have most of their original parts, there’s plenty of work that needs to be done on them and the maintenance takes up every weekend throughout the winter too.

Saimaa is a sailors’ paradise

- My steamship hobby would hardly have got as big as it has without Lake Saimaa, Finland’s largest. Made up of a labyrinth of different lakes, Saimaa is a true sailors’ paradise. The great lake has almost 15,000 kilometres of shoreline on the mainland and its over 13,000 islands, so that when you’re sailing. you constantly encounter different landscapes and uninhabited shorelines where you can easily land. It adds that special excitement to the voyage that you just don’t get anywhere else.

Off Finland’s west coast lies one of the country’s most beautiful and most unique tourist destinations. Shaped by the Ice Age, the Turku archipelago consists of over 20,000 islands and islets.

The area is naturally popular with sailors, but the numerous islands mean that the area can also be explored by road on the circular Turku Archipelago Trail.

20,000 visitors every summer

The Archipelago Trail is one of Finland’s most popular tourist routes. In the summer season, which runs from May to September, it attracts about 20,000 visitors, by car, by motorbike and by bicycle. Rather than a road, it is perhaps best described as a network, made up of many sections of roads linked by ferry crossings. Besides 160–190 kilometres of road sections, the crossings from one island to the next cover an additional 30–50 kilometres depending on your chosen route.

Best for bikes

The circular route might have been made for cyclists as the winding roads that cross the archipelago encourage drivers to drive more slowly than they might on the main roads of the mainland. A large proportion of them are tourists too, taking it slowly and enjoying the scenery. Pedalling through the islands, the views change often and quickly from bare rocky islets to the green countryside of the inner archipelago with its wooden houses, and red wooden boatsheds. There are countless small bridges and the ferry crossings provide excellent opportunities to rest and recharge your batteries.

Plenty to see

Although the length of the Archipelago Trail might not sound much to an experienced cyclist, it’s worth leaving plenty of time as there is lots to see along the route in the summer. There are plenty of museums, historic buildings, fortresses and ruins in the archipelago as well as the Saaristomeri National Park, one of two national parks in Finland to be awarded PAN parks certification as a protected wilderness area. This makes it an ideal place to explore the varied natural landscape, flora and fauna, e.g. on a guided boat trip.

In the summer visitors can stop off at exhibitions of the islands’ maritime culture, do some shopping and settle down for the evening in one of the many guest harbours which are buzzing with life on summer nights in June and July. The harbours also offer overnight accommodation. On top of this there are also plenty of campsites for tents and, this being Finland, cottages to rent, not to mention family hotels and B&Bs offering a home from home.

The whole trail or a shorter option?

The Archipelago Trail can be explored in many different ways. If you’re starting from Turku and the whole 200 kilometre main route might be pushing it a bit, there are shorter sections, all of which are shown in the Archipelago Trail guide. All the routes are also perfect for beginner cyclists because there are plenty of places to stop off for a rest along the way and the ferry crossings mean sometimes you don’t have any choice but to get off and enjoy the scenery.