On a recent trip to Helsinki, the airport, Vantaa, was still undergoing major structural changes. As a result, we had to land at terminal 2, and walk to terminal 1. As they are connected, it was all covered, warm and dry. It was just a long and boring walk, at midnight. No fun!
But then, to our surprise, we were laughing and enjoying the scenery. It seems that we were passing through the Finnish Nightmares. Finnish Nightmares are the cartoon books by the Finnish scenic designer Karolina Korhonen. They tell about Matti, a typical Finn, complete with all the well known Finnish quirks.
We were no longer racing through the terminal to reach our bags. We stopped and stared at all the cartoons. And laughed. It became a fun walk. Hope you agree.
I think the Finnish airport people got it right. Leastwise all the tourists were laughing. Finns just walked by thinking, no big deal. This is how we are. It is said that the Finns will be happy when they no longer have to be socially distanced at one meter. They can finally go back to their normal three meters separation.
And it’s not just people. Finnish cats feel the same way.
When I was in the U.S. Navy, while being trained in Florida, I remember seeing the Blue Angels demonstration team training nearby everyday in the winter. And when we lived in the Seattle area, we used to see the Blue Angels fly overhead in their annual presence in Seattle. Well, as time flies, no more Blue Angels to see, here in Malta, but still, it is great to have the annual airshow in Malta.
There were numerous individual performances by various fighter jets (F-16 and F-18). Saying they were loud when passing almost directly above us, might be a slight understatement. So, it was great when the Swiss Air Force demonstration entered for their show. Slow and not too much noise.
Not my picture. Was still trying figure out capturing pix on my Huawei P30 Pro.
But the stars of the show are, without a doubt, the United Kingdom Royal Air Force demonstration team: the Red Arrows. Really enjoyed them. Hope you like the pix.
Finally, back home, we got into the spirit of the upcoming festa in Naxxar. The festa honors Our Lady of Victory/Festa Marija Bambina. Although it is on 8 September each year, the lead-in, with decorations and fireworks start the week before. Every morning at 8AM, Noon and 8PM, there are fireworks. We are by now used to getting woken up by the loud boom boom boom in the mornings. Everyone is starting to gear up. Although the Covid has placed restrictions, they are now loosened up a bit.
The Naxxar Parish Church. Section by section, the Church is being cleaned(first time in a few hundred years).
The Peace Band Club across the square from the church is lighted up in anticipation.
St. Lucia Street is all ready. The street is best known for having 14 alleys off it, the most of any street in Malta. It is also the original heart of Naxxar.
The Peace Band Club is finally ready for the Festa.
Labour Avenue is the main street in the village. For a small island, there are an awful lot of SUV’s.
Triq St Lucjia by day
All ready in front of the Church.
Waiting for the mass to start, sitting next to one of many saints around the village square.
Mass before the start of the festivities. Note the red draperies hung on all the walls. The village women iron each and every one of them, as well as to hang them up.
And now that the Festa is over, its now time to re-pot the forest on our terrace. Two years, and they are ready to spread out their roots. Me, I just want limes, grapefruit, mandarins, oranges, lemons and olives. The better half is supervisor in chief (farmer). The only difference is that our farm is four stories up!
Hope you enjoyed our summer with us. Life is slowly, but surely, getting back to the new normal. And time to make our plans for our annual Christmas spa trip back to the Frozen North in December. This year will be a spa holiday in Tallinn.
Before I wish you a happy harvest season, I would like to share with you our favorite part of any Festa, the fireworks. This is the one from Naxxar. The end is pretty spectacular.
On to the next island. This time we went to Suomenlinna Island, about twenty minute ferry ride from the Market Square.
Suomenlinna was developed in the mid-1800’s, by the then rulers: Sweden. Over the years, its purpose was to defend the Swedes (and the Finns) from the Russians. No wonder the Finns developed an over the shoulder twitch, checking out who was coming. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. (https://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/world-heritage/)
This was our fourth visit to the island. On past trips, we walked all over the island, from beaches to gun emplacements, to a wonderful church on a hill, as well as to a WW2 Finnish submarine. So, this visit we did something new. We went for a sail!
We went for a two hour cruise (by electric motor, sail and oars) on a replica of a mid-1800’s gun sloop. Enjoy the ride.
Our sloop awaited the master, so we could board(once it was proved that we paid.)
After we cleared the harbor using an electric motor, operated by battery, the master implored us to raise the sails, or be forced to row the vessel.
Once under sail, we relaxed and enjoyed the view of the islands we passed.
The master, fully into his role, told everyone aboard how he cruised the sea, seeking out the enemy, as well as life on board for him and his crew. For my benefit, he gave me the same speech in English. Very multi-language capable for someone in the 1800’s.
When the wind died down, he told us to get our backs into rowing the sloop. I knew there was a reason I was the official photographer.
As it was now getting close to the end of our summer in Helsinki, we prepared for our flight home. We both have our digital Covid Passports and locator/health forms ready for our landing back home in Malta. And on to the Naxxar slimmed down festival and fireworks. And, not to mention, we had decided to re-pot the garden on our terrace.
Take the metro to the Helsinki train station, followed up by the bus out to Seurasaari historic park. Although located within the city limits of Helsinki, the area is all rural. Set adjacent to the homes of the President and Prime Minister, Seurasaari museum is located on an island, reached by a pedestrian bridge. What better way to educate the children of Finland about their history than to put together examples of all types of homes and villages throughout Finland. Make time on your visit to Helsinki to visit Seurasaari. It will be an enjoyable day. And if you are coming from Malta, your eyes will be wide, staring at all the trees!
Crossing the water by bridge.
A typical summer Sunday where the whole family arrives by bus, car or bike to spend the day walking through the woods and exploring.
During the 1800’s and earlier, life was harder than today.
Making clothes on the loom.
While cooking in the kitchen, Mom kept kiddo hanging around.
Always spinning yarn to make clothes
Our guide dressed in period costume, with one exception.
On Sundays, everyone went to church. Some traveled further than others. In this case, a 100 person boat carried church goers across the lake to worship.
Back in the day, the Finns ate bread as they do today. Only baking was different. The harvest was once a year, the grain carefully stored, and ground to flour a few times a year to be baked to bread. After baking, it was hung up to dry, and eaten when hungry. The bread was dry and to soften it up it was dipped in milk or water.
As for coffee, Finns today drink more coffee per capita than anyone else in the world. Back then, making your morning coffee was different. First you roasted the beans, then “run them through the grinder” and finally dump the ground beans in the coffee pot. Add water. The coffee was boiled in the pot, and left to settle for a few moments to allow the grinds to sink to bottom. Some used ground eggshells to clarify the coffee. In the olden days, the coffee was served in small cups with saucers. Those who liked, added some cream or milk in the cup. Then the coffee was carefully poured from the cup on the saucer, sugar cube was popped in the mouth to be held between the lips and then coffee was slurped from the saucer to the mouth. The saucer was carefully held on the finger tops on one hand while the cup was held by the ear in the other. Once the saucer was empty the cup was replaced and then a piece of cake or a cookie was enjoyed with the remaining coffee drank from the cup. After the first cup was finished, the second cup was poured and the same ritual with sugar cube was followed.
Like today, everyone would like a home. And like today, the home you got was the one you could afford.
Wouldn’t mind having a modernized version of one or two houses. But……………. I will still take the 21st century!
Before we left after a full day on the island, one last sight caught our attention.
Could it really be! Fish and Chips?
Sorry my Seattle friends. It was just pointing to the home of farmer Ivars.
One of the truly amazing things about Helsinki is that there are hundreds of islands, inhabited, or not, all around. Here we will visit an outdoor museum which has buildings from throughout Finland over the years, an old fortress island, and an island with art – Helsinki Biennale .
The first island that we visited is Vallisaari island, about a 30 minute ferry ride from the Market Square in Helsinki. During Helsinki Biennial, art and events are happening all over. The Biennial is an outdoor showcase of worldwide contemporary talent celebrating free-wheeling expression. The island used to be for military use only until 2008 and it was opened for recreational use. This year artists set up their expressive art all over the island. At the end of this year, it will all be taken down, reverting to nature once again.
After getting off the ferry, you will walk on dirt and gravel paths throughout the island, seeing artwork hidden here and there. A Japanese artist assemble this tower (not for climbing), while Sari Palosaaricreated Eons and Instants, an underground explosion from within.
Getting back to the Market Square, we headed on over to the outdoor summer food and booze festival, held this year near the Design Center, on the square, formerly the parade grounds for the military. Filled with food booths and those selling beer, wine and whiskey, it runs for most of the summer from around ten AM to ten PM every day. Here and now, you can’t wait for the sun to set below the yardarm.
While most booths served up pizza, tacos, burgers, etc., the Finnjavel Salonki showcased its upscale interpretation of Finnish food. The name is Swedish, meaning Finnish devil. Simplistic and detailed, the dish contained two kinds of herring, smoked salmon, pickled onion, mustard seedand a sort of bread. Most delicious. And to our surprise, after we returned home to Malta, we read that the restaurant just earned its first Michelin Star!
Depending on geography, it was hot and hotter than hell in Europe this summer! Malta reached new highs in both temperature and water temperature this summer. In ancient days, the family crowded around the fireplace. Today, not so much. A/C’s provide comfort today. So, according to custom, and with an eye on the thermometer, we once again decided to spend late July and most of August in Helsinki, where it was merely hot for the first two weeks or so. Then it settled down to high warm, with a scattering of something called rain.
So off to sunny and hot Helsinki.
My appetizer plate includes fish, sausage, potatoes and brisket.
This salmon soup is smoked, as is the toast.
I had the smoked salmon, served with a mushroom sauce, spuds and veggies.
My wife had the smoked whitefish, veggies and spuds.
When in Helsinki in the summer, when the sun is out and warm, take advantage, and be outdoors. And quite obviously, it includes dinner. In this case, Ravintola Savu is on a small island, reached by pedestrian bridge in downtown Helsinki. The views from our terrace table were wonderful. (If you look closely on the first picture, you will see six icebreakers, at their summer moorings. Now that is a contrast. The specialty of this traditional Finnish restaurant is that all foods served are smoked, in addition to regular cooking. Really different and good.
After you digest your meal, we will be back with the next episode in the island-hopping summer of 2021.
When we moved to Malta for our retirement, we first lived in Ħal Lija for seven months. It is a village of about 3,500 people. A somewhat upscale village, it was very quiet, with few businesses and shops. But it has a very wonderful sense about it. And we loved walking around it. The heart of Lija was around its parish church. This view was of it during the Festa in 2019.
Like all parish churches in Malta, the Lija parish is covered in lights to make it sparkle at night.
All band clubs, the police stations, local council and shops radiate out from the church. On one of our early walks, we were two blocks on the other side of the church, discovering the typical Maltese narrow streets, shops and restaurants.
This is one reason we moved to Malta, the narrow streets, lined with terraced homes. On this one you can see a wine bar on the right: Tal-Villagg (which we loved, sitting at a table outside).A bottle of wine and some appetizers on a warm evening. On the left is a typical bar, where locals congregate most nights. Then there is the Lija Athletic club, home of the local premier league football-soccer- team. We dined there many times, on pizza, burgers, pasta and rabbit. And to its left, Bahia. For some reason we never got to eat there. Seemed fancy. Then we found out it was recently named by Michelin as a One Star restaurant.So, we decided to try it. Absolutely wonderful.When we entered, we found out that the building was over 250 years old. Not as old as many buildings in Malta, but still, with character. Turns out that the restaurant is owned by the same man that owns the Lija Athletic club next door. Two very dissimilar restaurants, each very good in its own way. The week earlier at the wine bar, we asked the owner about the Bahia. He said it is very good. But, that they would be re-locating to the Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard, in a couple of months. The poshest hotel in Malta. We could see prices doubling. So, we made a reservation for the following week.
While we have limited experience in dining at Michelin starred restaurants, I did note two obvious things. First, people weren’t dressed to the nines. It is hot, and is Malta. Leastwise no shorts or sandals! The other point was well received by us. The prices for our meal was much lower priced than other Michelin restaurants in Malta (there are 4 other restaurants with Michelin one-star!), and was in line with other upper end restaurants in Malta. So, a bargain! It wound up being just like a regular top end restaurant, with all-round better parts.
Had we opted for the seven course tasting menu, the menu was in the box!The other two menus were the ones I ordered for my dinner.
The better half ordered off the vegan menus.
For starter, she had local barley cooked in “melqart” Nocellara Olives and chervil. For the main course, “Conchiglioni” pasta, locally foraged wild mushrooms and autumn black truffle.
And for my dinner, there were plenty of choices.
I had the fresh scallop sashimi, with fennel & caper dashi and thyme oil. To accompany the scallop, there was a bowl of samphire and millet salad.
My main choice consisted of slow-cooked saddle of rabbit, rabbit leg & offal ‘Roġġ’tart, with garlic chive & spinach puree, with sauce bordelaise, along with some pretty amazing potatoes.
With the ever presence of the Coronavirus for the past year and a half, full dining experiences have been lacking for much of the time. And this dinner reminded us of what true artists chefs have become. What is most important to note is that chefs believe you eat twice: once with your eyes and once with your stomach. Normally, price would be the stumbling block. Absent that, this dinner was extraordinary because the dinner was a feast for the eyes and stomach. And the entire staff was most attentive, professional and quite helpful. If Bahia remains in Lija longer than anticipated, we will be happy to return. So, as I have said before, no snobbishness. No waitstaff in formal attire. No one telling us how lucky we were to be here. So, it was absolutely perfect.
Oh, by the way, Bahia is the name of the locally cultivated orange. They even have one, named Chloe in the restaurant.
Chloe
Iż-żminijiet qed jitjiebu; ikunu sikuri u jgawdu.
(The times are getting better; be safe and enjoy.)
Summer is getting closer now. Little rain, lots of sun and consistent warmth. But the most telling point is that I am again wearing my shorts every day! Whew, did my legs ever get white over the winter. But, most important is that restaurants are opening up again, along with retail outlets. Bars and band clubs will open up in early June. And it appears that travel between some other countries in Europe will open up in June as well. As per the new norm, it all depends if a country is Green, Amber or Red. As of today, Malta has the lowest number of cases per 100,000 in the EU, as well as the highest number of vaccine jabs per 100,000 in the EU. Today, just one new case.
Still haven’t gotten out and about with our exploration of Malta. But, it’s coming soon. In the meantime, a couple of the daily sites.
This shark has seen better days. Wonder what replaced it.I guess my dentist had enough of patients demonstrating their dental expertise.One thing we know for certain. No Festas (and fireworks) again this year. Sigh!Oh, and this was our best vacation ever! Tahiti.Not that we see this while walking around. But, it is a good memory, until we get out and take more vacations.
Nisperaw li dan is-sajf ikun dak kollu li kont qed tittama għalih.
(Hope this summer will be all that you were hoping for.)
Like everyone else, a semi-lockdown was not designed for your mental health. Understandably, your physical safety and well-being is paramount. But it would really be nice to get around exploring Malta again. So much to experience. At least I will finally be able to get a haircut again next week, along with my final jab.
In the meantime, doing the mundane, catching the good where we can, is a plus.
One of our favorite restaurants, Cellini, is located three streets away. Since takeaway is the only option, this spread is way more than enough for the two of us. All this for E25. And it includes a E5 voucher for use when in-house dining returns.Somehow, you just know it’s time to get back to the new normal. It’s not often I get to see a shark in the local clothes re-cycle bin.
Hekk kif ir-Rebbiegħa tersaq eqreb lejn is-sajf, aħna lkoll nistennew bil-ħerqa li nerġgħu lura għal ħajjitna. Nawguraw li tiġi dalwaqt għal kull wieħed u waħda minnkom.
(As the Spring gets closer to summer, we all look forward to getting more of our lives back. Wishing it comes soon for each of you.)
Seattle to Malta 6,087 miles (9,796 kilometers)...... And a lifetime. 