Finland - Turku - Friday 29th and Saturday 30th.

- July 30, 2011

Welcome back .... today we are heading to Turku (Abo in Swedish). The journey today started with a stop in Hameenlinna, chance here to visit the birthplace museum of Jean Sibelius the great Finlandia composer. Later we visited Iitalla Glass museum and factory, the it was through the Finnish farming areas, mainly grain crops, and sugar beet. Arrived in Turku late afternoon, our hotel sits on the market square and is surrounded by bars and restaurants ... noise levels ... bearable just, and to top it all off there is also a Rock Music Festival here over the weekend as well .... On Saturday we went to Naantali, this has to be one of the most beautiful little town anywhere in Finland, the town is overlooked by an imposing church (closed for renovation until 2012), a walk took us round the town, with its lovely old wooden houses mixed in with some newer (old) looking houses, we sailed back to Turku on the old Steamship the Ukkopekka, a leisurely two hours through the archipelago and up the river in Turku, passing the Castle, very new looking and not really imposing ... there is also an excellent ship museum along the river with some great looking sailing boats (see the pics below). Heading to Helsinki on Sunday, catch you all there .....

Hameenlinna - There has been a settlement called Vanaja by the Lake Vanajavesi in where the city now stands since the Viking Age. The castle was built in the late 13th century to secure the Swedish power in central Finland. A village was born near to the Häme Castle to provide services and goods to inhabitants. The village was granted city rights in 1639 and soon after that the King of Sweden moved it one kilometre south on the hill where it now stands. The city is known for its schools and academies where many famous Finns have studied. Schools, government and the military have characterized Hämeenlinna's life all through history. Finland's first railway line opened between Hämeenlinna and Helsinki in 1862. The composer Jean Sibelius was born and raised in Hämeenlinna. He graduated from Hämeenlinna Lyseo in 1885.

Turku has a long history as Finland's largest city and occasionally as the administrative centre of the country, but has, over the last two centuries, lost both titles to Helsinki. To this day, the city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finland and the country's first capital. Originally, the word "Finland" referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, "Finland Proper" for the region).

Although archaeological findings in the area date back to the Stone Age, the town of Turku was founded in late 13th century. The Cathedral of Turku was consecrated in 1300, and together with Turku Castle and the Dominican monastery (founded in 1249), established the city as the most important location in medieval Finland.