Porvoo, Finland

The second oldest city in Finland is just a bus ride away from Helsinki. Established in 1346 by Swedish King Magnus Eriksson, Porvoo's old town is a big draw for both Finns and foreigners alike. We joined the crowd on a double decker Innobus for the 55 minute ride from Helsinki, which puts you just 500 meters from the oldest part of the city. This includes the brick red warehouses that protrude over the River Porvoo, perhaps the most photographed site in Finland. At the moment, you have to peek at them over construction barricades. (It's summer after all, when all construction and reconstruction in Finland must be completed!)

As we entered the old town, we spied the famous chocolatier Brumberg, established 1871, but we saved that for last. Instead, Steven patiently followed me around to various local shops. Oh, and a stop for coffee and Finland's famous cinnabon buns.

At a toy store called Lelukauppa Riimiko, amidst doll houses and puzzles, I found the perfect Finnish postcard. The quote is taken from a Moomin book, and translated, reads, "I'm on vacation. I'm going to forget everything except a few fun things that are important to me." That pretty much echoes this blog, which captures the highlights and the rest is pretty much forgotten. And that's okay.

After a little shopping, we viewed two jointly administered city museums. On the left in white is the Holm House; on the right is the Old Town Hall (commissioned 1764). The original town hall was built in 1545, but it burned down in 1760, when old Mrs. Bergman's fish soup somehow caught fire. Once the Bergman house collapsed in flames, sparks flew into the air and ignited nearby houses and so on. Two-thirds of the city burned. So much of old town is not so old, but was reconstructed in the same style. The Old Town Hall has a little bit of everything. You're instructed to start at the top, in the attic. Here I disovered a 19th century dollhouse constructed by a sea captain for his daughter. Note the bulldog at the front door.

Then down a floor is an exhibit of original paintings by Finland's most famous artist, Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905). He spent summers in the area, painting Porvoo and nearby Haikko. He was a handsome gadfly. He married a baroness but only managed to stay faithful to her for ten years. His friend and fellow painter Ville Vallgren feared that Edelfelt's love life and "artistic prolificacy" were endangering his health. So it seems. Edelfelt died of a heart attack at 51.

Then we have some delightful Finnish ceramics and jewelry exhibits, and even beloved modern Finnish comic book author Fingerpori has his own exhibit.

Next door at the Holm House, we got a taste of life in the 18th century. Here was the residence of Johan Holm (1712-1776) and his family. He was a merchant, industrialist and councillor. His original house burnt down in the fish soup fire of 1760, and he had it rebuilt in stone by 1763. The Holm family owned the house for over one hundred years, with the downstairs serving as a confectionary for a long time. The second floor has now been furnished in the style of a wealthy merchant family from the 1700s. Except for the bedroom (with its Chinese-themed wallpaper) the colorful walls are based on the last layer of paint uncovered in the house. I don't have the names of the couples pictured, but they seem both important and well fed.

Steven remarked that the Finns were very short in 1700s, but that was not so. What you see here is an *extendible* bed. So clever. You also see a day dress wore by the upper class ladies of the era. I quite like it.

The Master's Room contains a few pistols, toy soldiers, a writing desk and yet another tiled fireplace (each room had it's own unique fireplace.) You may have noticed some 21st century interlopers in these rooms, reflected in the mirrors. That would be us.