The ScandiTrip: Day 2
Helsinki to Espoo and Porvoo
Today we got the chance to visit one of Bonus Mom’s distant relatives, Mari. Months prior to our trip, Bonus Mom found Mari in a Finnish cultural group on Facebook. They have the same surname and similar family history, and struck up an online friendship.
When Bonus Mom told Mari we were going to be in Finland, Mari invited us over to her house for a visit. Turns out she lived in Espoo, a small town near Helsinki. It was going to be a Karelian family reunion!
A … what kind of reunion?
My stepmom’s dad (I guess I can call him Bonus Grandpa?) came from Karelia, a region which is now divided between Finland and Russia (it’s a looooong story). Mari’s family is from there, too. I doodled a map of it in my journal:
Finns are welcoming people, but they’re quiet … which is perfect for me, a proud introvert. However, I can understand how some people could misinterpret their silence and reserved nature as unfriendliness or coldness. Rest assured this isn’t true, but - kind of like with me - it just takes time for them to warm up to you. Even their version of “warming up” to someone isn’t the same as what you’d see in, say, Latin American countries, Southern Europe, or even southern parts of the US.
Mari treated us to quite strong coffee (the best kind), pastries, and delicious licorice candy. The candy was both savory and sweet, with a hard white candied layer covering the licorice inside. Bonus Mom and I really enjoyed those, along with the allsorts and salted licorice. The pastries had just a hint of sweetness, but weren’t over-the-top with sugar.
We chit-chatted a little, but I think the level of introvertage might have freaked Bonus Mom out. I’m fine just hanging out enjoying the vibe, but my stepmom wasn’t a fan of the prolonged silence. We did talk about things like their family history, Mari’s hometown, hobbies, life trajectories, and more. It was quite pleasant!
As we took our leave, Bonus Mom grabbed Mari in a big, warm bear hug. I think that shocked Mari because she had a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face. I almost started laughing because I wouldn’t bear hug someone I just met for the first time in real life. Mari was a sport about it, though, but I’m sure she was thinking, “Uh …. What in the world?!?”
(Side note: I may have out-Finned my Bonus Mom twice already, and we’ve been here less than 24 hours by a) being fine with sitting in silence and b) not bear hugging someone I just met.)
After our visit, it was time to drive a further ~50 minutes east to Porvoo. The historic old town is a popular tourist destination with both Finnish and foreign visitors, and features well-preserved buildings from the 18th-19th centuries as well as the 15th century Porvoo Cathedral.
A Fishy Fiesta
By the time we arrived in Porvoo and finished exploring the old town, it was time for dinner. We found what looked like a popular little restaurant called Fryysarinranta, located on a side street. The evening special was a … Finnish fish buffet!
I had no idea there were that many types of pickled herring, but I tried them all. My favorites were the OG pickled herring* and herring in a mustard marinade - which was fabulous, although it was the same color as a neon yellow highlighter(radioactive, perhaps)? The tomato one … I just couldn’t do it. It was horrible. I had to spit it out.
The herring marinated in blackcurrants was … purple. It was a bit hard to get past the color, but I did it. Here’s a short (but grainy) video of me trying the blackcurrant herring. Gosh, was it salty!!!
What do you think? Would you have tried a jiggly piece of purple fish? Am I crazy, adventurous, weird, or all three?
*Remind me to tell y’all about the first time I saw pickled herring. It was interesting …
I'm keen to visit Finland. I had a Finnish lady on one of my courses recently, and she charmed me with tales of her homeland. Quietly!
As an introvert who also likes meeting and welcoming people, I feel I would fit in with Finnish culture! This is such a cool trip 😊