Oh, Vienna

Today was fairly quiet and a good chance to finally visit with my cousin and her family, and it ended with a Vienna reunion that went into the wee small hours. Our study abroad in Austria was in 2000, and spending an evening catching up with these women reminded me how much they enhanced my experience. Naturally we reminisced about our capers pre-Euro and cell phone, but the breadth of other topics (including GIS) makes me think we would've been friends regardless.

I was too busy mulling all this over while driving home to notice the speed limit. Thankfully the American Fork police force are a merciful bunch, especially to out-of-towners. After that, I made better use of cruise control.

Rexsburg for a day

Temples are a big deal in my church, and in my life. They’re (usually) beautiful and always of eternal significance, as marriages there have the potential to be forever and families can be united throughout the generations.  Utah and Idaho are full of them, and I saw several during my drive to wedding #1.
Technically, it was “sealing #1”, as Tom and Amanda were civilly married a year ago on this day shortly after Hurricane Sandy brushed by Virginia. They chose the temple in Amanda’s hometown of Rexburg, Idaho, and I chose to represent Tom’s family.

The directions were fairly simple: get on I-15 and head north to Idaho, eventually forking off on Highway 20 towards Rexsburg. The drive was long but I was grateful for clear skies and a high speed limit. En route I sampled local radio stations, including the Idaho Farm Bureau report –potatoes are doing well this year, in case you were wondering. I briefly stopped in Idaho Falls to see their temple, and continued on to Rexsburg, arriving just before the ceremony. 

Idaho Falls temple

The sealing was short and beautiful, and it was interesting to see the wheat motif throughout the temple. As we took pictures outside afterward, I was grateful that the weather was relatively “balmy” for that area in November.

friends with the happy couple

Rexsburg temple

The reception featured a mini reunion of DC friends who now live in Idaho, and included a tasty Idaho baked potato.

DC reunion

I broke up the drive back with several stops, including McCammon, ID where some friends are converting “the” building in town built nearly 100 years ago into a boutique hotel. So cool to see historic renovations that honor the best of the original design while bringing in modern taste, and to hear the stories they’ve uncovered while working on this. From their description of the plans, and the nearby Lava Hot Springs, I might need to make my way back here in the coming year.

My other pause was in Logan, UT to see their temple.

Logan temple

A lot of driving for a single day, but worth it.

Back to School

When I told friends and family I was coming to visit I didn’t expect an invitation to speak at my alma mater. But my first day there, I got to visit my old BYU cartography professor (who happens to be my second cousin) and talk to his cartography class about what it’s like working in the NGO sector and using my GIS degree. Despite leaving all my notes at home and not being able to give them much career advice (have dream job given to you), I think it went rather well. Bonus: they had just held their own geography bee and were able to share questions with me for ours at work. Walking around campus I was surprised at how small it seemed, how young they all were, and how much had changed. But I finished off my day there with a visit to the Creamery and a familiar treat in honor of Papa Koenig.

Other than the almonds, dad would be proud.

On the drive back to my cousin’s house I drove past the Provo Tabernacle turned temple. I loved having Christmas Concerts there as a student, but I know it will be beautiful and important in this future use.

Tabernacle turned temple

As bookends to my day I was able to visit two DC friends who've moved to Utah. I miss having them close by, but it's great to see them thriving here.

Trick and Treat

A visit to Utah was long overdue, so friends’ weddings provided a great opportunity. Flying on Halloween meant I missed seeing kids dress up, but I did see a few fellow travelers in the holiday spirit. The “trick” came when my connecting flight was delayed so much I thought I’d arrive after the car rental desk closed; the “treat” was when I made it in time and the nice guy gave me an upgrade. Given how much I’d drive on this trip, this was much-appreciated.

Finland Finale

We had just enough time before our flight to see a few last sights, and started with a monument to Jean Sibelius. His "Finlandia" provided the tune to one of my favorite hymns, "Be Still My Soul", and based on the number of tour buses there I wasn't alone. The monument looks like organ pipes floating in the air, and the experience was completed by a young boy playing Finlandia on his trumpet.

Jean Sibelius monument

From there we strolled to a church Maggie knew about, enjoying the perfect weather along the way. Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). The Finns decided: "IN this rock I will build my church." We're both geology nerds and I have to say, it was unlike any church I'd ever visited but very cool. The floor was polished fairly smooth, but they left the walls a little rough as a reminder you were inside a rock. The roof had some skylights to let in natural light, and directly overhead was a copper dome that looked like a spiraled coil. I loved the purple pews, and sat there long enough to take in a recital on the piano and enjoy the acoustics but had to keep an eye on the time.

Temppeliaukio Church

All too soon, we returned to the hotel to grab our things and head to the airport for the flight home. Scandinavia was a magical place, all the better for seeing so much of it!

Hello, Helsinki!

We awoke refreshed and ate a quick breakfast before bidding farewell to the nuns and Turku, taking a train to Helsinki for our last full day in Scandinavia. Amazing what a difference proper sleep and a beautiful day can make on your attitude! We passed by lupine-lined fields, forests, farms, and the occasional small town that all began to look typically Scandinavian.

Arriving in Helsinki, it was a short walk to our hotel and we quickly dropped off our things before hitting the town. We strolled one of the main boulevards, admiring the architecture and stopping in a few boutiques en route to the waterfront where they'd set up a market selling everything from produce to fur hates. I couldn't pass by the stand selling different varieties of strawberries without trying some, especially since I didn't know there was more than one variety.

yum

In case you were wondering, I discovered that the Polka variety is possibly the world's most delicious strawberry. It was about lunchtime so we also grabbed some heartier fare, and I went for the most exotic option I could find, cooked to order right in front of you.

Adventures in dining—the garlic sauce helped a bit, but it was actually quite tasty

Full of Finnish fare, we took a ferry to the fortress in the harbor named Suomenlinna. The ruins of the fortress were fun to explore, and the video at the visitors center helped me understand its history a lot better. Back when most of Scandinavia was united under the Swedish crown, Helsinki (and its harbor) were seen as a critical defense of the Baltic against the Russian Empire, especially when the czar built nearby St. Petersburg for Baltic access. In the course of its history it was captured by the Russians, and eventually returned to an independent Finland. The island currently has several hundred inhabitants, and if the weather was always so lovely I wouldn't mind joining them. They still had cannons and most of the walls, but with the wildflowers growing it seemed more like a place for picnicking than battle.

Suomenlinna

cannons at Suomenlinna

exploring the fort

There was a spot on the island where you could climb down the rocks to the water, and I decided to dip my feet in the Baltic. So glad I didn't try jumping in--it was freezing!

brrrr!

Back on the mainland, we finished off our shopping for gifts and souvenirs at some of the big department stores and smaller shops on the way back to the hotel. Dropping off our purchases and taking a final tip from Rick Steves, we took the subway for one final Scandinavian experience: the sauna. I'd expected to see them everywhere and use them frequently, but somehow saunas had remained elusive on this trip. No more, as we read about one in a "working class" neighborhood that the locals visit. We got there just a little before closing so it wasn't too crowded, which was fine by me, and it also meant we missed the ladies who'll scrub you down, which was also fine by me. Outside, the male patrons were relaxing in their towels with beers in hand. Thankfully, the women's area was upstairs and out of sight. My trip to Budapest back in 2000 was a great intro to what we were in for, but this was slightly different than the Turkish baths. No pools, just a hot steamy concrete room with tiered benches that gets hotter and steamer the higher up you go, and a tiled room next door with ice cold showers to cool off between rounds. Like Budapest, they give you a towel at the entrance, which is all you're allowed to wear. But the Finns also give you birch branches. I'd heard about this and envisioned people getting bruised from sticks, but it turns out the leafy branches are more like beating yourself with a pom-pom, releasing a pleasant fragrance from the leaves and apparently opening up the sinuses and improving circulation.

our uniform

Loving heat, I spent as long as they'd let us on the top bench, sweating like crazy and whacking my arms and legs with the leaves before sprinting to the showers for a frigid splash and repeating this procedure. I could feel the weeks of hiking around cities and running with my heavy backpack melting away, and thought this was the perfect thing to do before being crammed into a seat for hours on the flight home. I stretched, relaxed, and was glowing a vibrant shade of pink by the time we were through. I probably also shed a few pounds from sweat, but sadly this doesn't burn calories from chocolate like it does water.

another satisfied customer

Buying the largest bottles I could carry at a nearby grocery store and some light fare for dinner, we took a street car back to our hotel and started the process of cramming all our new treasures in our luggage for the flight home.

Nun for a Night

We arrived in Turku early in the morning, which felt even earlier after such a short night.  Mercifully, one of the girls from the conference let us crash at her place for a few hours before hitting the tourist trail.  I was zonked out in a matter of moments, and was shocked to wake up several hours later.  Clearly this was needed!  We freshened up a bit and set off for the bus to the downtown to find the Tourist Info office and a place to stay for the night.  It started to rain along the way, so by the time we got to the office I only cared that the place was cheap and nearby.  As it turned out, the Catholics were an answer to our Mormon prayers!

The guy at the info desk was somewhat kidding when he asked if we wanted to stay in a convent, but I thought it'd be the perfect place for some peace and quiet to recuperate after the weekend.  Here are my nun-creds that he wasn't aware of:  I played a nun in my junior high production of "The Sound of Music", my family regularly quotes a line from "Sister Act", and my lifestyle involves vows of chastity and obedience (and occasional post-trip poverty).  Plus, I'm always up for a novelty and this place didn't disappoint. 

Sanctuary!

Our rooms were pretty bare except for a crucifix above the beds, but it was clean and quiet.  I did notice one thing:  in this culturally Lutheran, mostly secular country, most of the nuns were from India.  I know they weren't deliberately outsourced, but it still made me smile and they were so sweet!

Something we didn't confess to the nuns:  Maggie had been an LDS missionary here a few years ago—we both love Jesus, and that's all they needed to know.  But it also meant that Maggie knew what to see and do, and had some folks she wanted to reconnect with.  In the end, we met up with Anna and had some Finnish kebabs.  I thought I'd eaten enough Turkish and Greek ones to be a pro, but these had a unique flavor and a tomato-based sauce.  The huge portion size was familiar, though, and I happily ate warm food while drying off inside the restaurant for as long as possible in the hopes the rain would let up.

Maggie and Anna with a Finnish kebab

Turku cathedral

We settled for a drizzle and headed to the cathedral, which was consecrated in 1300.  It had a huge mural around the nave, but as usual the stained-glass windows were my favorites (not original, but very old).

We wandered along the river that cuts through the town and arrived at an art/history museum.  It was just planning on being the former, but during the excavation of the basement uncovered enough medieval streets and building foundations to warrant turning the basement into an additional museum.  It turned out to be my favorite of the pair. Fun facts abut Turku:  it's the oldest city in Finland and was originally the capital—a blend of Finns, Swedes, and Hanseatic merchants (Germans).  It seemed like a nice place to live, but this day was a reminder how much the weather and quality of sleep affects your experience of a place.  In short, we wrapped it up pretty early and returned to our sanctuary for the night.