Postcards from... Turku

Following a couple of days in Helsinki and a side trip to Porvoo, I took a train to Turku, the country's oldest city and the European Capital of Culture 2011 (shared with Tallinn).

My first impressions were that it didn't look that old (Porvoo looked older) and that the Centro Hotel was not quite as central as the name would suggest. Having dragged and bumped my case over far too many cobbles, I eventually arrived, red-faced and grumpy, at my none-too-centrally-placed hotel. Thankfully, the check-in process was smooth, and minutes later I was in my room.

With just a day and a half to spend in Turku, sightseeing was a must, but not until I had had some lunch. Fueled up on tea, a brie and sun-dried tomato sandwich and a cinnamon muffin, I was good to go.

Some of the architecture

Buildings by the riverfront

A flowerdrop made from recycled plastic for the Flux Aura 2011 exhibition 

Boats on the river

On the advice of my guidebook, I headed for the 'lofty castle' first. Founded in the late 13th century on the banks of the River Aura, Turku Castle (Turun Linna) is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland, and the oldest one still in use.

First look at the castle

The entrance

Light and shade in the King's Hall

Arches within arches

The castle church

King's and Queen's Hall

Sunlit arch

Having explored the castle, I traipsed the whole length of the river to Turku Cathedral (Turun tuomiokirkko), which is one of the most important religious buildings in Finland.

The cathedral's origins date back to the late 13th century, when it was built out of wood. It became the country's main cathedral in 1300 and also the seat of the Bishop of Turku. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries it was expanded using stone. The Great Fire of Turku in 1827, which destroyed most of the town, left the cathedral badly damaged and in need of extensive rebuilding.

The entrance

The nave overlooked by the main organ

Ceiling detail

Lighted candles

Content to have seen two of the major sights, I decided to simply freestyle it, which involved nothing more than aimlessly wandering down nice-looking streets and taking the odd photo here and there...

Café life



Art that appealed to me

My mistake, as I discovered the next day, was not having done more sightseeing proper. Why? Unfortunately, and in direct contradiction to my LP, almost everything is closed on Monday – shops, cafés, and critically, the very sights I wanted to see. Damn! With nothing to do but wander, I treated myself to tea and cake in one of the few open coffee shops, and tea and a sandwich in another. I wandered through modern shopping centres, and a fruit and veg market. But, by 15:00 I had to concede defeat. As I didn't want to spend all my time and money in cafés, I went back to the hotel, where at least there was free internet!

Tea and cake – the answer to all of life's problems!