As we rumbled into the Turku (Swedish: Åbo, "oh-bo") harbour, Silja line employees came around to each cabin on the boat. A bit of a rude awakening, but very necessary to ensure a quick and efficient unloading of boats inhabitants. Quick shower, load the packs, and out the cabin door just in time to make a quick exit, passing by a lone and forgotten men's, brown leather dress shoe in the hallway- probably an artifact from the previous night's festivities.
Exiting the mighty Galaxy, spilling out of the bridge with our shipmates onto the harbour where everyone quickly dispersed into the train station, taxis or cars with waiting friends and family. We continued on by foot, first making a stop at Turku Castle, one of the oldest continuously used edifices in Finland dating back to the 13th century. After a stroll around the empty castle grounds, we continued along the boardwalk next to the Aura River where retired tall-ships converted to fancy restaurants and bars were docked. A boardwalk cafe was opening for the day so we claimed an outdoor table and enjoyed strong coffee and lax and hard-boiled egg sandwiches. An older couple out for a morning walk with their nordic walking poles saw my backpack and kindly inquired about where we were coming from. "USA, Colorado/Utah area," I answered. "Oh, a good ski place," the man replied. I raised my cup, smiled and nodded as they continued along, poles in hand moving in stride with their footsteps.
As Turku was his home while he was a graduate student, Kevin reminisced about different places in town as we continued walking along the Aura and then into the city center where we stopped in at the tourist information center for a much needed bathroom, and then to the central market where vendors were beginning their day, selling fruit, vegetables, berries and mushrooms. We scored a half-kilo of lingonberries and a bag of salmiakki candy, a peculiar black-liquorice candy with an overwhelming, tongue-numbing ammonium chloride salt powder core. I called it good after one and rinsed my mouth out with a few handfuls of lingon.
With the sun shining brightly we crossed the bridge over the Aura and up a grassy hill to one of Turku's beautiful parks, passing markers along the path up the steep hill which indicated the sea level at different points throughout history (rise of land masses due to post-glacial isostatic rebound, about 1 cm/year in this area). Without enough time for a thorough visit, we passed by the Luostarinmäki, a traditional Finnish village and now a museum exhibiting the fine, sturdy Finnish woodworking and architecture.
Now, with my stomach rumblin' and nearly ready for feeding, we made our way toward the university campus, first making a stop at the Turku Cathedral, the mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, originally constructed in the 13th century. We popped inside to muse at the cavernous interior and listen to the church's organist, who was apparently practicing for the coming weekend's service. A very impressive structure, especially given the age and the fact that it had been partially destroyed during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827.
The campus at Åbo Akademi University was quiet, as the new semester was still one week away. We made our way to the department of chemical engineering just in time for fika (coffee break!), where several of the graduate students, administrative staff and professors were gathered around large tables in the break room, chatting over coffee and homemade pastries. The entire room immediately looked up at the two ripe vagabonds, several recognizing Kevin, and welcoming us to join them. We filled cups of coffee from the automated machine, which I fumbled through not being able to interpret the numerous options available. Within five minutes most of the room had cleared out as fika abruptly ended with only a few folks hanging around to chat with us. I entertained Levenspiel's theory of atmospheric pressure during the time of the dinosaurs while Kevin caught up with former colleagues until we had the pleasure of joining Professor Mikko Hupa, renowned expert on biomass utilization for energy and fuel production, for a delicious Finnish buffet lunch complete with mashed potatoes and various types of pickled fish.
We finished our visit at the university, wielded our backpacks and walked into central Turku to rendezvous with Kevin's friend Dave to begin what would be another great adventure over the coming days on the Finnish Archipelago.
As Turku was his home while he was a graduate student, Kevin reminisced about different places in town as we continued walking along the Aura and then into the city center where we stopped in at the tourist information center for a much needed bathroom, and then to the central market where vendors were beginning their day, selling fruit, vegetables, berries and mushrooms. We scored a half-kilo of lingonberries and a bag of salmiakki candy, a peculiar black-liquorice candy with an overwhelming, tongue-numbing ammonium chloride salt powder core. I called it good after one and rinsed my mouth out with a few handfuls of lingon.
Now, with my stomach rumblin' and nearly ready for feeding, we made our way toward the university campus, first making a stop at the Turku Cathedral, the mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, originally constructed in the 13th century. We popped inside to muse at the cavernous interior and listen to the church's organist, who was apparently practicing for the coming weekend's service. A very impressive structure, especially given the age and the fact that it had been partially destroyed during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827.
The campus at Åbo Akademi University was quiet, as the new semester was still one week away. We made our way to the department of chemical engineering just in time for fika (coffee break!), where several of the graduate students, administrative staff and professors were gathered around large tables in the break room, chatting over coffee and homemade pastries. The entire room immediately looked up at the two ripe vagabonds, several recognizing Kevin, and welcoming us to join them. We filled cups of coffee from the automated machine, which I fumbled through not being able to interpret the numerous options available. Within five minutes most of the room had cleared out as fika abruptly ended with only a few folks hanging around to chat with us. I entertained Levenspiel's theory of atmospheric pressure during the time of the dinosaurs while Kevin caught up with former colleagues until we had the pleasure of joining Professor Mikko Hupa, renowned expert on biomass utilization for energy and fuel production, for a delicious Finnish buffet lunch complete with mashed potatoes and various types of pickled fish.
We finished our visit at the university, wielded our backpacks and walked into central Turku to rendezvous with Kevin's friend Dave to begin what would be another great adventure over the coming days on the Finnish Archipelago.
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