Back to My Roots: Ally and Jussi Return to Finland (Part 1 - Rauma & Surrounds + Book Launch)

The radio is filling the car with white noise to counteract the beautiful scenery of forest and fields and deep red wooden houses. Any monotony is broken up by a mysterious beep every 20 seconds or so, my theories include automatically searching for a radio station and warning us that we're speeding. It's a brisk 7 degrees outside, but inside the car we are alternating the blasting air between sweating-hot and freezing cold to make sure our body stays alert. The sat-nav instructs us to turn left NOW "nyt käänny vasemmalle".
I say right, Timo goes straight. I say left, Timo goes right. I say straight, Timo does a u-turn and goes left. We're lost. Geoff laughs. Jussi smiles. I focus on the scenery. Timo swears "bloody hell!". At least we're not in any hurry.

Three days ago Jussi (dad) and I hopped on an aeroplane, 3 actually, and excitedly set off to Finland. On the way we commended ourselves on our matching footwear and bags, and even my knitting coordinated quite well. We settled onto a makeshift bed of a row of 5 seats in the hot, noisy and crowded Bangkok airport for a 12 hour stopover, but the fun began the next morning as we played 'spot the Finn' near our gate.

 

After 40 hours of travel we arrived in Helsinki airport and dads excitement really spilled over. He comfortably slipped into speaking Finnish (almost) full-time, and grinned at just about everything. The man at customs was friendly, surprised when dad said it has been 25 years since he was in Finland, and dad took great pleasure in comparing his kind demeanor to the customs officer in Bangkok who said no words to us and kept us waiting in front of him while he enjoyed his television show before sending us on. Helsinki airport was a lovely cool temperature, few people walked about and any crowds were orderly and quiet. There are no overhead announcements to disrupt your thoughts and inside the decor includes live plants and my favourite, bird song in the bathrooms. We found dad's long-time friend Geoff who is to be our travel companion for the next fortnight, and set off to Lahti for a brother's reunion.

Timo and Jussi were very happy to see each other again, and Geoff was very happy to see the road to Timo's house midway through resurfacing. Paivi welcomed us with a feast of baked salmon and mushrooms she had picked for the nearby field and we made ourselves at home. The following morning we enjoyed riisipirraka (rice pies) and rye bread with egg and salted fish and set off for the West coast of Finland.

In the coastal town of Rauma we wandered the cobbled streets. The town center is a world heritage site, with beautiful wooden stores and cafes, a lovely stone church and the original town well. For dinner dad and I had moikku, small fish fried whole and eaten bones and all, a meal he has been talking about since I visited Finland in May. Then to recover from our travel we had our first sauna, in the hotel - women 1700-1900, men 1900-2100.

Traditional well in Rauma

The catalyst for our visit and Jussi's return after 25 years is the launch of a book written about my Vaari, dad's father,  Esko Pasanen. The Maritime Museum, or meri-museo, in Rauma holds collections of items belonging to many Finnish seamen and a recent addition has been letters written between Esko and his fellow seaman and long-time friend Jorma. More recently our family has sent photographs, his daily diaries and other items to add to the collection. Both the letters between friends and his journals have been the base for the book written about his three years as a 21 - 23 year old at sea.

For sale!!

The maritime museum is in a beautiful old building complete with a ship weathervane and an iron anchor and propeller flanking the front door. Inside, above the door, is a working lighthouse light which lights up the room as it turns. The ground floor has displays of model ships and retired figureheads, some attractive navigation equipment and an antique cork life jackets.

Cork Lifejacket

Vaari's Tattoo!

Upstairs we were greeted by the museum director and publisher of the book, Hannu Vartiainen, the author, Jaakko Varimaa, and Esko's old friend and fellow seaman, Jorma Kari. We were presented with the book, and from Jorma a beautiful flower for me to wear, and exchanged with gifts of Tasmanian honey and Huon pine honey dippers dad had made. Once everyone had filled their coffee cups ("in Finland we believe coffee solves everything" the museum manager told us) we sat in front of reporters and photographers to launch the book: Pula-ajan Suomesta Pacificille: Ulkoseiluri Esko Pasanen seikkailuja vuosilta 1949-1952. ('Depression era in Finland and the Pacific: Esko Pasanen's Overseas Adventures in the years 1949-1952').

Hannu (museum director) gave a welcome speech and spoke about how interesting Esko's travels were across the Pacific. Jaakko (author) spoke of how beautifully Esko wrote in his daily dairies and how pleasurable it was to read them and share them in his book. Esko's writing was praised often for its construction, persistence and fluidity, a gift of word many also said Juha has inherited, clear in both his speech at the book launch and his obituary at Esko's funeral.

Hannu Vartiainen

Jorma, Esko's friend, spoke about their travels across the Pacific and the shenanigans they got up to on the land. He said Esko was a very kind man who was always greeting everyone and wanting to get to know so many people from across the world. Jorma and Sirikka (Mummi, my grandmother) are in close contact still today.

Jaakko Varimaa

The speeches were concluded with the product of our long hours of travel, a speech from Juha. He sent greetings from Sirikka, Esko's wife, and Tuija and Jukka (Esko's children unable to be there) back in Tasmania. Juha spoke of Esko's passion for language, he taught himself and spoke Finnish, English, Spanish and Japanese. Esko was a philosophical man, very handy with woodwork and enjoyed his bonsai garden. Juha's speech (in Finnish and translated to English) will be shared on this blog in the coming days.

Jorma Keri

Juha's Speech

Once the speeches were over we shared stories and looked at photos now belonging to the museum, and many appearing in the book. Journalists from newspaper and radio interviewed us and we were photographed plenty.

Jorma, Tiimo, Juha and Jaakko

After a look around the muse Jorma took us to lunch in a ship-themed hotel restaurant across the way. The restaurant was complete with porthole windows, cabin style lighting and dark leather interior. The hotel is an old seamen's club, frequented by seasmem in the area. We ate delicious cheese soup and seafood and shared stories from Esko's adventures both overseas and in Tasmania. It must be the first time in Finnish history a table of 8 haven't finished 2 bottles of wine! The conversation flitted between Finnish and English, including a topic on language itself (as mentioned, my, Vaari spoke many):

Jaakko: "Do you speak any Finnish?"
Me: "Only a little"
Jorma: "What is your second language?"
Me: ".............. Err, Finnish?"
Typically Australian, these are some skills I need to improve!

After lunch we drove to the nearby town of Naantalli, a place Esko lived when he was a teen. It's has a beautiful old town right on the water, with a lovely stone church and the remaining well that Esko has mentioned to his family. The houses are large and wooden and there is a large green park glowing with orange autumn colours. We returned home via Turku to visit the castle and got plenty lost on the way. The journey showed us some of the best highway in the world, speed limit 120, a delight for Geoff and a pleasure to drive on! Complete with wildlife crossings above at various intervals, and often moving straight through hills to keep it flat.

 

The book launch was a wonderful celebration of Esko's adventures and I loved hearing his stories retold. We were presented with copies of the book, Jaakko and Jorma kindly signed them also. It was a pleasure to represent the family alongside Juha and Timo, two of Esko's sons, and remember the incredible life he lived.