Places I Missed in Turku

I have a few confessions to make. I cannot read a map. If I look at a map, I need to turn it around so that it is oriented exactly as I am standing in order for there to be any hope that I will find my way home.

I would never go anywhere if it was not for Earl. I would sit in my little house and read books and eat bon bons. And let's face it, without Earl and his Fulbright I would never have come to Helsinki.

In Turku, we never had a chance to go see anything together. I have already confessed that I fell asleep on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning before leaving for more meetings, Earl told me to go sightseeing or neither of us would see any of Turku. He showed me where I was on the map and where the market square was. He left me to fend for myself and some how I did not get lost. However, I found that it was too far to walk to the castle.

I never did see the exterior let alone the interior of the Sibelius museum. Nor did I see the Museum of Art or the Jewish Synagog. My one regret is that I never got to a harbor to see any part of the scattered archipelago between the sea and Turku.

Dining out in Turku

Unfortunately the professor and I did not get to do very much together on our short trip to Turku. He spent almost all of our stay there in meetings. After we got settled into our room at the guest house, we joined everyone else for lunch. We had a buffet lunch in a restaurant not far from where we were staying. Following lunch we all went to the main building on campus and met in an auditorium. Earl was the first speaker. As always his presentation was very good. During the first break I snuck away and returned to the guest house. I very shamefully read for awhile and then fell asleep.

That evening we walked along the river to the Suarte Rudolf which is a boat permenantly docked beside the Aura River. We sat with Johana who works for the center and another Fulbright professor whose name is Sammye. We had to order our food in advance. Of course, I didn't remember that and was pleasantly surprise to have asparagus soup followed by a tender steak with French fries. Since we don't ever seem to see or eat a lot of meat, it was an especially delicious dinner.

Johana (Yohana) is very athletic and we talked about her exercise activities and her Saturday nights which are dedicated to the Sauna. The other three of us are couch potatoes and we talked about food. Sammye is here on her own and it didn't take long for us to figure out that 18 to 20 Euros for lunch was about what she usually pays. The two of us
try to aim for that amount for the two of us. We did discover that there is apparently a good German restaurant right next to our apartment. It is in the opposite direction from the way we usually walk so we have never seen it.

The funny part of our conversation was when Sammye told us that she had not resorted to eating at McDonald's since arriving in Finland. Well, I have. It was not a great experience because they put some type of bbq sauce on the hamburgers. I wanted a hamburger that tasted just like home. However, while I was standing in line at the fast food restaurant, I overheard the woman in front of me speaking in English to the cashier while trying to figure out how to use her bank card. It was Sammye. I smiled and said hello to her and she looked at me as if she had never seen me before. When she mentioned at dinner that she had never been to McDonalds since coming to Finland, I kept her secret. But I chuckled and shared the story with Earl later. Was I mistaken? Was it someone else that I saw at the local McDonald's? No. I was not wrong. Sammye is very distinctive looking and could not be mistaken for someone else.

A group of about 8 or 9 of these large ducks were floating in the river. They definitely looked strange and I don't think anyone ever asked one of our local hosts what the funny ducks were all about.

Who me? A missionary?

For years we have lived in Provo surrounded by other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I have been admonished to be a missionary and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have had a hard time thinking of anyone I know that is not already a member.

While we were in San Diego this summer we learned that at their recent stake conference their president had asked all of the local members to pray for a missionary experience and to prepare themselves for the time when someone will ask them about the church. Again I more or less thought, "I really don't even know anyone in the area where we are renting a house. No one will be asking me about the church."

Well, I got my unprayed for missionary experience this past weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, I sat beside Maija (Maya) at the long cafeteria table. Maija's husband Aki (Awkey) works for the Fulbright Center here in Helsinki. As we eating our lunch, Maija asked me where we lived in Utah and when I explained that we did not live in Salt Lake City, she asked me if I was a Mormon. Then she totally surprised me by telling me, "I am a Believer."

As our conversation progressed, I discovered that she believed in God and she was finding it challenging because Aki does not. She went on to tell me that during the past year, the missionaries had come to their door twice. I don't know if they were invited in or not, but I asked her if they had given her a Book of Mormon. Had she read any of it?

She told me about a spiritual experience she had with her parents. I didn't understand what they had seen but she said she had a feeling inside her that it was true, that God lives.

I told her that if she would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it*, that she would have that same experience of knowing that it was true.

I am sure there was more I should have said. We didn't talk again after lunch and before we left. I am not sure if I will see her again. I feel as if I blew it. I just didn't know where to go from there. I would love to talk to her again and ask if she has read anything in the Book of Mormon. I am reasonably sure that she is not in a place where she is ready to have the missionaries come to their home to teach her. I got the feeling that she is concerned about Aki's antagonism.

They are a young couple. She is very beautiful and I think maybe is expecting a baby. She left me with a very sweet feeling. I hope that we will have the chance to meet again.

I do know that it is about time, I started learning to pray that I will know what to say and how to handle the situation when/if someone talks to me again about the church.


2011 Fulbright grantees in Finland

*“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. ” (Moroni 10:4)

Turku Cathedral

Turku Cathedral is regarded as Finland’s most valuable monument of architectural history. It is considered the national shrine and the mother church of the Lutheran Church of Finland. The cathedral was originally constructed of wood in the 13th century. It was dedicated in 1300. The construction took place in stages up to the first decades of the 19th century. The greatest changes in appearance happened in the 15th and 16th centuries. Most of the present interior dates back to the restoration after the Great Fire of Turku (1827).

Every day at noon, Finnish Radio (Yle Radio 1) broadcasts the chiming of the bells of the Cathedral clock.

The exterior of the cathedral is not the most beautiful that I have seen;however, I was captivated by its interior. The ship flying across a corner of the ceiling has votive candles (which were unlit when I was there). My images of past decades of Finns did not include any men or women dressed like the Three Musketeers or England's cavaliers, but there they are commemorated among the dead. I was enchanted by the knight lying forever in state. The morning that I was there, I was the only visitor in this house of worship. It was quiet and had a very special feeling about it. The sun shone through the windows filling it with light and peace. As you can see the first day that we were in Turku, the sun was shining and the second it was cloudy but both days were mild and it was a pleasure to be outside exploring the city.

Åke Henriksson Tott (1598–1640), Swedish soldier and politician

Ship holds votives.

Turku or Åbo, Finland's Oldest City

On Friday, October 14th Earl and I left Helsinki and traveled by train to Turku (or in Swedish - Åbo). He attended a conference for all of the Fulbright grantees at the University of Turku. If you look at the southern area of the map of Finland you will see that Helsinki is just about in the center of the tip. Going westward, but still on the southern coast you will see Turku. It has claims to being Finland's oldest city and its first capital. It is much closer to Stockholm than we are in Helsinki.

Train station in Helsinki.

We stayed on campus at the Villa Hortus. It was a very comfortable place to stay. We had a kitchen and bathroom with a heated floor. I really could use one of those in my long term life. If you look at the map using the link on campus you can see where we stayed at number T42. All of the meetings were held in the main building, T1.

Turku Orthodox Church or the church of Empress Alexandra Martyr, the main church of the Turku orthodox parish is located on the northeast corner of Turku Market Square in Turku. The church was built in the 19th century while the Russians controlled Finland.

I was enchanted with all of the wreaths for sale.

For the last month this heather-like plant has been for sale everywhere. At the college where the professor is teaching all of the potted flowers have been replaced with potted heather. Here is just an example at one restaurant above. We passed a park recently where all of the flowers have been replaced by purple heather. It was such a lovely contrast to the dark green of the grass.

The professor in front of statue in the square in Helsinki.

Helsinki, Finland
Thursday, October 13, 2011

Hi
Grandpa and I miss you very much. We think about you and say a prayer for you every day. I am looking forward to seeing you in the spring time.
Maybe you heard that Grandpa and I went on a big ship not long ago. It was actually a ferry that carried cars and great big trucks as well as passengers like us who did not have a car.

What do you think would happen if they put all of the big trucks filled with cargo at one end of the boat and all of the cars at the other end? Grandpa and I sat and watched the loading through a great big window on the ship. The men directed the trucks and cars so that they were mixed up so that the ship would be balanced. There were two decks at the bottom of the ship for cars and trucks.

What do you think that Grandpa is standing next to in this picture? It is a very small boat on the great big one. If there should be any problems with the ferry, all of the people could get into the small life boats. I wasn’t at all worried that something would go wrong because I knew that the ferry would be safe. It makes the trip from Helsinki to Stockholm and then comes back the next day. It sails every day of the year. Even in the winter time when there is ice in the water. The Ferry was called the Mariella.

If you look at this page , you will see a ferry called the Isabella sailing through the ice in the winter.

This video is of a ship called an ice breaker. It is going to rescue a ship that is trapped in the ice.
While we were looking out the window at the back of the ship, we saw a little tug boat that helped a big barge move. It reminded me of Thomas the train and some books about boats that I have seen.

We love you very much. Grandma and Grandpa Fry

Eating out in Vilnius

Čili Restaurant had an artificial tree in the center of the restaurant with several figures sitting in it. This is just one of the men sitting in the tree. The chickens are real. They are in a glass cage just as you walk into the restaurant.

Business Man's lunch in the cellar at the Narutis Hotel. We had a delicious chicken dish with fresh stir fried vegetables. It reminded me of Thai food that we ate in Washington DC. Everywhere we went the food was good and was affordable. Two of us could have lunch for only about 8 or 9dollars.

Beef Stroganoff with mashed potatoes and pickles

Pork inside Potato Rolls

Pizza made with a potato crust