Blog

London

Our time back in London was spent meeting up with old friends and…(photo of Daphna, Joyce’s sister)
visiting art galleries including the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the oldest purpose built art gallery in the world,
We stayed in Clapham to look after Archie who almost ended our petsitting careers when he went missing for three days…
…and Eliot, our son’s feline namesake. It felt so weird and nostalgic calling Eliot in for dinner and putting him to bed.

Helsinki

We stayed in Helsinki for 3 weeks to look after this sweet Chinese Crested dog called Helmi, which means Pearl in Finnish
Our home was in the middle of the woods far from everything. Helmi’s parents gave us their car so we could drive to Helsinki in 45 minutes.
We spent most of our days just relaxing on the verandah admiring rainbows…
…and wildlife
We also loved foraging in the forests for blueberries and chanterelle mushrooms
…and enjoying the produce
…or going out for coffee and very special cakes. Our favourite was the Karelian pie (top), a rye crusted hot pasty filled with rice pudding. You’d think it would be weird, but it is very moreish!
The smoked salmon soup with a dark semi-sweet rye bread was also amazing.
The cinamonn buns at Regatta were to die for!
We tried losing a few calories with a swim in the local lake. With a population of 5+million and nearly 200,000 lakes, there is a lake for every 25 people.
Life doesn’t get any better than drinking an ice cold beer in a hot sauna. Of course, the beer became warm, which for us Brits is even better. Saunas are integral to Finnish culture and, like many homes, we had our own private sauna where we stayed.
Life did in fact become better when we met beautiful family who, we only recently discovered, live in Helsinki.
The war in Ukraine was felt in the form of rallies and the boycott of Russian companies including this Russian chain of petrol stations.
Ukrainian flags were also flying from buildings and railings.
We loved the other big news item in Finland, that its prime minister Sanna Marin, had been caught clubbing with friends. Such a scandal! If only all world leaders would spend their leisure dancing with friends instead of waging wars, the world would be a much better place.
After our petsit, we spent a couple of days touring. First in Porvoo…
…a charming town full of old cobbled streets…
…and of course the ubiquitous Moomins
Then, in Helsinki, we walked everywhere…to the wondrous Temppeliaukio, a church embedded into ice age rock.
…to the Uspenski Cathedral
… the Sibelius monument
And we spent many happy hours admiring all of the design shops
We saw some of the artisans at work too, here making suede handbags.
Visiting the Design Museum, we discovered that Finnish design is not just based on aesthetic but on function and equality. These Marimekko shirts and dresses are for any age or sex.
So much of Finnish design like stackable stools and plastic handles for scissors are now so standard that we don’t stop to consider what great designs they are.
This art nouveau service would have been perfect for an aunt who only ever wanted half a cup of tea.
The jewel in the crown for us was Odoo, the central library, which wasn’t just beautiful but reflected Finland’s social policy of free access for all.
In the library’s workshops, anyone can use any facility, such as this craft and design studio with 3D printers, for free.
At the Finnish opera house, we were probably the only members of the audience without little ones to watch the Pippi Longstocking ballet. Such fun!
Admiring the sturgeon moon over Helsinki harbour, we felt sad to leave Finland and definitely plan to return – we have never felt so safe and happy with a country’s policies, designs, arts, values and way of life.

Tallinn

We took a short ferry journey to Tallinn which is a picture postcard town . Everywhere we turned, the age old architecture was jaw dropping
Walking by 14th Century tombstones in charming alleyways, we were reminded of the “little town” in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Tallinn still has lots of signs of its Russian Empire past.
Tallinn is a carnivorous place but by luck, they also have very good pastries. We became very well acquainted with those at Café Rost.

Munich

We looked after two gorgeous cats, Nelly and…
…her brother Noel. They were so easy to care for that we had lots of time to explore the city.
The Alte Pinakotek quickly became one of our all-time favourite galleries.
Plus it was fascinating to learn about the 19th Century Blue Rider Group at Lenbachhaus…
…and the rise of the French street artist JR in a special exhibition at the Kunsthalle.
An exposition of the Finnish photographer Arno Minkkinen was beautiful, inspiring in his oneness with nature throughout his 50 year career and remarkable in how none of his shots have ever involved manipulation.
Munich also had remarkable palaces, particularly the 16th Century Residenz which was overwhelming for its grandeur…
…and for its treasures, this 13th Century crown having been made for the reliquary of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II!
The old Glockenspiel at the Town Hall was good fun and drew lots of gasps from the large crowd watching.
The Nymphenbourg Schloss baroque bath house with a gallery for onlookers was just as impressive.
We happened to be in Munich for the 50th anniversary of the Massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes on 5th September 1972, so we joined an emotional memorial tour of the site where the athletes were slaughtered.
Incredibly, Dachau concentration camp is close by – we had no idea that Dachau was a suburb of Munich. As expected, at the camp, we just sobbed. There are no words.
To complete our week of sorrow, we signed a book of condolence for Her Majesty the Queen.
We stayed well clear of Munich’s Oktoberfest, but we saw people wearing lederhosen and curious calf warmers everywhere we went.
We also tried with some difficulty to keep clear of the bicycles which take up a lane on pavements rather than on roads. Cyclists go so fast that we had to be vigilant every time we stepped onto a pavement.
Another curious cultural aspect we discovered was how it is forbidden to make any noise between 7pm and 7am. That even includes dropping glass into a recycling bin! When we returned to our apartment one evening and chatted not too loudly in the hallway, a neighbour opened his door and gave us a long hard stare!
We met up with a lovely friend who we got to know on the Camino de Santiago.
We share lots of passions for life, the arts and good cakes. Zwickl’s Kaiserschmarm and Konditorei Wolfl’s delicacies were heavenly.

Next

After spending a few days soon in France and London, we will be going to Israel for three months. We will start our adventure in the Negev Desert, where we will be learning how to herd goats.

15 Comments. Leave new

  • Lily and Cedric
    September 22, 2022 9:51 am

    We enjoyed your adventure photos and can’t believe what a couple you both are – absolutely amazing!!!
    Thanks for sharing and enjoy Israel.

    Reply
  • James
    September 22, 2022 10:52 am

    So cool! And I now understand why you were asking me about Henrich II.

    Reply
  • Geoffrey
    September 22, 2022 1:06 pm

    as amazing as usual but in a different way. Pleased that you had a good time.

    I love Talinn and the people are so friendly. 70% Finnish and 30% Russian, I believe.

    We are in Israel in January and in particular Ben Gurion University, the university of the Negev, on 18th January to open e new Center. Can you join us?

    Reply
    • admin
      September 22, 2022 3:46 pm

      We’ll be leaving Israel at the end of December, so we won’t be able to join you there. Our plan is to spend Jan-March in Mexico, Jamaica, Antigua or Cuba…we’re looking for a small charity in one of those countries where we can volunteer.

      Reply
  • Gilles Hassoun
    September 22, 2022 1:38 pm

    Another wonderful adventure
    We are really enjoying the stories told
    Keep it up

    Reply
  • Marta
    September 23, 2022 5:50 pm

    Amazing! Congrats to both of you! Hope we can meet again, some day! Love from Argentina!

    Reply
  • Fiona
    September 24, 2022 6:42 am

    What beautiful snapshots of your adventures. A lovely positive glimpse into what diversity there is in this world. And how ingenious humans can be in creating environments to live in. The pets all looked extraordinarily handsome (as is your Eliot)…tho I find hairless dogs a bit freaky!
    We wish you a happy, healthy and fulfilling new year 5783.
    love Fiona and David

    Reply
    • admin
      September 26, 2022 7:53 am

      We thought hairless dogs would be freaky too, but in fact our Finnish dog had a body like human arms with some light hair, so she was soft to touch. She was a little like a baby. We are really excited now to herd goats in Israel, do let us know if you have plans to be there too. Otherwise, we’ll be back in the UK for around 6 weeks from mid-March, so we hope to see you then. Wishing you a sweet New Year xx

      Reply
  • Alex
    September 25, 2022 8:17 pm

    Hi Jeff & Sylvie, Enjoyed the illustrated blog. I have not been to Estonia but got to know Finland quite well as I drove there for the 1982 World Athletic Championships. Also worked inMunich for a couple of weeks and you reminded me that my hotel told me I could not have a shower after 9pm because of the noise.! Enjoy the rest of your travels. Shana Tova -Alex

    Reply
    • admin
      September 26, 2022 7:41 am

      Hi Alex, we are clearly following in your footsteps, so we look forward to hearing what’s in store for us on our next trips. We’ll see you soon. Be well.

      Reply
  • Reeva Godson
    September 30, 2022 2:47 pm

    Love the new adventures and new format too – you are both so intrepid – safe travels and carry on discovering.🥰

    Reply
  • Nicole
    October 4, 2022 1:20 am

    Thank you again and again for sharing your travels

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Alex Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

Previous Posts

Useful Links

Get in Touch

© Copyright Old Knees Young Hearts