Atlantica - 01.07.2004, Page 29

A T L A N T I C A 27
face takes on a dreamy expression.
“This, however, is the promised land.
Finland is the new America.”
SEA, SERENITY AND REINDEER STEAK
I wake up to a beautiful Helsinki morn-
ing: not a cloud in the sky and tempera-
tures are rising. The perfect day to set
sail for the island of Suomenlinna. We
catch a ferry from the bustling Market
Square, after browsing through the
stalls where vendors sell everything
from reindeer pelts to fried herring and
new potatoes. The ferry costs near to
nothing and the ride across the pure
blue straits only takes fifteen minutes.
There are lots of pretty islands along the
way, some of them tiny with only a red
wooden house and a boatshed on them.
(How’s that for an ideal home).
We get off at Suomenlinna, which was
originally a military fortress but was
transformed into a colony of artists and
bohemians who now lead a peaceful
existence on this utopian island. The
smell of honeysuckle is overwhelming,
and the sun beats down on my skin as I
look out at a living page from a book of
fairytales, with green fields, flowers,
wooden houses and crooked paths. We
spot out-of-place remnants from its mil-
itary past, canons and fortresses along
the beautiful cliffs. There isn’t a car in
sight, just a few people picnicking on
sandy coves, soaking up the sunshine or
swimming in the ocean. We take a
pit-stop in the sweltering heat at a
charming terrace café and enjoy a won-
VIEW OVER LAKE TÖÖLÖ
LAHTY, THE FINNLANDI HALL
AND DOWNTOWN HELSINKI.
022-28 HELSINKI ATL 304 22.6.2004 17:23 Page 27