Cole Point

In Helsinki, the Kiasma is open and very worthwhile. It’s the new contemporary art museum full of the work of young Finnish artists and contained in a beautifully designed building by architect Steven Holl. Being there for Alvar Aalto centenary and seeing some sort of Aalto exhibit in every town of consequence I visited proved to me not only the veneration they have for him and his work, but also for his contribution to the Finnish national identity, something of which Finns seem to be proud of.

I suggest that interested travellers should read at least some of the Kalevala (Kalevala combines poetry, runes and folk tales with various personalities and biblical themes, such as creation and the fight between good and evil)as so much of the important art work in the Ateneum and elsewhere will make so much more sense – it is a wonderful collection of pagan myths and stories rivalling the Sagas.

Go there, walk on the felltops and admire the expanses of Lapland. Eat a sugared doughnut with a coffee in a gas station caf? in the middle of nowhere but knowing that Russia is only 30 kms away. And oh yeah, check out those clouds. The Finnish flag has a blue cross for the lakes and a white field for the clouds – makes sense to me.