finland trip, part four

when we got back to the cottage, it was time to say goodbye to most of the family. irma was just about to retire as a cook in a elderly care facility, and she had cooked the meals for us during our stay. she was so kind and loving!

in the evening, we did sauna again and this time we swam in the sea afterwards! we had met kirsti's granddaughter, meeri, and she came with us and showed us how/what to do. we got hot in the sauna, then showered off and went out to the water and waded in. it was shallow and rocky, so we had to be careful. but the water was still as glass, there were swans and other birds out, and the light was just incredible! it was cold, but we sucked it up and dove under! it felt so awesome! we had to do it again. definitely one of the best experiences of the trip, and something both mary and i had really wanted to do!

 the next day, we went with the remaining family to see the town where they lived, and where my great-grandfather had emigrated from. this is also where my family name comes from, and it was such a profound experience to be there! we got pictures by the town sign, the same as my sister kaarina had done when she visited in the late 90's!

this is pontio road, where all the family houses were/are. it felt so timeless, and really cool to think of all our relatives, past and present, walking along this same road.

 and on that road, there is this HOUSE! this is esa and liisa's house, and isn't it darling!? it belongs in a fairy-tale. and in the woods behind the house, there are wild blueberries, lingonberries, and cloud berries. isn't that so dreamy?

 and inside the house, there is an amazing, beautiful clock that esa made with re-claimed wood from the original family homestead. we couldn't get over it. what an heirloom!

 further along the road is a house that their father, heikki, built. this is where esa and liisa raised their children, and which one of their sons lives in now.

and at the house is this stone, which must've been moved from the original homestead, and in which my great-grandfather carved his name before leaving to america. this felt like such a powerful place to me, made more so by the fact that my own grandpa had been there, seen/touched his fathers' name, and then a decade later, my sister had seen it, too. family ties are strong.

 also along the road, and moved from the homestead, are these three little sheds. they were super cool, with this huge old, but working, locks and latches. and can you see the cool curly wood handle on the door on the right?

 next we visited the site of the original homestead, and saw the pontio river.

and then on to himanka, where other family members lived, to see the beautiful old church and find some records of our great-grandfather, john henry- or johan henrik in finnish. 

the inside of the church was so gorgeous. and i loved the model ship suspended from the ceiling!

 it was really surreal to be able to look through these old original record books at the building next door, and actually find our great-grandfather's baptismal record!

 from there we went to the nearby cemetary to see family headstones. it was so rooting, seeing our (finnish) name so much in this place. such an amazing feeling.

here is the headstone of the siblings' parents. heikki was well-known and loved in the town, and we had seen pictures at mikko's house of the long funeral procession.

 we had lunch at esa & liisa's daughter-in-law's restaurant, and then had to say goodbye to them.

we were happy to have the chance to visit pirjio at the bank where she works, and it was so fun to see her again & in her element!

 then we went to a little park by the sea and collected a few rocks to bring home to our parent's and sisters, since we couldn't find any at the homestead site.

arvo and pirkku drove us back to petra's in kokkola, and waited with us there till she got home to protect us from the "kokkola gangsters"! arvo also sweetly gave us a copy of the book he wrote, about learning finnish- only it's in swedish, so we'd kind of have to learn that, first!

sweet petra and her mom took us shopping all around kokkola that evening, to find souvenirs at the best prices. they were so sweet and accommodating! it was hard to leave petra the next morning, she had so many more things to show us, but we needed to get back to helsinki for the rest of our trip.

we woke up early to catch the train, and were on our way back to helsinki!

** go ahead to part five, back to part three, or start at the beginning!