Many months had gone by since my kast visit in Fine-land. Again, it was absolutely perfect. Tove and Mariane hopped in the ferry with me on Friday night, rushing through the Stockholmers already heading home for the sunny week-end. Mariane could not spend a week in Sweden without having a taste of the ferry, this no-mans-land of Nordic culture. What happens on the ferry stays on the ferry.
My excitement got high when I saw Tommi and Maiju next to Kaupatorri, recognizing those smiles I have seen hundreds of times. We slowly wandered through the city, sneaking in antique and second stores. The highlight was without question our hangout at the Kallio public sauna, Kotiharjun Sauna, built in 1928 with barely no change since. I, understandably, don’t have any pictures of that place. More than 30 men fitted in our section, piled between wooden lockers with hand-written numbers on them. One first takes a shower in that room next to the lockers, with high ceiling and incongruous walls shapes. A blonde lady, in her early thirties, stands in the corner of the showers and offers, like in the old days, to bath the old men. She is large and short, with her polite smile, she watches hundreds of men a day shower. I wondered if she is still attracted to men after seeing so many. Next to the showers, you have this high stands, with steps of about half a meter. If you make it to the top, the temperature reaches close to 95 degrees. This wooden oven roars in the corner, the naked men enjoy the heat in silence. It is somehow a travel in time and a picture of the finnish society. For centuries, Finns have been washing themselves in that kind of establishment, from a time where running water at home was a luxury. You have half-hoboes and businessmen sitting next to each-other, regardless of their social standing. Such a shame that those places are ever more difficult to find in Finland.
We then came back to Tommi’s place to watch a movie about… sauna. Finns usually restrain from speaking about their personal feelings, although they are very honest. The movie « Miesten Vuoro » (Men’s turn) depicts Finland through saunas from North to South, from poverty and crime to everyday’s life of sisu-full Finns. It is a great piece of finnish cinematography, to be placed in my shelf right next to Aki Kaurismäki’s classics.
I also bought a fantastic book about Helsinki, that beloved city of mine.
Here are some pictures of that fantastic week-end:
