Day 13. Lake Tuusula, Järvenpää

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Finland, Helsinki & Espoo July 2017, Northern Europe

A day I had been looking forward to, meeting up with my Finnish blogging friend Suvi, author of the lovely blog Destination Everywhere whom I first met on my visit to Finland last year.  This time we planned a day out together exploring Lake Tuusula in Järvenpää, about a 30 minute drive from Helsinki.  Suvi kindly came to pick me up from my base in Espoo and in warm sunshine we headed north making our first stop at Ainola, the former home of the composer Jean Sibelius.

Ainola, the former home of Jean Sibelius, Espoo, Finland
Ainola, the former home of Jean Sibelius, Espoo

To concentrate on his music, Sibelius moved to this home on a wooded slope near to Lake Tuusula in Järvenpää.  The house was completed in 1904 originally as a log house in the National Romantic style then in 1911 the walls were clad and a tiled roof was added.  It was called Ainola, meaning Aino’s home after his wife Aino.  Other artistic families lived in the same neighbourhood providing a lively social circle of friends.

Ainola, the former home of Jean Sibelius, Espoo, Finland
Inside Ainola

After the death of Jean Sibelius in 1957 his widow continued to live at the house until her death in 1969.  Her daughters sold the estate to the Finnish government in 1972 and it subsequently opened as a museum.  We enjoyed touring the house which has been carefully kept in its original state.  A large collection of paintings adorn the walls and these include works by their artist friends.

Ainola, the former home of Jean Sibelius, Espoo, Finland
Ainola’s attractive garden

A walk around the attractive garden followed and then we returned to the car and drove around the lake to the Hotel Krapi Resort which first operated as a dairy farm in 1911 and is now a hotel and restaurant complex.  Suvi suggested we eat lunch in Restaurant Mankeli which was created by combining the old granary and curehouse.  The restaurant is open throughout the summer and during the rest of the year for private events only.

Restaurant Mankeli, Hotel Krapi Resort, Lake Tuusula, Finland
Restaurant Mankeli at Lake Tuusula

We both settled for the buffet lunch consisting of soup, salad, fish and dessert and as it was such a warm day we found a table out on the terrace.  The surroundings were very peaceful and an excellent choice for lunch in the Finnish countryside.

Halosenniemi, Lake Tuusula, Finland
Halosenniemi, Lake Tuusula

Driving on a little further the next place we wanted to visit was Halosenniemi the former home of the Finnish artist Pekka Halonen.  The countryside around Lake Tuusula provided him with a rich source of ideas and inspiration for his landscape paintings.  Halonen’s studio home was opened to the public in the 1950’s and its lakeside setting was beautiful with large windows looking out across the tranquil lake.  We took a self guided tour of the house which had been preserved as if the family were still living there and then strolled through the delightful gardens admiring the lakeside views.

Lake Tuusula, Espoo, Finland
Lake Tuusula, Espoo

After such a lovely outing it was then time to drive back to Espoo and for Suvi and I to go our separate ways.  It was so nice having the opportunity to meet up again and to be able to explore Lake Tuusula together on this our final full day of our holiday.

This post concludes my visit to Finland this summer.  If you have enjoyed reading this series of posts you may also be interested to read about my previous visit and of the evening I spent with my Finnish blogging friend Suvi last year.

Helsinki and Espoo July 2016

Meeting up with a Finnish blogger

 

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43 thoughts on “Day 13. Lake Tuusula, Järvenpää”

  2. So lovely to look back on the lovely summer’s day we spent together! I’m so glad we managed to meet up despite me being away sailing all summer. It definitely was one of my highlights. I hope we meet again very soon ❤

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    1. It was so nice to have an opportunity to meet up with Suvi once again as she only got back from her holiday the previous evening. I hadn’t visited Lake Tuusula before and we were really lucky with the weather to be able to eat outdoors. Hope you have a good weekend Joy.

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  22. Loved reading about your visit to Sibelius’ home….we stayed with Finnish friends last October and could see the house from their garden! Unfortunately it was closed so thanks for the inside pics! Isn’t the area peaceful?!

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