May marked the start of my third month of social distancing and to make the days a bit more fun, I set myself the challenge of doing a “new” thing each day. It could be anything as simple as cooking something new or something more difficult as visiting a new place (the difficulty being in how far I could go without using public transport; because yes, I am still that cautious…).
Some of the easy “new” things I enjoyed doing were: making pancakes, a vision board, a time capsule, learning a choreography, celebrating a strange holiday, geocaching and watching The Aristocats (one is never too old for a Disney movie). Among the “difficult” things I did were two city explorations: one a walk to Pornaistenniemi nature trail and another to Kivinokka. In reality it wasn’t super difficult, as the path leading to both places and the places themselves were very enjoyable. But difficult in the sense that it required a fair share of walking, so both were time consuming.
While visiting these two new places I’ve come to realize yet again*, that there are still many beautiful places in Helsinki that I haven’t been to. Not only in the city as a hole but even in my neighborhood, there are still several parks and forest patches that I still need to visit. In a time when many people are missing traveling to exotic destinations, there is an opportunity to question: how much of all that travel is really needed? do we value and truly know the place where we live? it’s time for us to slow down, be gentle with the planet and realize that on a regular day or while on holiday, there are beautiful places in our own city and country that await to be visited.
*Last year in July I did a similar city exploration challenge and visited some further a field places like Kallahdenniemi beach and Uutela nature trail, I should write a post about that at some point…
Anyway, without further ado here are the two new places I visited:
It is an 8 hectare alder grove which was established as nature reserve just 4 years ago, and very near to my dear Viikinkaupunginlahti nature reserve (338 hectares). Since the latter is so big I still haven’t seen all its nooks and crannies, so I kept going to Viikinkaupunginlahti and Pornaistenniemi remained ignored, until this challenge came about.
Along the paths of Pornaistenniemi there are 10 wooden boards with some thought provoking poems / messages. This is the one I liked most:
Board 5
“Humans are united by a longing
taught to us by evolution:
To see far off into the distance
and still be safe from harm.
If the sky is clear,
rest your eyes amidst the blue.
Can you find the same expanse
within your mind?”
Source: https://vihreatsylit.fi/en/pornaistenniemen-luontopolku/
Kivinokka was a lot further a field, and I chose to go there because it had been ages without being near to the seaside. Well not really, actually from Viikinkaupunginlahti I can see the sea, but the bay is all covered by reed plants, and so it doesn’t look as the seaside I was craving for, it looks somehow as a lake. That’s the thing with Helsinki, the sea is always nearby but somehow in certain parts, it gives the illusion of a lake…perhaps because the Baltic sea is so calm? or just because with so many islands around there is an optical illusion where the sea doesn’t feel / look as a “proper” sea, at least for me…
For the most part, the path from Viikki towards Kivinokka is full of luscious greenery, so the walk felt like a breeze.
Is this the sea? yep, it is.
About to reach Kivinokka I could feel the salty smell of sea, but it still looks like a lake. Doesn’t it?
But make no mistake, there were “big” boats, so sea it is! 😀
In Kivinokka I also discovered a manor house with an inviting green space. I had planned to have breakfast outdoors, and so I found a cozy tree and enjoyed my coffee with a cheese sandwich. If you haven’t had breakfast outdoors in a while, I highly recommend!
Bonus points for…
Finding a new place: 7/5 the feeling of exploring a new place is sure to refresh your day, and who knows you might be discovering your next favorite spot 🙂
Pornaistenniemi: 3.5/5
Kivinokka: I need to explore it more… There is a nature trail there and a coffee shop, that I need to try, for the moment let’s give it 3 points. But I can foresee, it is a potential 5.
Breakfast outdoors: 5/5
Bonus Points 