We had another splendid breakfast at the Centro Hotel and then drove to the conference center. The keynote speaker, Elisabeth Rehn, former Minister of Defense for Finland, gave an extraordinary presentation on “Women as Peace Builders.” She has visited many of the war torn countries of the world and presented different insights into the plight of women. This stimulated some interesting comments and suggestions from the delegates. After lunch, we played hooky again. We went back into Turku and shopped in a Salvation Army Thrift Shop down the street from our hotel. Then we went on an excursion out to [View Full Entry]

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Today was Excursion Day for the conference. We all boarded our assigned buses and went off into the countryside. Our bus went to Piikkio to an arboretum and agricultural research center. We walked through the woods past 300 year old pines, down to the Baltic Sea, and beautiful blooming rhododendron. Then we went to the small town of Paimio for lunch at a school cafeteria. Then we visited the TB Sanatorium for an architectural tour. The building was designed by Alvar Alto - famous for his modern designs. It was hard to imagine that the building was built in 1929. [View Full Entry]

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I decided to try some of the different things on the menu for breakfast - sausage, salami and shrimp. I have not gotten brave enough to try all the marinated fish dishes. After breakfast, I walked to the Market Square to find out where the conference buses stop, since tomorrow morning we are going on an excursion. Mother and I went out to the conference center. They passed the last resolution and the recommendations. Then we had an interesting lecture on the history of farm life in Finland from 1930-2000. They have many of the same problems as are found [View Full Entry]

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After breakfast we all went to the conference. Lunch at conference center. Stopped at the post office and purchased packing supplies to send packages home. We drove down by the river to Turku Castle. Margaret and I spent a couple of hours touring the many rooms and museum displays. We had dinner at the Fransminnin Restaurant at the Sokos Hotel again - this time with two other ladies who had come into town for a change in their diet. They were staying at the hotel at the conference center and there is not a lot of variety on the menu [View Full Entry]

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Mother and I got up and headed out for the first plenary session of the conference. Margaret stayed behind at the hotel to sleep in and do some shopping. The first part of the business meeting had to do with approving reports and minutes. Later in the morning each person who was standing for an office was given 1 minute to tell about themselves. A couple of them actually finished in one minute. We had a marvelous poached salmon lunch buffet. The Marketplace for the conference was open so we purchased some crafts and for Mother the only cookbook in [View Full Entry]

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The Centro Hotel is famous for its breakfast spread - and what a spread. They even have eight kinds of fish on the buffet. We ate breakfast before going to the Turku Cathedral to worship at 10:00. The service had wonderful music with the pipe organ, trumpet and man leading the songs. All the words were in Finnish but it was very moving. The building was started in the 13th Century. It had gothic arches and some very old frescoes as well as some very ornate side chapels. After lunch we went to the Caribia Hotel to eat lunch at [View Full Entry]

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We had breakfast in the restaurant at Messila, which at one time was the manor house for the estate. Then we drove on the back roads for a few miles to see the farms in the area. Our first stop of the morning was at the Aulanko National Park in Hameenlinna. The area is a huge natural garden with follies. One of the structures was a tower on a hill. Margaret & I climbed up the the viewing platform at the bottom of the tower. There was a wonderful view of the river and farm lands. Then I climbed up [View Full Entry]

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Breakfast at Taulun Kartano was splendid with lots of choices - they even had bacon and all of us had some. We stopped in Kangasniemi - as Margaret says, “One of those Kangaroo towns.” It is easier to do errands in small towns rather than in the cities - I don’t get lost that way. We went into a pizza and kebab restaurant to get something to drink. Just up the street was an open market with stalls selling plants, baked goods and clothing. We purchased some homemade buns and cookies. The lady was very nice and drew us a [View Full Entry]

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Breakfast was a buffet served in the Monastery restaurant. On the way out from Valamo, we stopped at the monastery cemetery. Some of the graves had little wooden houses over them like the kind found in Alaska. Others had simple stones and wooden crosses. A couple of them were marble monuments. There were several chapels in the cemetery. Driving down the road, we saw several small red buildings with milk churns out in front of them. I think that in the past the milk from the farms was collected from these buildings. Margaret sat on the step in front of [View Full Entry]

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It was still cold and there was a misty rain, so breakfast was served inside again. We went to the main post office to purchase stamps. The ladies there were very helpful and friendly. We got some of our postcards sent. Our first stop was in Enonkoski. They have a lovely wooden church that sits on a hill above the town. Across the street was a bakery, so we stopped for a tea or coffee and buns - very good ones too. Then we drove to the rapids and the park in the center of the town. It looked like [View Full Entry]

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