Helsinki - National Museum

I spent the morning with talks concerning the Michelsberg Culture, an important Central European Neolithic culture. The talks from French and German researchers were mostly about territoriality, enclosures, houses, but the most interesting ones were about salt exploitation in Germany (Olivier Weller) and Michelsberg along the Rhine and Main (Detlef Gronenborn).

For lunch I went to the Unicafé in the Porthania building and I was not disappointed: a vegan lunch option! Getting vegan food is difficult in Helsinki, cheese and milk products are everywhere. So I really enjoyed my beet steaks (Punajuuripihvit) with potatoes and soy-yogurt sauce:

 

After lunch I went to the National Museum to have a look at the Prehistoric section.

 

 

So beautiful! I just have to show you an object ... or two ... you know what I mean ...

 

A cupmarked stone from Häme, Kalvola in Southern Finland. Probably Iron Age:

 

 

 

 Figure and axe head in animal form; mostly elks but these ones are lovely bears (from Antrea)

 

Clay figurine, Jettböle site (pitted ware culture)



 

Waist ornament from Viking dress, Humikkala, Masku. Made separately from wired beads and sewn onto the dress:

 

And here are Viking dress replicas with similar ornaments on the apron of the woman's dress (Euran Luistarihauta, grave 56, ca. AD 900):

 

 

After the museum I went to the market square in front of the harbour; berries abundant:

 

 

And of course it is the mushroom season!

 

Someone tried the Finnish pancakes called 'lettu':

A bird brawl at the harbour:

 

Not far from the harbour is also the Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral from the 19th century:

 

 

I think this island is the World Heritage Site Suomenlinna; if I have time left I will go there and then know for sure :)

Strange looking flower hives:

 

In the evening there was a free chamber concert in the Cathedral Crypt; it came with an art exhibition featuring art work from Nelly Jurvelius:

 

 

The musicians consisted of four young artists, Pekko pulakka on a Silvestre violin from 1843, Sauli Kulmala on a Maussiell viola from 1722, Samit Junnona (flute), and Anna Vaahtoranta (piano) whom you can see on the photo here:

 



What a long day, and tomorrow talks start at half past eight. They are crazy, these Finns :)