Travelfood

Western Uusimaa is the region west of Helsinki, but south of the highway between Helsinki and Turku. My origins are from this region, which is famous for its old industry (foundries) and that there is a significant Swedish-speaking minority there. You reach the region best by train from Helsinki. The southernmost tip is the small town of Hanko (in Finnish) or Hangö (in Swedish) and it is less than two hours by train with a train change in the small town of Karjaa. On the route between Karjaa and Hanko there is the sleepy, idyllic small town of Tammisaari (in Finnish) or Ekenäs (in Swedish). To make things a bit more complicated, both Karjaa and Tammisaari are part of a larger town called Raasepori (in Finnish) or Raseborg (in Swedish).

For foreign tourists Hanko is probably the most interesting place to go, especially in summer. The stunning archipelago is very close to the city center and the train station and you can walk along the cliffs or bathe in the sea, just letting yourself be amazed by the tiny rocky islands that reach towards the horizon. If you have a whole day in summer and find the organizing company, you might also want to take an archipelago cruise to the far-away lighthouse Bengtskär, which is quite unique.

Close to the Hanko small-boat harbor, there are a number of restaurants that offer local fish dishes. The cheapest ones are probably salmon soup, but you might want to taste other fish delicacies as well.

My origins are close to the small village of Fiskars, the ancient foundry that started producing the world-famous orange-colored Fiskars scissors. Today the village is a major tourist attraction with old factory-related red-bricked buildings and idyllic settings. Sorry to say, there are few bus connections to Fiskars from Helsinki or the Karjaa train station (which is about 15 kilometers away), but with some planning you might make it. Most tourists rent a car in Helsinki and drive the one-hour trip to Fiskars for a day excursion. In summer, there might be organized day-trips from Helsinki, and for more information about those, you should visit the tourist office in Helsinki.

Europe, Finland, food, travel, travel experiences, Western Uusimaa