Adventuring through Moominvalley
While most people don't know much about Finland other than that there are some decent rally and Formula drivers here, it is the home of Nokia and it is cold AF most of the time - a lot of people grew up with something quite Finnish unknowingly - the Moomins, created by Tove Jansson.
A few days ago, the family visited Moomin World in Naantali, Finland. It is a little island which has been developed for kids big and small to get their dose of Moomin culture. While @smallsteps has never seen a cartoon, she knows them all from the books that we read her and her favourite is Niisku Neiti which in English is Snorkmaiden.
Here are some of the pictures from our adventure through Moominvalley.
First stop was Moomin house (Muumitalo) which is fitted out as the books describe.
@smallsteps was happy to sit down where Niiskis (Her made up nickname for NiiskuNeiti) looks in the mirror.
MuumiMumma's atelier.
And of course where MuumiPappa writes his poetry...
and @smallsteps worked on her next post.
She was scared of how big the Moomins are in real life though and didn't want to have a bar of giving them a hug. You can see the disappointment on MuumiPappa's face in this pic as he was really wanting to get a picture with a Steem celebrity. Denied.
Even one of her favourites, Nipsu wouldn't get the time of day.
And no way in hell for MuumiMamma!
However...
She plucked up the courage and made the effort to give PikkuMyy (Little My) a hug after explaining that the other ones are too big to hug. PikkuMyy was pretty chuffed that she got to hug a Steem influencer and the others didn't.
And a high-five to boot! PikkuMyy will remember this moment forever, I am sure.
We then went for a walk around the island a bit but didn't explore it all as we had a pram with us and some parts are only accessible via walking as there are stairs over the rocks. We did go to the pier though and @smallsteps went into the change room to see what she could see. Which wasn't much.
But there was a dragon.
And what was a bit of a worry was she seemed to be quite at home behind bars in the Valley jail. I don't really understand why there is a jail there but I guess that since it is a Finnish story, the Moomins needed a place to sober up after drinking too much of the witch's potions.
She seems to have the jailhouse expression down pat too.
There was also plenty of singing and dancing going on which was all performed in Finnish, however they also do shows in Swedish. There is a screen at the theatre with English and Japanese subtitles because for some reason, the Japanese love the Moomins.
After that, it was time to say goodbye to Moomin Valley and move on.
We went to eat a quick dinner before the long drive back home in Naantali, which is a pretty, little harbour town on the west coast of Finland, near Turku (the old capital).
Well, that was our Moomin adventure as a family this year, thanks for joining in for the pics. :)
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
¿Were you shrinking your wine's belly during those photos my dear friend?
Looking good mate. I can see you are in a stupendous physical shape.
As always, great photos with a very 'chévere' and instructive ride. And in fact, I'm really glad you've found some relaxed & spare quality time to enjoy with your family outside. :)
Definitely not, but I like flattery ;D
Oh! then... you indeed were 'shrinking' your wine's belly during those photos. eh? ;)
Moomin Valley seems to have captured the authentic atmosphere very well. a bit old fashioned and nostalgic to the much quieter days...
Will @smallsteps learn Swedish to be able to read the original?
What I like in Finland is pretty much everything feels a bit "homemade" without a lot of glitz and glamour. It makes it all more relaxed.
Swedish is a compulsory to learn in Finland still and since she already speaks English, she will likely do the longer course and perhaps pick up something else like French or Spanish.
:D This post just uplifted my so far gloomy day! She’s such a cuty and the pics are awesome. Also I knew about Nokia but not about anything else :’) I almost went to Finland/Helsinki when I stayed in Tallinn for a week but... didn’t. Almost went to Tampere for an education conference, but... didn’t. Maybe the Moomin houses are what’s going to get me to really go someday :D
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Tampere is our home city, so if you make it one day - you know you have a friend to party with. although, Tampere is also quite boring :D
Finland is a good place for tourists who want to avoid tourists ;)
I love a good party in a boring city :D
And I'm definitely the non-touristy kind of traveler, so Finland sounds like a top destination to me suddenly :P
Wait till the spring/ summer at least as the autumn sucks ass mostly and the winter is ridiculous.
what a beautiful place. One of my biggest life goals is to get out of America and explore much of the world I never get to see other then through photos, books and movies.
America is so young compared to the rest of the world. I want to see real history before it's all gone.
Europe is the place for city history at the least and the old town areas can be beautiful. Finland doesn't have much surviving after the second WW but there are pockets.
Aye aye, I spy's a taraz in there too!
That creeper slips into the frame from time to time.
Thank you for sharing these precious pictures!
You are welcome. It was a nice and relaxing day out, something we all needed.
So sweet. Small steps is so cute. Children are so precious at this age. Thanks for sharing.
Peace and good health to you and your family.
She is a little treasure, I hope I don't break her :)
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