Suomenlinna, Finland is one of those islands I used to imagine as a child reading adventure fiction. In my secluded cubbyhole I would be transported by particular tales to an ungoverned realm where magic and mayhem ensued. I was Karana fighting off feral dogs; I was Jim Hawkins on the trail of hidden treasure; I was Ralph attempting to corral my rag-tag band into order. There were no adults to supervise or rely upon, no escape possible, and illimitable potential for excitement. Rescue, when it came at the end of some of the books, seemed anticlimactic.
Exploring Suomenlinna gives me that spine tingle I once felt between the pages of thrilling juvenile escapades. Here was a cave in whose terrifying depths I might discover buried gold. I gingerly enter the dank interior, my eyes adjusting to murky shadows. What is concealed within that niche? It turns out to be an empty, squashed Coca-Cola bottle. I wrinkle my nose in disappointment, but the adrenaline rush of the chase stays with me.
I head down a path around whose corner a bunker appears. Are pirates within plotting a takeover? I hesitate despite the idyllic bench winking at me to rest in front. I tiptoe forward, keeping an ear out for war cries, for the one-legged crook who evokes terror. A flicker at the edge of my peripheral menaces. I swing left to spy a barnacle goose flee. Its derisive yap taunts me.
My path curves gently up between swathes of yellow mustard blooms. The sky glowers, the waves whip into a frenzy. I am an isle upon this island: self-reliant, bold, full of clever survival techniques. I shall whittle a sturdy fort from fallen logs, fashion clothing from grass blades, repair the disused canon, make friends with a field mouse. There is nothing I am incapable of accomplishing in my tempest tossed kingdom.
On the far side of Suomenlinna I come across an overgrown white gate, half open, inviting me in. Who lives beyond it? Do I dare go through to find a Rumpelstiltskin or a hut made of candies? I crane my neck to glimpse a bit of roof obscured by shrubs. I decide not to disturb the locals. Instead I continue towards the pewter strait where daisies nod.
I sit upon a boulder to watch the clouds shape themselves into sheep…pterodactyls…gargoyles. A sailboat nears the coast searching for marooned survivors. Its occupants scan the cliffs for evidence of life. I shall not let them know of my presence. I do not want to return to a hot supper yet. There are wild things to encounter, expeditions to plan, phantoms to conquer, locked doors to unbolt.
At the beginning of another year, there is so much at stake. Hopes for good things to happen, yearnings for new adventures, wishes which might be fulfilled. There is also fear at the thought of failure, terror for the end of dreams, dread that another twelve months will pass without the progress I wanted. It’s like being stranded on an island. I think back to all my made-up games played on sidewalks, in back woods, on jungle gyms where the unknown was the exhilaration. I reflect upon my day spent on Suomenlinna where I briefly held the future in my palms, giddy to thwart whatever perils came my way. Here’s to meeting the challenges of 2018 with the enthusiasm I had pursuing monsters, defeating dragons, and evading buccaneers on my imaginary islands.
Thank you all for your unfailing kindness, support, and good wishes throughout the years as I travel through this life and our world. It has been such a joy to share my stories with all of you and to be invited into your own narratives of struggle and success.
TRAVEL NOTE:
Suomenlinna, Finland is designated automobile free, so the best way to explore the beaches, the fort, and the wilderness trails is by walking. While Suomenlinna is a popular destination for visitors, please be aware that more than 800 Finns call the island home.
Have a favorite island adventure you loved as a child? What challenge in the new year are you most looking forward to tackling? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Bespoke Traveler 
Best wishes to you in 2018! May all good things come your way.
P.S. The next time you visit Suomenlinna, I’m coming with you. It looks beautiful and full of adventure.
😁 Thank you for the kind wishes. I would love to have you accompany me to Suomenlinna! We could re-imagine scenes from classic adventure movies. The island would make a great backdrop for Hitchcock films (North by Northwest) or The Goonies.
Haha! You said it!
Suomenlinna is full of little treasures. Looks like you went there in late spring? I was there in the height of summer and it was still so quiet. As for childhood island adventures…Easter Island was my imaginary escape. And I’ve been fortunate enough to visit as an adult. The magic never dies, as you so vividly described.
We’re both fortunate to have visited the real version of our childhood imaginary islands. Yes, I was at Suomenlinna during late spring and it’s lovely to hear that the island magic doesn’t vaporize with all the summer visitors.
It does look like a place with many hidden treasures to discover.
Indeed. It was a truly magical place for me.
I can see how Soumenlinna is the kind of place that lets you escape to the far and wild of your imagination. I couldn’t help but notice the resemblance to parts of Newfoundland, Canada—another magical place. The bunker especially reminds me of remains of Viking settlements in L’anse aux Meadows. Lovely photos and prose.
Thank you. I have yet to explore Newfoundland, but its landscape sounds as marvelous as that of Norway. There’s something about spaces where wilderness and the edge of human community intermingle that really appeal to me.
What a wonderful island to explore and walk about, or should I say, roam about? I did not get a good feeling for its size, but its mysteries and adventurous potential has transformed from your blog post into my mind. A wonderful tale that brings the reader back to fantasies of the past. I loved your word “illimitable potential”! It is what I feel each time I set out on a new adventure! May 2018 bring much illimitable potential for both of us! My hopes for the new year are two-fold: finish my memoir and become full-time campers again. I truly miss extended travel and adventures.
Thank you for that! It has been such a privilege to wander slowly, allowing myself to be immersed in the magic of this world. May 2018 give you the time and opportunity to realize your hopes. I’m looking forward to reading about your next set of adventures.
WOW … what a great place to shoot and explore. Nice work! Your stone wall & sea and the figure going down the path images are my favorites!
Thank you so much. The island was a great place for me to try different stories and challenge my photographic eye.
I wonder if you met any more little girls clutching a teddy as at Stonehenge! With such a sense of imagination I can see you’d find interest anywhere. I’ve found that being a grandparent is a wonderful excuse to become a child again for a while. I can remember the pleasure of beating the Australians in an ‘Ashes’ cricket Test match played with other boys against our garage doors, also of climbing a tree to get a view from the ship’s ‘crows nest’ of the Treasure Island of Jim Hawkins!
No little girls clutching teddies in Suomenlinna! It’s lovely to discover how many spent their childhoods like me, reenacting favorite adventure book scenes in backyards, front lawns, driveways, or neighboring woods. When playing “Treasure Island” my friends and I would always fight over who got to be Captain Silver.
Just yesterday I watched a travel program about Helsinki and Tallinn, and I was intrigued by this former Swedish fort islands. From the program and your photos I can understand why this part of the Finnish capital evokes that memories of reading adventure fiction to you. I can imagine a much younger version of me wandering around Suomenlinna and getting lost, both in space and imagination. I wonder if I’ll be able to relive that kind of memory from my childhood when I visit one day.
I’m sure you would! Though perhaps the landscape would differ slightly. Exploring these places brings history alive for me and I get to relive the excitement I felt while reading all those childhood books.
Your journey took me back to my childhood and into a world of imagination. It’s not as much fun being a grown up. 🙂 Here’s to 2018!
It’s certainly more difficult as an adult to have that same fearlessness, to allow ourselves the fun of play. Here’s to doing more of both in 2018! Thanks for all the wonderful chats about travel and life we’ve had. It’s been so great getting to know you along this journey.
The feeling is mutual! I used to be skeptical about the digital world and blogging. I’ve virtually connected with so many people, across the globe, who share similar traits and passions. I’m convert now! Here’s to 2018! xo
Prachtige post met goede informatie en prachtige foto’s.
Thank you very much.
What a beautiful, interesting place and your words transport me there.
Thank you. It’s been such a privilege to have you enjoy my stories as your own poetic blog has inspired me so very much.
This place does look like a childhood fantasy, Atreyee. Wonderful photos and narrative. I’m sorry we didn’t make it outside of Helsinki on our visit to Finland. Wishing you many happy adventures this coming year!
Thank you so much for the kind wishes Jane! Your encouragement upon my amateur photography pursuits has been wonderful. If you ever return to Finland, make time for Suomenlinna. I know your photographer’s eye will produce far better photos than I did.
Your photos are terrific! 😉📷
Thank you! ☺️ 💚
What a lovely post. Finland has long been on my bucket list of places to see. At first I thought the Vikings had left these stone structures in place as fortresses against the winds and storms as they sailed their ships. So if people inhabit this place, do they shop for groceries via boats? How does one get to the island? Light planes? Schools, doctors, hospitals?
The fort was actually built by the Swedes to protect themselves from the Russians when this area belonged to the Swedish empire. Russia eventually took over and expanded the fort. There is a school, a church, a grocery, a cafe, a library for locals. There is regular ferry service to the mainland running throughout the year.
No wonder artists live and create there. It sounds wonderful. The winds must blow all the time though. I know I could spend time writing there. So much poetry to fill pages. Thanks for the information. I read some of the history about the island. I suppose one flies into Helsinki and then ferries over. ^__^
It’s a perfect place for artists. As you supposed, the easiest way to get there is from Helsinki. The ferry to Suomenlinna leaves from the Market Square and takes about twenty minutes.
Sounds intriguing. How did you like the food? Lots of fish?
Yes, Finland is a pescatarian’s delight: lots of herring, smoked salmon, pike, and perch. My favorite things to eat were the sweet breads, called pulla, made with cardamom and their berry soups.
Sounds absolutely delightful. When I visited Sweden, Denmark and Norway, fish and fresh vegetables were in abundance and very tasty.
I was right there with you from the very beginning ‘I used to imagine as a child reading adventure fiction’. We are both so lucky to have had our imaginations to carry us through our childhood and to have moments like you had in Suomenlinna to bring us back there again. I recently had an experience in Vietnam that made me feel like I was finally getting a chance to live my childhood Little House on the Prarie fantasy – yes, I know that seems odd to have found my ‘little house’adventue in SaPa, but there it was. Anyhow, I know how you feel …AWESOME. And gorgeous pics every one.
Thank you Lisa! I can’t wait to hear about your adventures in Vietnam. 😊 I’ll take the odd childhood fantasy any day, it makes any landscape so much more thrilling.
🤗❤️
What a wonderful adventure! You reminded me of the books I used to love as a child by E. Nesbitt, like The Children and It. Enjoy your next adventure!
E. Nesbit was a classic. Her “Enchanted Castle” was a favorite of mine.