Introducing Turku
Whenever I go to a convention in Åland I have to pass through Turku. Normally that is all I do. My friend Otto drives me from Helsinki to Turku to catch the ferry, and drives me back again after the con. But this year was different, and I got to see a bit more of the city.
I had spent midsummer up in Jyväskylä as a guest of my friend Irma. From there I took a train to Turku, and stayed in town overnight before catching the ferry the next morning. At the suggestion of friend Tero, who lives in Turku, I booked a room on the SS Bore.
Yes, that’s right, I stayed overnight on a ship. The Bore has a long and distinguished history, and for a major part of its life it was a cruise ship. She is much too small for such work these days (the ferries to Åland are much bigger), but it does mean that she has a lot of rooms. And all of those rooms are en suite.
Obviously the rooms are not big, and the beds are a long way from being luxury. But they are cheap. I paid €60 for the night. It is also very convenient, being just a short walk from the ferry terminal. I don’t recommend it if you have lots of luggage and/or are not good with stairs, and the signage could be better, but for young folks it is a very good option. And then there is the river to explore.
Turku is a maritime city at the mouth of the River Aura. These days even the ferries are too big to get up the river, but in the past all manner of ships could be found going to and fro. As is the way of such things, the riverfront has been converted into a tourist attraction.
The Bore is part of a collection of elderly ships put out to pasture as part of a maritime museum. The others, being much less human-friendly, are just there to be looked at. There are retired military ships such as the Karjala (a gunboat) and the Keihässalmi (a minesweeper). There is a rare steel-hulled triple-masted sailing ship, the Suomen Joutsen. And there is the magnificent barque, Sigyn, which was sadly under renovation while I was there. In addition there are a museum and a restaurant.
Speaking of restaurants, the entire riverbank is lined with interesting places to eat. Tero gave me some recommendations and I ended up dining very well. The good food is expensive, of course, but think of all the money you have saved by lodging on the Bore.
By the way, you may be wondering about the name of the ship. It is nothing to do with the vessel being boring, not is it Welsh for morning. It is the name of the company that originally built the ship. As she was their first ever ship, they named her after themselves. However, when she was a cruise ship, she needed a much more elegant name. Signs in the cabin remind visitors that they are staying on the Regina Kristina. Yes, that Queen Chrstina. I spent the night on a ship named after a trans person.
At the end of the riverwalk, almost next door to the maritime museum, there is a castle. It isn’t a very impressive castle by Welsh standards, but at least it is still standing. Also it was allegedly a pirate fortress for a while, which is an impressive claim to fame.
(I am reminded that the maritime museum in Mariehamn, the capital of Åland, has an actual pirate flag captured from an actual pirate ship. There are not many of those in the world.)
Why am I telling you all this? Not just because I loved the place. Next year’s Finncon will be in Turku, and one of the Guests of Honour will be Adrian Tchaikovsky. The con will be a bit of a way from the waterfront, but Turku is a small city so you should be able to pop over and sample its maritime history should you wish to do so.