I knew this would come, but I kind of hoped it wouldn’t. Today’s journey found me in a town called Kotka.  It was the last destination I had to check off the list of places Petronella visited around Helsinki before I begin my trek north tomorrow.  Tuukka and I explored the empty cathedral, and I noticed as I walked around the balcony that my footsteps were echoing in a beautiful way.  Without thinking about it I started to… Read More

When I first set out to retrace Petronella’s steps across Finland, I was under the impression that she walked straight from Helsinki to Lapland.  While that would be pretty impressive, in reality it would not leave nearly enough time for her to accomplish the trouble/fun/adventures that turned her into a legend during the four short months she was in Finland.  With the help of Mauno J. Pyhtilä’s “Balladi kauniista Petronellasta – Lemmenjoen legenda,” Martti Peltomaa… Read More

  “Are you going to work again?  I’d rather you take a sauna.” Eija Heikura is about half my height, but I know better than to argue.  Inside that tiny woman’s frame is a veritable tornado of cooking, cleaning, fussing, and motherly love.  The night I arrived, Eija gave me her own peach-colored bathrobe with puffy sleeves straight out of the 80s and a pair of powder blue shower shoes.  I took the… Read More

My sister Caitlin sleeps on the couch across from me, unwilling to leave my side in favor of a more comfortable bed.  I am curled into my favorite chair which has been reupholstered from scratchy gold fabric to a smooth, dull rose over the years.  It has taken on some major creaks, but still holds me no matter how tall I grow.  I am silent, listening to the crackling of the coals and the tick-tock-tick of the clock… Read More