As I wrote in my last post, over the next couple of weeks my posts will take a different tack. Rather than writing about genealogy-related topics, I am going to show you a little of Finland, which is the homeland of some of my relatives (past and present).

So I’m taking a holiday to visit this beautiful part of a world, to see my relatives who I’ve come to know through emails and Facebook, and have briefly met some of them (but not all). So I have 2 weeks to enjoy their company, meet more relis, and discover the wonders of Finland!

My “trip of a lifetime” already is underway, and there’s so much I’ve seen (and photographed) already, and despite the fact that it took about 2 days, and 3 plane flights to get to Finland, it’s totally worth it … not that I ever doubted that. The place is beautiful, and my relatives have made me feel like one of the family.

My journey started in Adelaide (South Australia), then went to Singapore, then to Frankfurt (Germany) and finally to Helsinki (Finland). I had no dramas with any of the flights, either with any being delayed or cancelled, or with any issue on the plane. So that’s always a bonus!

But the trip getting there was an experience in itself, so before I get on to showing your Finland itself, let me share a few pics I took along the way.

all packed and waiting at the airport

not the biggest plane I’ve been on, but still BIG

one of a number of sculptures at Changi airport, Singapore

the Butterfly garden at Changi airport,Singapore was a must-visit

isn’t she pretty!

in Changi airport there’s one of these drinking fountains every few hundred metres … so you’ll never go thirsty

Singapore airport even has a cactus garden! Yes, truly!

these sculptures are beautiful, but I had to wait my turn to even take a photo, they’re that popular

and Singapore airport even had an orchid garden, complete with koi fish

I’m envious of the sunflowers in the “sunflower garden” at Changi airport, Singapore

I saw the sun rise at 4.15am over the Ukraine

Frankfurt airport, not the prettiest airport, but still it got me to where I had to go

Hello Finland … it’s SOOOOO green

tada … I made it!

my reli’s had this beautiful welcome message waiting for me in my room

another Welcome message

it’s tough … but this is the view from my room

Stay tuned for more pictures of my adventures in Finland.

The trip of a lifetime is what I’m calling it. In just a couple of days I will be doing something I’ve dreamed of for years, and that is heading to Finland to visit my relatives over there.

Having corresponded with them for many years, I had the opportunity to meet them very briefly (8 hours or so) when I was on Unlock the Past’s Baltic Cruise back in 2015 when our ship stopped at Helsinki for the day (you can read about that here and here). That was super awesome, but nowhere near long enough.

So since then I’ve been saving my dollars and am now actually going … and I’m rather hyper excited about it? Can you tell?

Anyway for those who don’t know, I am 1/8th Finnish, the rest being a mix of English and Irish. Otto Rafael Winter was my Finnish great grandpa who became seaman as a way of getting out of compulsory service to the Russian Army.  And after sailing the world on cargo ships for a number of years, he jumped ship in Australia in 1907, settled in South Australia, got married and had a family … and interestingly enough even signed up to fight in both WW1 and WW2 as an Australian.

Finland is where the little blue pointer is up the top

For a change this is not a work trip for me, but rather an actual holiday, though I am hoping to hit the National Archives of Finland for a little research and suss out the National Library of Finland as is one library which is always on the “libraries you you must see lists” while I’m there. But other than that I’m playing tourist, taking in the sights, scenes, and daily life of Finland, as well as generally just taking a break.

While I’m not exactly looking forward to the LOOOOOONG flights (all 3 of them) to get there, and travelling the 19,000 kilometres (I checked and that’s pretty close to half way around the world), I still have to be thankful that I’m travelling by plane and not boat, as those journey’s were not hours or days … but MONTHS. And yet that’s what our ancestors lived with when they emigrated. How they managed that, I can’t begin to imagine. But then again there was no other alternative in that era.

comparing the size of Finland to Australia (source: Mapfight)

Anyway I’m already learning a little about Finland already:
– to compare the size of Finland to Australia, it’s a little bit bigger than Victoria.
– their Summer temperatures are pretty similar to what we’ve been having in Adelaide recently in our Winter at present, mid-high teens.
– Finnish is the national language (as you would expect), Swedish is their second language, and English their third. Fortunately for me they understand English, as I have no idea on how to pronounce any of their words … but I’m sure my relis will have fun listening to me try.

Anyway, subject to me having time and wifi … my posts over the next couple of weeks are likely to primarily be pics of my trip … so stay tuned.

Where would your trip of a lifetime take you to?

2016 has been a quiet travel year for me, and that’s partly because of a busy work year, but also partly as I’m already planning two big trips in 2017.

UNITED STATES
First up in February I’ll be packing my cases with all my winter woollies and heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA for RootsTech again. I went to RootsTech in 2013 and 2015 and totally LOVED it each time. For those who are unfamiliar with what RootsTech is, it is the world’s largest genealogy conference, with about 25,000 people attending. Held over 4 days, it really is non-stop genealogy the entire time. With so many talks to go to, an exhibition hall the size of several football fields – with hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of exhibitors, and then there’s the after-hours socialising – catching up with geniemates for dinner or drinks etc. (or even breakfast if you’re at the same hotel). It’s exhausting, but totally exhilarating, and I can’t wait! Any family historian will know that Salt Lake City is the Mecca of genealogy as it’s where the Family History Library is, so I’ve timed my visit to arrive a few days early, to get some research time in as well. I mean why would you travel nearly 15,000 kilometers (9000 miles) and NOT go there, right?

the Family History Library in Salt Lake City

one of the many, many aisles filled with drawers of microfilms
(taken February 2015)

FINLAND
My second big trip in 2017 is one that I’ve been wanting to do for so many years I still can’t believe that I’ve actually booked. For this one I’ll pack my bags, spend about 40 hours flying (that’s the not-fun bit), and end up at Helsinki, Finland for two weeks in their Summer time. Regular readers of my blog will know that I have Finnish connections as one of my great grandfather’s was a seaman from Finland who jumped ship in Australia, and I’ll be visiting my reli’s over there.

Back in 2015 I was fortunate enough to meet some of Finnish my reli’s for the first time in person when I was on a cruise that docked at Helsinki for the day. You can see details of my day visit here. My reli’s were so incredibly wonderful, the cemetery was gorgeous (is it wrong to say that?), and what I saw of Helsinki was truly beautiful … the only thing I’m not so sure about is Finland is their love of seafood (not really my thing) … still, I’ve been saving my pennies since then and am actually going!! I’ll be staying with relatives, and have no idea what I’ll be doing, but no doubt will see so of the Finnish countryside, and no doubt see some more relatives, and I think I should go to the National Archives of Finland in Helsinki, as they were kind enough to send me not only my great grandpa’s school records, a sketch of his house with the address and map, shipping lists (as he was a seaman), as well as an entry from a ships log saying that he deserted the ship! Research gold!

National Archives of Finland, Helsinki

reading room at the National Archives of Finland in Helsinki

While it’s not as much travelling as I know many do, even for genealogy, still it’s two big trips to the other side of the world, and I’m really looking forward to them. I’ve even got them on my countdown timer app (3 months, 1 week till RootsTech, and just over 8 months till Finland) … yes I’m counting!

Anyway we all know that Christmas is coming (for most people way too quick am I right?), but I say bring on 2017! It’ll be a whole lot of fun.

Some of you may remember that about three years ago I decided to create my Family Tree Photo Wall.

This started as a result of having a bunch of family photos, and deciding to put them in an order that made sense to anyone looking it. So I chose to do a butterfly (also known as bow-tie) style tree going direct line back five generations on both mine and Mr Lonetester’s sides of the family.

Out of a possible 62 photos (31 on each side of the family), there were only 10 that I was missing photos for … so that wasn’t too bad. However I had an exciting day, as today I was able to add one more photo in – one of my great great grandma Hedvig/Hedvik Karolina Winblad/Vinblad.

Hedvig Karolina Winter (nee Winblad)

Born in Mäntsälä in Finland in 1856, she married my great great grandpa Otto Edvard Winter in 1875, and they had six children, my great grandpa (Otto Rafael Winter being their third). Hedvig Karolina Winter died in Helsinki, Finland in 1934, and I was fortunate enough to visit the Helsinki Cemetery in 2015, and saw her’s a few other family members graves.

Grave of Otto Edvard Winter and Hedvig Karolina Winter (nee Winblad), Helsinki Cemetery, 2015

As for my Family Tree Photo Wall, I have no doubt that in time I’ll fill a few more of the nine photo gaps that I still don’t have. Maybe not all … but some.

If you’d like to see the process I took to create my Photo Wall, have a look at my earlier posts:
Family Tree Photo Wall Part 1: Getting Started
Family Tree Photo Wall Part 2: Almost Done