POSTCARDS FROM EUROPE- FINLAND

THE GREAT CLUBHOUSE AT TALI GOLF CLUB

Fimnair Masters

Tali Golf Club, Helsinki, Finland

August 24^th – 30^th, 2009

Our luck with airport personnel and baggage-handlers had run out. The BA agent who had none too emphatically closed the gate, the breeze of the swinging door brushing my nose, was unwaveringly stubborn. I attempted to explain rationally that it was far more efficient (and much easier for all involved) to get us onto the plane rather than rooting through the luggage hold to find our bags only to chuck them onto the vast Heathrow tarmac. We were right there. But then again he was British; efficiency is not his strength. As I waited for my rage to subside and our next flight to take off, my voice of reason (Rick) calmly explained that the world isn’t coming to an end and with time, it may even be a funny story. It is little surprise that our bags didn’t make it onto the next flight. Those slimy little bastards…

YAANA AND ILKA'S HOME

Warm hugs and a pot of Yaana’s Thai specialty, chicken tom kha gai, were waiting for us when we finally appeared four hours later than expected. Yaana and Ilka are old Finnish friends, our crew had stayed with them last year, but there were new additions to the family that I was eager to meet. The couple had adopted two young brothers from Russia, Dani (4) and Nikki (6) during the past year. While their Finnish has much improved, English has not yet been tackled. Being the American ambassadors that we are, we tried to teach them a little English. They countered with some Finnish and Russian. All terms included, my vocabulary has increased by about twelve words. Thankfully dancing, fishing, and swimming require little in the way of conversation.

A slow stream of smoke was rising from the chimney of the wood hut, painted deep red with white trim. “The sauna should be ready now if you’d like to go down,” Ilka mentioned. The pains and exhilaration were fresh in my mind. The Finnish sauna experience, if a trifle crazy, is devastatingly addicting. Inside the hut, my lungs were struggling to take in the hot air. A fresh pailful of water had just been thrown over the charcoal gray rocks intensifying the heat ten-fold. Glances passed from face to face, wondering who would be the first to cave. Kaz was nearly doubled-over in pain; each breath taken with extreme caution as if she inhaled too deeply the air may burn the insides of her lungs. The boys were squatted near the door where the temperature was a few degrees cooler. Both were looking antsy and eager to leave. Ilka, well he just looked comfortable casually slouched back again the blond-wood panels. The sweat came pouring off Rick’s body in a steady stream but I could see the determination on his face that he would stay in till the end. And as for myself, my body felt like it was slowly being baked like a roast in the oven. “Anyone ready to go swimming?”

COOLING OFF

Off down the dock we filed out. The boys took off first, undaunted by the frigid sea. My steps were more of a gingerish nature. Kaz, Rick, and Ilka were not far behind. It is a badge of courage to see who can last the longest in the sauna but it was not a battle I had any interest in winning. I leaped off the end, plunging my sweltering body into the sea. My breath left as soon as I hit the water but I stayed in for another couple minutes. I felt the blood pumping through my body and one is painfully aware of where your limbs and extremities are. Crazy? It is simply one of those things that one has to do in Finland. You would be a fool to miss it.

THE MARKET IN HELSINKI

Finland’s beauty and elegance is admittedly difficult to depict. Its nature is quiet and reserved much like its people. The woodlands surrounding Yaana and Ilka’s home were straight and tall, a mixture of towering pines and the flaked bark of white birch. Contrasted with the stillness of the water it was easy to feel at peace. The landscape from our view was not unlike many of our new neighbors, ruggedness and water abound. Moss-infused rocks mingle with the reeds along the vast shorelines of seas and lakes. Helsinki, like many major European cities is at heart a port town. When we ventured into the city center, the market in the main harbor was bustling with activity from visitors and city dwellers alike. The stands were set up outside but when winter comes and the temperatures drop precipitously then I imagine most will either close up shop for good or take shelter in the ornately tiled and enclosed Market Hall. After all it can’t be more than 300 yards due west.

THE OPENING TEE SHOT

The city of Helsinki has many attractions, one of them being Tali Golf Club. Tali, located in the city’s outskirts but easily accessible by tram, is an ideal location for a professional golf tournament. The crowds numbered in the thousands which for the Ladies European Tour are sizable. It is a traditionally styled course, one of the oldest in Finland and also one of the most prestigious. It can take years for your name to come up on the waiting list for membership. As for me, I wouldn’t dream of joining the course unless a mysterious hoodlum ransacked the property with a chainsaw. The trees guarding the par-5 14^th, a slightly ridiculous dog-leg right would be the first to go. Then maybe that one on the par-4 5^th, a short 90 degree dog-leg left – also ridiculous. Or perhaps the towering pine encroaching the tee shot on the 6^th may get the chop next…

You know I’m just kidding right?

THE 14TH GREEN