Lush Katariina

Summer as it should be with warmer temperatures and never-ending sunshine is very late this season. Luckily, unlike some other parts of the country, we haven’t had too much rain and have been able to continue our excursions to the neighbourhood.

This is the Katariina valley nature reserve less than 5km from downtown Turku. There is a rock and a hill there to climb for restful views to the meadows by the strait.

And lovely pathways through a mixed forest of mostly oak and linden trees taking you across a bed of wild flowers – such as lilies of the valley – to the seaside reeds and meadows.

We will certainly return to walk in the shadows of the rich foliage on a hot summer day.

Serious tasting

I always thought it would not be possible to overeat when you are having seafood and fish. Last Saturday, this belief of mine was proven completely false.

We had a little family gathering and were dining at Osteria Ovo, a Roman style restaurant that was opened this spring at a great location by the river.

Three in our group of five were having Menù degustazione mare. It felt like there was no end to the delicious dishes brought to the table. On that particular night, it was mussels and a selection of seafood for starters, linguine with squids and gnocchi with prawns for primi piatti, and squids and trout for secondi piatti. I also had pannacotta with lingonberries, an espresso and a tiny glass of limoncello for dessert.

A true osteria romana! If you are having a menù degustazione at this restaurant I can guarantee you will not be able to empty the bowls and plates. I felt stuffed. I can only imagine how my son and daughter were feeling after the Menù degustazione terra with meat dishes they were having.

Wetland watching

The other day we tried something we have never done before. We went bird watching. Not that we recognised many with our equipment and knowledge but we enjoyed every moment enormously.

The meadow serving as pastureland for cattle by which you walk to this wetland was most lovely to look at. The cows were feeding on the other side of the bay, too far for my camera to catch. Not to mention the lonely deer hubby spotted crossing the field through his binoculars. But there were birds singing everywhere. Dozens, if not hundreds of swallows were waltzing and diving back and forth all the time. The concert and air show was marvellous.

We spent quite a while in the bird-watching tower admiring the wetland and the Friskala bay. There used to be a boardwalk at about where the bay and the meadow meet but it was recently removed because of the disturbance passers-by were found to cause to the birdlife nesting in this area. The supports can still be seen sticking out of the wetland.

Friskala is one of the nature reserves in our new home town. It is located on and by the island of Hirvensalo, another of the country-like suburbs connected by a bridge to mainland Turku. I am sure we will return here many a time, perhaps one day with a lens serious enough for some amateur shots of birds, too.