From Könkkälänmäki to the US

Pauliinan tekstiä - osa 1

On August 14th, John and I eagerly flew out of Logan airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to begin our long-anticipated, three-week vacation trip to Europe, our first venture off the North American continent. After an over five-hour flight, our plane landed in Iceland, where we changed planes and headed for Heathrow Airport in England, another almost three hours away. While we had no doubt we were going to be taking a trip of a lifetime, it was more of an emotional and exciting adventure than we'd ever dreamed possible.

For four days we toured London with all its awe-inspiring historic buildings and attractions, sights I'd only read about, or seen in movies and on television. Then we flew to Finland, the beloved home of my paternal ancestors, and what turned out to be the most memorable part of our trip. Since the day we were born, my father, Paul Flinkstrom, along with our Noponen grandmother and my great-aunts, her four sisters, would tell me and my two siblings fascinating things about our Finnish heritage and we grew up very proud of it; therefore you can understand why I was so overwhelmed that I began to cry tears of joy when I finally set foot on Finnish soil! My only regret was that my dad wasn't alive to share our journey, but I knew he was with us in spirit.

We were met at the Helsinki airport by distant cousins, Tommi and Kirsi Makinen and their lovely three daughters, Sarah, Kira and Rosa; we proceeded to our hotel in the city where Kirsi's brother, Juha Heiskala, accompanied by his adorable little daughter, awaited us. While we'd never met before that day, I'd been in contact with them regularly for many, many years via the Internet and snail mail; I'd seen photos of them as well as of their kids from birth, enjoyed hearing about their achievements and "watched" the kids grow; we exchanged gifts at holidays and special occasions, shared experiences and interests and felt as if I already knew them pretty well. To celebrate the momentous occasion we all dined at a local restaurant where my venturous husband opted to try the reindeer selection on the menu, which he had looked forward to long before the trip began. While common in Finland, we've never seen reindeer offered in the US; he said it tasted like lean beef.

After midnight John and I walked the beautiful streets of Helsinki, a city which is not far from Tuusula, the town where my grandfather, Lauri Flinkstrom, was born, and marveled at its architecture, the serene, pretty harbor, its friendly residents, family atmosphere and peacefulness. We did this all without fear of being accosted, despite the late hour (the same was true for every place we visited in Europe, by the way).

John and I loved the 3-hour, high-speed train ride from Helsinki the next morning across the countryside to Jyyvaskla where we were met at the station by my dear distant cousin from Saarijarvi, Raija Heiskala, mother and grandmother of the families who met us in Helsinki. I'd also never met Raija up until that moment, but I've  been communicating with her regularly over more than a decade, too - I feel I know her better than some people I see every day, and think very fondly of her, her husband Tapio and their family.

Osa 2

It is Raija, who has been so instrumental over the years with the success of my genealogical research in Finland, helping me trace my father's family, on both sides - the Flinkstroms and Noponens - back to the 1500's. Without her I would never have all the information I have today. The Noponens were from Kyyjarvi before emigrating to the US in the 1890's, and a number of years ago she put me in contact with Seija Liisa Hietalaakso, from that town, whose grandmother Emma Noponen was an older sister of my great-grandmother Eveliina!  If you are as passionate about genealogy as I, then you can understand how I felt as if I'd won the lottery the day I met such a close Finnish relative in person. Raija also introduced us to Aaro Toppinen, who may also be related, possibly though my great-grandfather, Anton Noponen; familiar with the local history, he's helping with further research on that side of my genealogy, and I am eagerly awaiting any information he gleans. Incidentally, it was Aaro who requested that I write this article about my sentimental journey back in time for the local newspaper.

That afternoon, we were taken to the exact spot where Emma and Eveliina lived back in the mid-1800's (I was even given a photo copy of a picture of the house taken around that time which I cherish)! While the house no longer stands, a beautiful church sits on a portion of the site today, land donated by the Noponen family. Nearby was a lovely cemetery where some of the family are buried, and it was nice to see a number of the headstones. Later we had an enjoyable visit with another of Raija's daughters, Anna-Liisa, her husband Mikko and their three delightful children and then Anna-Liisa and Raija drove us back to the train station for the long ride back to Helsinki. There wasn't nearly enough time to spend with these wonderful family members, in this wonderful country, and we hated to leave. But we're going to return again soon.

Reluctantly leaving Finland behind, we flew off to Munich, Germany, where we toured local sites, including two of King Ludwig's famous castles in Bavaria, and made a visit to Salzburg, Austria, Mozart's birthplace, before taking a nine-day cruise on the Avalon Affinity along the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers. Unless you've been to these parts of Europe, you can't imagine the awe-inspiring beauty, both of the cities, and of the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers with their magnificent views of scenic, centuries' old, towns, fortresses, castles and "Hansel and Gretel" style houses. We were also amazed at the numerous, huge, beautiful churches and cathedrals - built to the glory of God - like nothing we've ever seen here in the US - their tall spires reaching up to heaven, their bells melodiously ringing throughout the day and night. From our tour guides, we learned that towns were built alongside the rivers because they served as "highways" in those days before navigable or reliable roads. In addition, building castles and fortresses on high elevations on the river afforded protection from marauding enemies who could be seen traveling the rivers below. Our ship docked in numerous towns along the route so we could get off and take guided tours of the sites, or meander along at our own pace.

Toward the end of our cruise, our ship docked in Strasbourg, France, where we toured that awesome city via a canal boat and later on foot; in the afternoon we boarded a motor coach to visit the Black Forest, on the other side of the Rhine, famous for its cuckoo clocks - of course we HAD to purchase one - and delicious Black Forest cake, which John and I sampled in a quaint village shop. The Black Forest country-side is breath-taking, with many steep, winding roads, overlooking serene (deep, deep) mountain valleys with what appeared to be miniscule cattle, sheep, goats and horses grazing in the distance below. The cruise ended in Basel, Switzerland, on September 2nd, and from there we took yet another motor coach to Zurich where we stayed for a night and then flew back to Boston via Iceland.

Pauliina Flinkstrom Robello