Ambassador's Journal

My flight in an F-18D Hornet.

Several months ago I mentioned that I would love to have to opportunity to fly in one of the Finnish Air Force’s F-18D Hornet aircraft. Soon after that I received an invitation from Major General Jarmo Lindberg, the Commander of the Finnish Air Force, to come to Kuopio and participate in an orientation flight.

The first part of the process was getting a flight physical, which by and large was not a challenge for me – except the part where they test you to see how you handle motion sickness.  I will save you the detailed description and leave it at (1) I passed the test and (2) I wouldn’t recommend it for a fun time.

And so, several weeks after passing my physical, I arrived at Kuopio Air Base where I was greeted by Major General Lindberg, Colonel  Ari Jussila (Commander, Karelia Air Command), and Lt Colonel Petteri Seppälä (Commander, Fighter Squadron 31).

The Air Force went right to work fitting me with flight clothing and equipment, and provided basic safety training.  Next I was introduced to the pilots with whom I would fly. My pilot was Captain Markus Korhonen, who also led the pre-mission briefings.

Getting fitted with my flight suit.

After a busy morning of preparation, we were at last off to the flight line.  Strapping into one of these aircraft was a challenge for me, but it wasn’t too long before the pilots started the aircraft engines and repositioned for takeoff.  After one last sweep by the snow removal equipment, four F-18s launched into cold skies with a thin cloud deck about 5,000 feet above the ground.  While airborne, the aircraft maneuvered and simulated an air policing exercise … the primary day-to-day mission of the Karelian Air Command.  It was exhilarating and challenging—I gained even more respect for the expertise and commitment for this great pilots.

Major General Lindberg and me right before takeoff.

After landing and exiting my flight suit (nothing comfortable about that piece of attire, I assure you), Col Jussila hosted the group to a hearty Finnish Air Force meal, cooked in their squadron kitchen. The formation leader, Captain Korhonen, provided a thorough flight debrief.

The day ended with an exchange of mementos, and my sincere thanks for a matchless personal experience and a powerful physical symbol of cooperation between Finland and the United States, as Finnish Air Force pilots and support personnel continue to meet comprehensive security requirements using the F-18 Hornet as their primary airborne capability.

Buffalo in Loimaa

In the early 1800’s there were perhaps as many 50,000,000 buffalo roaming the American west. They were the lords of the plains and prairies. The herds could spread out farther than the eye could see. But by 1880 these mighty animals had been hunted literally to the very edge of extinction – only a few hundred survived and then only because they lived within the protected lands of Yellowstone National Park.

Unlike so many other species however, the tale of the bison is one of slow but steady recovery and restoration.  In America today there are hundreds of thousands of buffalo roaming on public and private lands. Their recovery has been assisted by the quality of the grass-fed meat that they yield – delicious (as least to us omnivores) and yet with far less fat, a better lipid profile than with corn-fed cattle and a far smaller carbon footprint.  Now to be complete, the carbon footprint of red meat, whether buffalo or beef, ties directly to the feed used. Grass feed has almost no carbon footprint and a much healthier lipid (fat) profile. Grain feeding not only alters the fat profiles in an adverse way, but it also has a high carbon footprint — about 1.6 pounds (725 grams) of CO2 for a 12 ounce (340 gram) grain-fed steak. Back home in Colorado, when we eat red meat we seek out grass-fed and usually choose buffalo. So when we learned that organic buffalo farming was occurring here in Finland, Cody and I knew it was time for an expedition.

About 150 kilometers from Helsinki is the municipality of Loimaa.  Unlike most of Finland which is riddled with lakes, almost all of the 852 km2 (329 square miles) of the region is land.  It could be described as the prairie of Finland. And so it is a fitting location for one of Finland’s buffalo farms. On a beautifully sunny but really cold morning we arrived at Hollo Farming Oy, where Lauri Hollo keeps herd of about 80 bison.  (His brother, Erkki, works at Nekos Oy which is another bison farming operation.) Buffalo farming is quite an America thing these days, so it was no surprise to find U.S. made equipment in use there in Loimaa.

Buffalo handling equipment label in Loimaa.

I can honestly say that the only ones not cold that morning were the buffalo, whose thick coats keep them warm all winter – no barns necessary!  This is yet another reason for the lower carbon footprint of these animals.

After completing our review of the herd and the farm, we were all more than delighted to head off for a hot lunch.  I would have settled for any kind of food as long as both the rooms and the food were warm, so I was absolutely stunned by the gourmet feast that we were served by Antti Mäkelä,  accompanied by the delicious wines created right there at Viinitila Koskimäki.

Since this was a farm day, before heading back to Helsinki, we also stopped in to visit Kannisto Domestic Animal Farm. Kannisto Farm employs natural field cultivation and is a popular location for farm tourism and camp schools. Quite a beautiful place, I was particularly taken with the sauna made of hay bales. Our day trip to the country ended with coffee,  cinnamon rolls and stories by our host at Kannisto, Tauno Suominen – and then back to my city life here in Helsinki.

Tauno Suominen shows us his sauna constructed from hay bales.

Actually, the title above is really an unfair way to describe the visit of actor and director Mario Van Peebles.  Here to talk about the black experience in modern cinema, Mario is exactly the opposite of the stereotypical “Hollywood” type.  Down to earth, genuinely interested in everyone he met and wonderfully engaging and entertaining, I would best describe him as a real citizen of the world.

My schedule did not allow me to follow him around as he made presentations and held press interviews in Helsinki, Tampere and Oulu … but we did spend a great afternoon at Suomen Sauna Seura  (the Finnish Sauna Society) in Lauttasaari, the island neighborhood in western Helsinki.

While sauna is for everyone, I have to admit I wanted to see just how good a sport Mario was.  So first stop was sauna #3 (Louhi), which is the hottest of the smoke saunas there at Suomen Sauna Seura.  Now by hot, I mean hot. Temperatures inside that sauna range between 120 and 140 degrees centigrade (250 to 285 degrees Fahrenheit). Mario hung in there like a pro and followed me straight out of the sauna, through the ice and into the Baltic (which was around -1c). Emerging from the water, we rolled around in the snow and then sat outside and enjoyed the magnificent views to the south and across the frozen Gulf of Finland.  After about an hour and a half in and out of the saunas and the icy water followed by a snack around the fireplace,  Mario had proved his sisu to me. Like I said, not your pampered Hollywood type at all.

Mario Van Peebles and me at the Orion Theater

I hope he will be back to visit again soon … but next time with his whole family.  He is a philosopher and a gentleman.

The town of Noormarkku (which is quite near Pori) contains a number of historic, beautiful and architecturally significant structures.

In the 1800’s, the very successful Ahlström family constructed its business offices in Noormarkku.  This included not only the corporate headquarters in a marvelous turn-of-the-century mansion, but homes and supporting facilities such as the hydro-electric generating plant and blacksmith shop shown in the photograph below.

Distributed power generation ... circa 1880

One of the children of that family built the Art Nouveau mansion Havulinna (although in many respects its form shares aspects of the Finnish Romantic architectural style.)

Villa Havulinna

Winter warth at Havulinna

In turn, the daughter of that couple chose a section of ground just a few hundred meters away to build what would turn out to be one of the most important and seminal houses in the history of modern architecture: Villa Mairea.

Designed in 1936 and completed in 1939 by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, Villa Mairea literally turned home design on its head with its open floor plans, inventive use of materials and sensibility to how we were going to live in the modern world. Although now a museum, from time to time it is still used for private functions by the descendants of Harry and Maire Gullichsen (the couple that commissioned Villa Mairea). My wife, Cody, and I were graciously invited to dinner there and I can say from firsthand experience that Villa Mairea is not only lovely, but is a testament to the visionary skills of Alvar Aalto and his business partner, Maire Gullichsen. Although now over 70 years old, Villa Mairea’s design is as livable and comfortable as the finest homes built today.

My recent trip to Pori was the perfect combination of serious work and serious fun. So let’s talk about the fun part first.

The Neo-Gothic Central Pori Stone Church was constructed over the period 1859 to 1863. It’s striking open cast iron steeple, the stained glass by Magnus Enckell and the light filled interior designed by Georg Chiewitz come together to present a beautiful house of worship. But the highlight for me was the fantastic great organ with its 58 stops on three manuals.

The great organ at Pori Central Church

Built in 2007 for the Pori Central Church by the German firm Paschen Kiel Orgelbau GmbH, this wonderful organ generates a rich and complex sound that fills the church.

Behind the great organ.

Our host for this visit was Mayor Aino-Maija Luukkonen, who arranged for church organist and Pori Organ Festival Director Juhani Romppanen to tour us around the inside of the organ, and also to perform a lovely transcription of Sibelius’ Finlandia. Simply fantastic. The 2010 summer Organ Festival schedule can be found at http://www.porievl.fi/poriorgan/ .

Juhani Romppanen performing.

We will definitely be back this summer to enjoy as many of those performances as we can.