Life in Helsinki

Serving as Deputy Chief of Mission – and, for the time being, as Chargé d’Affaires – at the US Embassy in Helsinki is personally rewarding for me in any number of ways.  Finland is a beautiful country, I enjoy working with our Finnish counterparts, we have a highly professional team at our embassy, and Finland is a player in many issues of primary importance to the United States.  I have another, very special reason as well.  Several decades ago, as part of my Doctoral studies in the History of American Diplomacy at the University of Virginia, I wrote a dissertation on US diplomatic relations with the “Oslo Nations” during the 1930s.  The “Oslo Nations” were seven European neutrals who initiated a consultative process in response to events in Europe during that decade.  I’ve now had the good luck to serve in two of the “Oslo Nations” – first Norway, now Finland.

One of the special benefits of my job is the ability to travel throughout Finland.  In July of last year, my wife and I represented the United States at the Savonlinna Opera Festival.  Seeing world-class opera performed in a medieval castle turned into an opera hall is an unforgettable experience.  So is the summer night’s stroll along the lakefront following the performance.  My first trips to Turku and Tampere came during last year’s US presidential election, when I participated in programs sponsored by the North American Studies Departments at those cities’ universities.  Since then, I’ve made a point of traveling back on my own, whenever we have visitors.  My son and I traveled to Turku on Christmas Eve to experience the Declaration of Christmas Peace.  I love taking friends to Turku’s wonderful Gothic Cathedral, where a Queen of Sweden is buried.  And Tampere has to be Europe’s best living example of waterpower’s role in the Industrial Revolution. A visit to the restored Finlayson buildings and a walk along the city’s falls is a must for any visitor to Finland.

3B Tram at Kauppatori (Photo Credit: Wikimedia)

All of that without even mentioning the special joy of exploring Helsinki’s sites – Engel’s Senate Square, the ferry to Suomenlinna, and the informal tour of the city’s highlights offered by an hour’s travel on the 3T tram.   

When the snow clears I’ll hit the road again, with the goal of visiting other Finnish cities that I don’t yet know.  I look forward to bringing greetings from the United States while learning first-hand of about their histories and culture.