We had a small picnic lunch on the banks of the Vantaa river at the specially protected Pitkäkoski area (pitkä = long, koski = river rapid). The area is conserved for its unusual plant diversity, and was looking really lush and green even after the hot summer southern Finland has had (4th warmest in last century – see here).
The last stop on our walk was the “artifical” Paloheinä hill – it was originally a rubbish dump, but has now been revegetated and restored. It’s used for tobogganing and skiing – and is particularly favoured in Helsinki due to the city’s flatness. By that stage we were feeling a bit hot and bothered (hence the lack of photos), so headed back to the Paloheinä hiking lodge (i.e. cafe and bathrooms), bought a Geisha ice cream (yummy!) and caught our bus back home. All in all, a really good afternoon in Helsinki’s premier park.
We travelled from Kallio to Paloheinä on the 66A bus with the trip taking about 35 minutes (one-way).
The park looks a little different in winter, judging from some photos on Panoramio – see for example here and here!
Lerouxm
September 14, 2011 — 6:13 pm
Those red mushrooms look like something out of a little girl’s fairy story book. Reminds me of when I was much younger and was hugely envious of one of my friends who claimed to have seen a fairy.
Brigitte
September 17, 2011 — 10:56 am
They also remind me of illustrations from books when I was a child. I thought that is how mushrooms look but actually have only seen them like that now.