Hämeenkyrö x 2

Hämeenkryö is the hamlet that Muumuu came from. Yesterday we drove over there (only 35 km from Tampere) and went to the visitor center, the old church, and the church office. Chris and Nick, you may remember going to these when we were here in 1995.

The drive was gorgeous - the roads and fields are lined with clouds of yellow buttercups, blue and pink lupin, lilacs, white Queen Anne´s lace, and of course, lots of trees, wild grasses, etc. The sky was the most brilliant, clear blue, and the sun was intense. (note to self: write about endless day)

About 3 km east of Hämeenkryö we left the main road and wended our way along small roads and lanes to the Myllykoulu croft + birthplace of the famous Finnish author, F.E. Sillanpää. He was born about 10 years after Muumuu, in the same township. The house was a simple log house, very small, as they were very poor. In the midsummer sun, surrounded by wildflowers, and near a small brook, it seemed like an idyllic place to live. (However, I´m sure that in the winter, without enough to eat, or warm enough clothes, it would be far less than ideal.) But, it was probably very much like the house Muumuu lived in.

Then we went to H:kryö and discovered a vegetarian restaurant at the visitor center! This was a very good thing, as Peter was getting quite hungry. (I later discovered that it was the ONLY restaurant in H:kryö, so it was doubly good.) We had a lovely lunch on the terrace beside the little river, and then I went and did a little shopping in the Visitor Center (another good reason to have lunch there.) Finally we went up to the little museum that we had gone to before, which is right across from the church. The museum was actually closed while a new exhibit was put in, but the door was open and we went in. A young woman working on the exhibit said we could look around, so we did. Then we went around to the church office, and I talked with the women there and looked in the old books again. I also learned that there is one family with the name Illotu which might possibly be some relations. So I got the name and phone number to call. However, I ended up not calling for 2 reasons: 1. There are no public telephones in Tampere (really - of course, it´s Nokia-town) and 2. I thought it might be a bit odd. Today I went back and got the person´s address, so I can write to him when I get home.

Today, Tuesday, we went first to the museum in Tampere with a couple of amazing exhibits - one of the 1918 civil war, which was centered in Tampere for a time. Tampere was the headquarters of the Red Finns (which would have probably included Muumuu´s relatives if there were any still around then). Of course, as you all know, the Whites won, and it was a bloodbath both during and afterwards. The saddest things were the pictures of the children soldiers, children just killed in the bombardment, the fact that the war was Finns against Finns, and, finally, that after the war, the reforms for universal voting, land reforms, and public education, that the Reds had favored, were introduced.