Tour to Porvoo - Rachel Zilberman 5:15 PM (0 minutes ago) to me Our visit to Porvoo became a spectacular, interesting, and pleasant attraction thanks to our very nice guide. On the beautiful ride to Porvoo, we gained from our guide some insight into the history of the place, its religious mindset, habits, and its cultural heritage. When we arrived there, we experienced a state of tender beauty and tranquility, gazing on a vast green landscape, the quiet river, the old bridge, and the red houses along the banks. Then we trotted up the hill by the red granite slabs to see some households surrounded by not-so-frequent delicate flowers and green beds. Our guide caught our attention to the wood-carved small figures displayed in the windows of almost every house. We proceeded by the unpaved lanes to a very beautiful old church with heavy carved wooden doors and big iron locks. The church belfry looked pretty interesting. That view completed our tour of the old town section, and we moved to the contemporary part. Our guide retold us about the life of the famous Finnish poet Runeberg and led us to see his home and an amazing garden around it. The garden provided additional sustenance and medicinal plants. The house reflected the life, habits, and character of a talented, refined intellectual. A huge library included about 1000 volumes in different languages. Runeberg wrote the Finnish national anthem. Abiding by the story of Runeberg's life presented by our guide, we attended a famous cafe to taste a unique Runeberg cake. It was remarkably delicious. During our tour, our guide took numerous pictures and generously sent them to us afterward. Now we have a beautiful memory of our interesting journey. We are truly grateful to Szabi. On the way back to Helsinki, our guide presented us with his vision on why Finnish people feel that they are the happiest nation ever. It was rather extraordinary, and we gladly agreed with Szabi. We are happy for the next traveler who will be guided by a knowledgeable, well-prepared, and very nice guide such as Szabi. Rachel and Julius