Day 24: Medieval Turku Festival

On Friday, Marja, Camilla, and I left again for the ancient capital of Finland, Turku! Last week, when touring Turku, we learned that there would be medieval festivities taking place this weekend that would mimic the actual conditions of medieval Turku. There were booths upon booths of costumed actors and actresses dying wool with red onions, crafting household appliances out of birch wood, carving soaps and candles out of animal lard, and even handmade lollipops!

Our first stop at the Medieval Festival was a monk's station in front of the Turku cathedral. 

The certificate--it proclaims that I am proficient at English, Latin, and Finnish! 

The monk who issued me the certificate! His hand is blurry because he was moving it in a prayer motion while I was taking the picture. 

More Midsummer festivities

Camilla and I! I am a jester from the royal court and Camilla is a peasant worker from the 1400s.

Turku's shopping district. On the left, you can see a Stockmann, which is the largest department store in Finland. I took a photo of this boulevard as Marja, Camilla, and I were waiting for Ann-Christine to have lunch together. 

Central Plaza. In many ways, the beauty of Turku rivals that of its eastern counterpart, Helsinki.

In the front of the Turkulinna (Turku castle)

Turku Castle. The nearly 700-year-old history astounded me. 

I am a knight!! P.S. The knight's helmet was incredibly heavy; I could feel the weight bearing down on my shoulders and it was a struggle to lift my neck up. I had never understood how difficult it was to be a knight until I actually tried on the helmet and armor. 

I am a princess! 

The Turkulinna was a treasure trove of all things old--it was built in the 1300s by the Swedish monarchy, who aspired to build a city that could rival Tallinn, in Estonia. 

Over the years, it was fortified and developed into a defense structure, to protect against Swedish and Russian invaders. 

Although most windows in the palace were short and narrow (which is the optimal size for defenders to protect the castle using bows and arrows; the narrowness also prevents offenders and invaders from shooting into the castle), these particular windows lined the king's gathering hall, where he probably received royal guests and dignitaries.