Turku is Finland’s oldest city and its first capital city. It was first part of Sweden, Russia. Although Mondays in Turku are days off for most museums, we managed to find some points of interest to start our day. The Turku Market Hall is similar to the markets we visited in Helsinki; there are multiple restaurants and shops which offer a selection of delicacies.
There has been a Jewish presence in Turku dating back to 1853. The synagogue was built in 1912. It is a mix of Byzantine and Art Nouveau, which was very popular at the time. The synagogue is Orthodox, like the one in Helsinki, despite the fact that most Jews in Turku are not very religious.
The Turku library was built in 1903. The first floor was a national library for the working class and the second was the city library for academics. These two libraries merged in 1912 to become Turku City Library. It is a beautiful building.
We walked along the Aura River which winds through the city and is as narrow as a canal through most of the old town. Edging the river is an active bike path and pedestrian walkway. There are also many cafes and restaurants with great river views and some fun sculptures in the river.
We headed to the quaint town of Naantali, a harbor town on the archipelago about twenty minutes from Turku.
The Old Town of Naantali is picturesque with colourful wooden buildings and homes. Most of the buildings have name plaques above the doors. These plaques date back to medieval days when it was as common as numbered addresses are today. I love the idea of naming a house. Keeping the names contributes to the historical and enchanting atmosphere of the town. Naantali is also known for Moominworld, an amusement park focused on the Moomin characters created by the Finnish artist and author Tove Jannson. Unfortunately for us, the park closed for the season earlier this month. Instead, we enjoyed a drink and some snacks people watching by the harbor.
On our return to Turku we walked along the river and once again enjoyed a pleasant evening eating drinking and people watching.
Where is Wendy 
Very cool! Your trip continues to be a great experience!! Love following along!
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