Nature so close, it'd bite you in the arse if it could

« A wooden platform path over marshland at Villa Elfvik. »

A few weekends ago, before the weather went to the cold rainy pattern we've been having lately, Jarkko and I went to Villa Elfvik, a nature reserve and beautiful English-style Jugend home that has been beautifully restored. The house is gorgeous, but the nature paths along the Laajalahti nature reserve/marshes are the most astonishing feature. As we walked around the grounds, I kept thinking how unbelieveably close to downtown Helsinki it is and how it would have been made into strip malls decades ago if it were situated close to a city in the US. Finns are so lucky to have protected the natural habitat in and around the metropolitan area before strip malls became a permanent feature on the global landscape. Of course, like anything you grow up around and see every day, it takes a fresh eye to appreciate what you've got.

Inside the house is a small exhibit on natural resources in Espoo, a cafe (open only on the weekends), some history about the house and its inhabitants and beautiful art nouveau appointments. The house was built in 1904 for baroness Elvira Standerskjöld and there are some events planned to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The paths outside on the grounds are maintained and scenic and there is a narrow path of wood planks that leads south through the marshes towards Otaniemi that even has cows and sheep along the way. One bummer about wading through a swamp during the not-winter season is mosquitos so it might have been a good idea to have carried some repellant. There are bird observation towers at either end of the path which offer a nice view of the area, too.

• A small map of the nature reserve
• A small map of the location of Villa Elfvik
• Getting there: Take the train to Leppävaara and either walk or take the 52, 57, 106 or any number of other busses that stop at Ruukinranta crossing and follow the signs.
• Free entrance. Open every day of the week during the summer and closed on Saturdays during the winter months.
• Take bug spray. :)