TRAVEL FEATURE - EUROPE
GUILLERMO MACLEAN
THE ROAD TO TURKEY
I
’ d arrived at the end of autumn at the house where my dear friend and renowned Finnish sculptor , Seppo Riihonen , was waiting for me . I ’ d come from the ferry terminal in Vaasa , where I ’ d arrived from Umea , Sweden .
In the middle of the forest , aside of the dirt road , I ’ d seen a wooden sign that made me laugh . It was the welcome to Korpirastas , the one hundred and seven year old wooden weekend house , in front of the Sinervä lake , four kilometres from the village of Multia , where I ’ d spend the winter , alone . After a few days , my friend left for the town of Támpere where he lives and I was left by myself , preparing for the harsh winter by carrying firewood from the shed to the house to fuel the stove and the two old ceramic cylindrical fireplaces . It had been a long time since I had picked up an axe , but after a number of days , I got used to the task of chopping the wood into four pieces .
In the middle of the lake there was a small island that attracted me in an incredibly unique way and that I observed and photographed in the mornings , with the idea of making a sequence of the freezing process of the lake .
In that house , in the middle of winter and in extreme sub-zero temperatures , I experienced intense moments . The wonderful starry sky , the silence of the forest , the frozen lake where I walked on full moon nights , blending in with the mist . But I was not alone . Sometimes an owl would spot me and perch high up in a distant tree .
The most arduous task I had was to light the fireplace in the sauna room to heat the space where I enjoyed the immense pleasure of this fantastic Finnish invention three times a week , and thoroughly enjoying myself when I decided to go out naked to make " little angels " in
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