The Finnish Football Museum

Visited the football museum with the boys today. Not just old footballs, but also prizes (a example in extra #1), various equipment related to football (like a shirt used by George Best in extra #2), photos and posters about persons and facts. The most amazing fact to me was that Finland (now 67th in UEFA ranking) was once fourth in Olympic Football! That was in 1912 and not many countries participated then, but they did win Italy and Russia.

The town museum of Valkeakoski is in the same building and accessible with the same ticket, so we looked at it, too. The permanent exhibition has items from a reconstructed prehistoric boat (extra #3) to local industrial and cultural history. Mostly 20th century though, as the town is relatively young. The changing exhibition is... well, changing, but we could get a peek at an amazing item: a genuine gondola! According to the text in the poster, they exist in three cities outside Venice: Hollywood, Amsterdam and Valkeakoski. The local tycoon Juuso Walden wanted one for an industrial and agricultural exhibition held in town in 1963, and he got one, despite the fact that exporting them is practically forbidden.

We also stopped at the Vehoniemi car museum as it was almost by the way home. Well, 20 km detour actually, but the doughnuts and the ice cream are so good... The cars were mostly the same as two months ago when I visited there last time, but I didn't remember the tiny supercharged MG (extra #5).