My First Trip to Finland:Metsovaara
Marjatta Metsovaara Nystrom.
Metsovaara.
Metsovaara.
Previously I had visited the Metsovaara showroom where I saw many textiles, some very unusual woven from strips of plastic and threads as well as some prints. At this time in Finland there was a scarcity of raw materials and unconventional materials were being explored. I met Marjatta Metsovaara, one of Finland's best known textile designers and Mrs Janson, the export manager. They both spoke Swedish with each other, made complimentary remarks about me, were most gracious while discussing which price they should quote me, without having the slightest idea that I spoke Swedish. We had a pleasant meeting and I was invited to dinner the next evening when I would return from Pori.
At the airport i was met by Madame Marjatta Metsovaara in her Jaguar and Mrs. Janson. We went by my hotel to drop off my SAS travel bag and then on to The Fisherman's Cottage,(Kalastajatorppa in Finnish), which is one of the nicest hotels, nightclubs and restaurants in Finland. It is located on the seashore among rocks, water and pine trees;a truly spectacular setting.There were masses of people. We could not get into the main room and ended up in the Grilli. The place was crowded, many people got drunk pretty quickly and started singing and shouting so hat it was difficult to hear the music. There was a small spot where people were trying to dance and we danced a little. We drank espresso and Cordon Bleu cognac and talked about business and many other things. The evening confirmed what I had sensed earlier at their showroom - that Marjatta had a bit of a crush on me. Marjatta and Mrs. Janson were speaking Swedish with each other as Marjatta's English was limited. They would discuss in Swedish what they wanted to say and then Mrs. Janson would tell me in English. They were struggling for a long time to find the appropriate English word for a particular Swedish word. They were not succeeding and the struggle kept going on. Finally I volunteered the word that hey were looking for. They were both amazed and furious to find out that I spoke Swedish, particularly as they had been speaking behind my back, or so they thought. We did however become their representatives.