Loimaa on Voimaa: A short spring trip to an under-explored destination
Recently, a group of us took a recreational trip to Loimaa, a town in Southwestern Finland. In this post, we go further than the playful rhyme and explore how Loimaa can be a source of voimaa (“strength”). We reflect on the value of stepping away from research for a moment to recharge, connect with colleagues and enjoy a sustainable trip. Ultimately, we hope to inspire you to rediscover your own sense of strength and energy.
The idea came about during a casual chat in our coffee room—one of those mid-morning breaks where conversations start to drift from research topics to random observations. Someone pointed out that the train always stops in Loimaa on the way from Turku to Tampere, yet none of us had ever actually been there. So we thought, why not change that?
That’s how Loimaa became the destination for our spring team-building day. We started planning a simple half-day trip, booked our train tickets and set out to explore a place that is close to us and not suffering from mass tourism.
During one of our so-called empowerment teas (which is really just our up-branded name for the shared coffee breaks among doctoral students at Digital Language Studies), Hanna-Mari came up with the perfect slogan for the day: “Loimaa on voimaa” (“Loimaa is strength”). A slogan that is not (yet) used by the Visit Loimaa agents.
The adventure began with a visit to Loimaa’s market square, which gave us a nice first impression of the town.
On our way there, we stumbled upon a few flea markets that happened to be open. Naturally, we couldn’t resist stopping to have a look and few of us even ended up making some purchases.
After a quick group photo to mark the occasion, we continued our walk toward the town centre. It was time to head to one of the stops we had planned: a local garden centre, but on the way there, we came across a fabric shop that immediately caught our eye. The store was even looking for a new owner! So we found employment possibilities in case our research careers would crash and burn.
The selection was very good in both stores and some of us walked away with fabric for new clothes, while others picked up fabrics and plants to liven up their homes. We also noticed that the shopkeepers were quite curious about us, something that made us feel welcome. A question we heard often was “why Loimaa?”.
Our day continued with a visit to Loimaan Taidetalo, a small but well-curated art museum that’s part of the Museokortti network. Housed in a charming building, the museum offered more than just the artwork. The building itself had some lovely details, including elegant fireplaces and a beautifully crafted staircase.
At the time of our visit, there were two exhibitions on display. The first one by Hannu Väisänen, Joen tuomana – paluu rannalle (“Bringing the river – returning to the beach”), featured a variety of modern works. The second exhibition, a permanent collection titled On ilmoja pidelly! (“It has been quite the weather!”), featured paintings on the theme of weather.
We had planned a lunch break at Munkkis, which has an excellent reputation and was recommended to us. Unfortunately the place was closed on that exact day due to plumbing repairs. So we had some burgers instead before heading to the train station.
Our day was very pleasant. We had the chance to see a new place and discuss topics that were on our minds. We also got to know our peers better, which is always a good idea when working in the same research group.
So, why did we write this post? Loimaa is a nice town – and yes, it sure rhymes with the word voimaa (strength), but more importantly, anywhere can be your Loimaa if you look for a place to draw strength and energy from shared moments.
We also want to take the chance to promote sustainable travel and think that this could serve as a fine example. It is really important that we can build team spirit in a new environment outside the campus and now we can start planning our next exciting trip together, perhaps to Huittinen or Forssa.