Meet Lapinlahti people: Esa Sammallahti
Those who go out in the mornings in Lapinlahti may rub their eyes every now and then when they look out to sea and see a swimmer there, almost regardless of the weather. He’s Esa Sammallahti – a Helsinki resident who has been swimming for decades and has been swimming in Lapinlahti for over a year. However, the Lapinlahti area is familiar to Esa from decades ago: he first visited the area in the late 1970s, when he had a motorboat that he used to travel with his family at sea. They dropped anchor in the bay in front of the hospital and had lunch, but at that time they didn’t know much about the place.
Lapinlahti became better known to Esa at the start of the 21st century from the TV show Kertomus Lapinlahden sairaalasta (A story of the Lapinlahti hospital). From the show he especially remembers the Lapinlahti gardener – Arvo Juutilainen, a familiar name to long-time Lapinlahti people – who was saddened by the end of his working contract. There has also been a TV show about Arvo. One of Esa’s acquaintances was also receiving treatment in Lapinlahti for an eating disorder, but unfortunately it didn’t help.
In recent years, Esa has been having coffee in Lapinlahti with his wife and friends and visiting park flea markets and Puoti. Esa says that during the travel restrictions, he and his wife have been having coffee every day in a café in Helsinki. The coronavirus epidemic also brought Esa to swim in Lapinlahti. When the water is not cold, he swims around the buoys for about a kilometre. One day, he stopped by the Venice house to take a closer look at the place and decided to start his swim from the beach to the rock next to the house, where there is no beach sand to stick to his feet. Esa also decided to swim as long as possible, and last winter he stopped only when the bay froze over and started again when the ice melted.
Esa particularly appreciates the appearance of the buildings in Lapinlahti. He studied and worked at the Suomenlinna Naval Academy of Finland for years, and the yellow colour of the main building in Lapinlahti reminds him of Suomenlinna, which he also appreciates. There are also old brick buildings on the shores of Suomenlinna, which the Venice house also reminds him of. Esa says that when visiting Lapinlahti he absorbs information like a sponge. He says with a laugh that he only recently figured out where Lapinlahden Lähde got its name, even though he has known about the pretty red well in the garden plots for a long time. In addition, the kindergarten groups visiting the park with their little children walking in line are a sight that brightens Esa’s day. For many kindergartens in the surrounding area, Lapinlahti park is the only green space nearby where they can come and play.
He also remembers the discussion of spring two years ago about the future of Lapinlahti: “I walked past Lapinlahti and saw grand placards at the gates, that explained what selling the place would mean. Then I understood, what it was all about,” Esa says. According to him, it was a really nice surprise, that the selling plan didn’t work out, but states that the Lapinlahti issue requires some thought. He wonders, what kind of an attitude would a potential new owner have – especially in financial matters. Esa asks with a laugh, if his swimming trips would end then, too.
We hope they won’t end – however the future might turn out. Thank you for the interview, Esa!