Naantali – beautiful old town
For the second half of our workation we spent three nights in Naantali (https://visitnaantali.com/).
Mini cruise
We arrived in Naantali on Thursday afternoon and checked into to our Airbnb located upstairs in a cute old wooden house from 1855. The apartment was a functional studio with a small bathroom and kitchen with a full-sized stove and fridge. I had some work to do at arrival, so we spent a few hours in the apartment working. Then we headed out for a pre-booked activity, a 90-minute cruise around Naantali. The cruise was a nice way to kick off our workation and seeing Naantali from the sea. After the cruise, it was time for dinner, and we headed to Kaivohuone. We both decided to have a Caesar salad, I had mine with grilled shrimp and hubby opted for grilled chicken. The salad was tasty, and the terrace was a great place for dinner and people watching.
Louhisaari manor
The next morning after some work, we strolled around Naantali old town for a bit and then headed to Louhisaari manor (another National Museum site). The manor was built in 1655 and was first owned by the Fleming family and later the Mannerheim family. The mansion is the birthplace and childhood home of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. After touring the manor we had lunch at the Manor café. Hubby had an anchovy sandwich, and I had a piece of feta-nettle pie and for dessert, we shared a donut. On the way back to Naantali we stopped by the Askainen church where you could also find the Mannerheim family mausoleum.
Uusi Kilta – what a find
For dinner, we ended up at Uusi Kilta. There was a short line outside the restaurant, but we decided to try our luck. We were able to get a table inside and were promptly served by a friendly waiter. For starters, I had scallops and hubby had escargot. For my main, I opted for the fish of the day, which was lightly smoked salmon with an orange beurre blanc sauce, asparagus, carrots, and fingerling potatoes. Hubby had fried vendace with brown butter mashed potatoes and spring onion. The food was delicious, and we were super-happy we chose this restaurant for dinner.
