My Place – Mervi Levanen
- “I come from next to Kuuanvuori; perhaps I already visited here in early childhood, when my grandparents still lived in my childhood home. Later, when my family moved into that house, Kuuanvuori became my regular walking destination.
As a high school student, I often went up to the top to calm down. Of course, sometimes we came here with friends too, but above all, Kuuanvuori has been a place of relaxation for me. When I look at the scenery, my nervous system settles and my mind becomes calm.
As a child, we built dens on the hill, and in winter we sledded down from the top through the trees into the forest. When there was plenty of snow, the drop didn’t feel scary at all. I wouldn’t dare do it anymore, though.
Kuuanvuori is also a place where we often bring visitors. Many want to climb up to see the views. Once, our family cat had quietly followed us all the way up without us noticing—and then couldn’t find its way back. We had to go and pick it up later by car to bring it home.
Before the pandemic, I visited here regularly, but during that time so many people started coming that I dropped the habit a bit. For me, Kuuanvuori is above all a place of silence and calm, and large crowds don’t really fit that. I hope I’ll gradually learn to come here regularly again.
Sometimes I’ve thought about creating an environmental art piece here, but that idea has faded as I started thinking about permits and practicalities. Still, perhaps something like that may happen one day.”
Who?
Name: Mervi Levanen
Age: 52
Occupation: Entrepreneur and gallerist; has worked as a visual arts teacher for over 25 years.
In this article series, residents of Uusikaupunki present places in their hometown that are important to them.