The blog is full of love

Riksuu in love is a story series in which people from Riihimäki share their thoughts about their hometown. The text was originally published in issue 3/2019 of the Koti&Kaupunki residents' magazine.

Hovering above the ground and being overwhelmed by the feeling of love is said to be a bit exaggerated, even though Kari Moisiola's love for Riihimäki still lingers.

- Riihimäki delights every day and is definitely the best city in Finland, the man sums up.

The idea for the Elämänlaatupakolainen blog came from the fact that after moving to Riihimäki, Moisiola saw a lot of wonderful things around her that people didn't seem to appreciate. First of all, Riihimäki is a human-sized city, where you can find all the necessary services really close. The second is housing costs, which are lower than in the capital region. So, you can enjoy life without worrying. Thirdly, everyday life is more relaxed when your nerves don't burn out in traffic jams every day.

- A traffic jam of four means four cars at the intersection. In Espoo Market, there was a ten-meter checkout line. Riihimäki has the right amount of people and everyday life runs smoothly, Moisiola lists.

The man notices that he always arrives at meetings a quarter of an hour too early, because he still hasn't gotten used to the fact that everything on Riihimäki can be reached in five minutes.

Beautiful city

The green and hilly city is also beautiful. Ydinkeskus Rautatiepuisto with its cobblestone streets is as fun as the imaginary small towns in the illustrations of Astrid Lingren's children's books.

Moisiola ended up in Riihimäki partly by chance.

- We wanted a home close to three roads and good train connections. The requirement was hypermarkets and a sufficient level of service. The most desirable home was found in Riihimäki, which, however, is not located in an apartment building, as was planned, but in a nice detached house near the city center. The hypermarket is only three kilometers away instead of 20 kilometers.

The quality of life refugee attitude means that life is for enjoyment. One of Moisiola's main pleasures is culture.

- Adequate cultural services, such as a theater, are the indicators of a proper city. We are big consumers of the theater. Every year, we go to see all the performances of the youth theater and a lot of them in the Riihimäki theater as well. We visit the glass museum 4-5 times a year.

The move made me a Cocks fan

Previously, the man was not really interested in sports, but with Riihimäki, Moisiola has started to follow handball.

- I became a Cocks fan. Due to the speed, the sport collides in a completely different way than football or hockey.

The Elämänlaatupakolainen blog, run by Moisiola, has also opened the eyes of native Riihimäkelians. Many say that they got new information and perspectives on their hometown from the blog.

- The fact that there are comparison points around the country helps to see how well things are in Riihimäki.

When you travel with open eyes and mind, you always find something new and wonderful.

Anne Korkala