Sketch 21/30 - Cafe Torpanranta (Sept 2012)

 On the last morning of our stay in Helsinki, we took the No. 4 tram to the seaside town of Munkkiniemi to visit Aalto's house and Studio. Unfortunately, the studio has shut for the winter - but we discovered this cafe by the sea. Its floor plan is made up of several octagons merged together. One cluster is the kitchen and servery while the free-standing larger one is the main dining space, with the entry in between. When we arrived, the place was almost empty except for a table of seafaring types in yellow jackets and ruddy faces.

From my seat by the window, I could see a large expanse of forest across the water dotted with low apartments buildings and small houses. I imagined my self living in one of them for an hour and caught to tram back to the city.