Finland: Isojarvi

While Eliska sat in the hospital, I spent the afternoons exploring the immediate area to entertain myself.

This picture is for DasaNice bus stop
This is another park: Isojarvi

It was threatening to storm the entire time I was there

but pretty

I got lucky, since even though I got rained on most of my drive there, I didn't get wet on my 10 k hike

pretty trees

It is funny how Finland seems so monotonous when you drive through, but when you get out in it, there are so many variations on the theme

Another example of why Finish parks rock! a nice dry, non lumpy lean to shelter for you to camp in

ominous clouds moving in

kind of spectacular in a dark way though

and I found blueberries! the only ripe ones on the whole trip

It was a really nice hike. and it helped to work off some of the tension I had over not being able to do anything with the whole Eliska business

Finland: Orivesi

After the conference, Eliska and I headed out to see more of this lovely country. The first night we camped on this lake. and then... well, it all went to hell and we spent the rest of out time in the hospital. It wasn't a fun adventure, what with not being able to start the car (rental cars!), getting lost on the way to the hospital, sitting in the waiting room for 10 hours with no one telling me anything... but the good news is, Eliska is fine now, and back in Czech recovering.

Finland: Hameenlinna

The conference field trip took us to Hameenlinna, an old Swedish fortress.
It was very different from the castles I've been to on mainland Europe

Fun though

Finland: Helsinki

Oddly enough, Helsinki feels like a relatively new city. it is absolutely lovely with most of the buildings in the art nouveau style, and spectacular churches dominating the skyline. Strange to be in a European city that feels younger that the states though

This was right outside our hotelI loved all the details on the buildings

I forget what this building is, opera house or something. Right off the central station square though

This is part of the college I believe, just below the giant church that is in the first picture.

That is the Lutheran church by the way, and this is the orthodox church.

It really was a pretty town

A lot of the islands in the harbor had tiny houses on them

an evening skyline

I took a trip out to the island fortress Suomenlinna, a UNESCO site. Went with Gier, a lovely Norwegian boy I met at the conference

Got to see the little islands from up close as we floated by

The island fortress was not what I was expecting, but was a neat place to explore

It has a little town on one island

complete with church. Amusingly, I saw a picture of what this church used to look like when it was owned by the Russians and therefor orthodox. Boy did the Lutherans take off all the charm and make it boring!

A view back towards Helsinki

It was fun prowling around all the old fortifications

The place was full of Fins out for a picnic, not a bad spot for it

some slippery looking rocks though

I really like this picture for some reason

Boys will be boys, always...
a missed opportunity

The kings gate

Headed back, we got to see some hot air balloons flying over town

I really liked this church and was really sad that I never got to see the inside. Just kept getting there too late or early, grrrr

another midnight sunset

and then, the storms started brewing...

Finland: Nuuksio

Nuuksio park is right outside of Helsinki, so for our last night before the conference was stayed there to avoid an expensive hostel
Another late night arrival (what would we have done if it actually got dark there?)
but it sure was pretty the next day