Welcome to Finland: islands, boating, & more

Dear Diary,

Welcome to Finland, the land of great views, endless forests, 24 hour daylight, and many long drinks and ciders. This is my 2nd year visiting Finland for the summer. Little background...my boyfriend is from Finland, his family lives here every summer, therefore I have been coming to spend time with him. The summer has been amazing so far. The weather is beautiful about 80 degrees or higher. Now don't let that fool you...last summer it was raining and cold. People have been saying it hasn't been this hot in almost 4 years. I guess you could say I brought the California heat with me.

My trip started off pretty relaxed, after my hectic flight in, I managed to make it to the peaceful house in Kirkkonummi, Finland. The days go by long because the sun doesn't set till about midnight, leaving us plenty of time to hangout out on the water, tear up the jet skies, and even spend the day in the city. So far we've spent a lot of time on the boat. Done a couple boating trips from Helsinki (the main city) back to the house.

Finland is surrounded by amazing islands that you can drive the boat through and dock for a night or two. We took the boat for a weekend trip to Hanko, not so much an island but a vacation spot with a beautiful coast line and a harbor to dock the boats. The weekend was spent playing tennis, swimming, exploring the island, and the infamous crayfish party. I am not the biggest fan

of crayfish, but its all for the experience am I right?

Many other days have been spent walking and exploring the city. The city is very old looking, but has a modern twist to it. Filled with cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture. The city is along the coastline of the Baltic Sea, not your typical ocean from California, but still breathtaking. The food is amazing so far as well. Everything is fresh from gardens that many people have in their backyards. My favorite dish so far has been salmon soup.

Ever heard of paddle? Yeah me neither, until I came here. It's not tennis, it's paddle. Pretty much tennis with walls. Now me, I'm not the most athletic when it comes to tennis, but paddle...challenge me and see what happens. In Helsinki near Hernesaari, there are paddle courts that people can rent out. We rented one the other night and it was so much fun. Safe to say, I dominated the court. Can't wait to share more adventures of Finland and possibly other countries that we will be visiting over the next 3 weeks. Till next time.

XoXo, Ken