To Finland, to Finland a green summer awaits
On Wednesday I'll be having a home coming of sorts. I head on this pilgrimage to the other side of the world to soak up the sun, the smell of birch trees, clear light blue skies, placid lakes and the tickling grasses that grow on the water's edge to reconnect with something more poignant than a location where people know how to pronounce my last name.
(Ok so this isn't the view from the actual family summer house at Lehmijaearvi but the similarities are there: the tall birch trees, the swim across the lake to forest on the other side, the beguiling rocks in the water and if this where the summer house the refurbished sauna inside a small wooden building would be to the left)
(This is a typical shot of blueberry pie - made even more amazing if you go to the forest yourself and collect your own wild blueberries, well at least enough and you don't eat them all before you get home. Note the quintessential glass plate, a definitive example of national design ideology - I've grown up with these, carted across the world by my mother.)
What is that I'm seeking? Perhaps it's my new favourite cafe to sit in for hours with a good book and people watch while sipping dark, aromatic coffee and eating blueberry pie. Or it could be people watching at Senaatintori, attempting to capture the perfect photo of young sailors in their first uniforms. Maybe it will be poring through Ancient Greek history books or Asterix comics in Akateeminen Kirjakauppa and reminding the adventurer inside to wake up?
If there are any takers for a Helsinki city stroll/catch up in the next couple of weeks just drop me a line.






