finland trip, part three

sunday morning we headed out for a picnic, stopping first at this resort that was being developed, to see some ultra-modern/expensive summer homes.

here i am with esa. even though our family there is more distantly related, there was a family bond that was real and natural- language barrier and all. i can only dream what it would be like if there was free-flowing communication!

mary, mikko and i. i really want to learn finnish fluently (ha!) and go back every summer!

timo, pirjio, leena, paijve, me, irma, and mira. we went for a little walk along the boardwalk- mary and i were itching for more! we'd been in cars and inside a lot and wanted more excersize.. we made up for it at the end of the trip with plenty of walking, though!

then we headed to this pavilion in the woods for a picnic! our sweet family planned things for us to do each day that we would enjoy, it was so thoughtful. 

at one point, i looked across the pavilion and saw my name! it felt really cool, and reminded me of times i've found my boys' names carved in wood- only better because it was in FINLAND!

we went for a little hike to this lookout- a sea of trees and then the baltic sea!

the ground covering was a combination of reindeer moss, lingonberries, and heather.

after the picnic, we drove to a harbor and saw this awesome sailing ship, built with old ship plans using re-claimed matierials. the volunteers who built it take people on cruises in it!

next, we saw some more family member's houses and cabins, which was really cool and felt like an honor. we'd heard finn's are private and so being invited into their homes felt really special.

here is timo with another hunting trophy! and i have to add that i loved how all the ceilings were wood.. i never saw ceilings with drywall/texture like we have here, and now i want our ceilings to be like the ones in finland!

this is a decoration made with reindeer moss (and heather??) made by pirjio. she had lots of cool creations with wire + nature, at lots of the cabins and family homes.

this was a family cabin of pirkkus. there were two, next to each other- this cute red one, and a log one.

i loved the interior of this one so much! that wallpaper! the curtain/door! the painting!

next we went to this tiny fishing village. it was so cool to be shown these remote places- parts of finland we never would've seen.

we climbed an old wooden-framed lighthouse while we were there.. here's our view looking down on our sugar cousins!

and the view looking out at the quaint little village. imagine it even greener! so idyllic.

and then i had to be a daredevil and climb all the way up to the light! (i was super slow/careful) i didn't need to speak finnish to know i had worried the cousins- their fist shaking and neck-wringing gestures spoke volumes! but they forgave me with an applause and all was well!

we ended the tour at kirsti's beautiful new cottage with evening coffee. their place looked like it came straight from the pages of a glossy magazine!

this was the view.
i love finland.

**go ahead to part four, back to part two, or start at the beginning!