mars in finland

meet mars. he is finn's robot, and he loves adventures. you can read about his trip to japan here! little did we know back then, but mars' adventures were far from over! and, he has also had a skin transplant since his first trip, so he is looking forward to many more travels!

mars was kind of a sleepy-head on this trip. i think the jet lag got to him, plus he really liked the cool dark basement at my aunt and uncles house!

however, he is a big fan of train rides, so he didn't mind waking a bit early to catch the train to kokkola. he loves seeing the countryside rush past out the windows!

mars was a little shy meeting our family in finland, but when we were walking on the boardwalk by the sea, he really loved the contrast of pines and sand and wanted his picture taken here.

he also enjoyed watching the sausages being roasted at our picnic, although (like me) he didn't eat any. 

mars really loves boats, but he can be a little reckless. he is pouting here because i wouldn't let him sit on the railing like he did in japan. thankfully he is very forgiving and didn't let it ruin his time on the ferry.

he really loved all the stone and the green in finland. and he gets really excited whenever he sees moss- just like finn and his brothers do!

i think he was really missing the boys, because when he saw this playground he had to stop and get pictures on all the things they would've gravitated to if they were there! he takes responsibility to report to them the things they would like very seriously!

he couldn't resist this photo-op at the helsinki fortress, he loves standing when he can! he also ate up all the attention from the onlookers behind me while i was taking his picture. he's kind of a ham sometimes.

when i was paddle-boarding, he had to wait under a tarp on the shore with the guy i rented the board from.. i think they must've had some sort of misunderstanding (maybe it was the language barrier) because they don't look like they are on very friendly terms in this picture!
travelling isn't always glamorous, i'm afraid.

mars loves this picture because he doesn't quite understand that he isn't actually that tall compared to the trees. he thinks that since his feet are at the bottom of the tree trunks in the picture, than he must be about fifty feet tall!

it was kind of humbling for him to get up close and realize that he's still proportionate. majestic views can sometimes have that affect!

so, he laid on the beach for awhile and thought about how it doesn't really matter anyways, and that there are more important things in life and that the world is a big and beautiful place. which are actually quite big thoughts for a stuffed robot.

mars was a big fan of finnair. maybe it was because the airplanes were so bright and clean, and the staff were so friendly. maybe it was because he loved listening to the language, and seeing all things related to finland (which he adored), but i think it also had something to do with the name itself, which reminded him of his own boy- finn!

all in all, mars is such a great travelling companion- he didn't even have to sneak in my luggage this time, and he flies for free! we're thinking he'll come along on all of our overseas adventures!

**read about my trip from the beginning!

finland trip, part seven

as our trip was winding down, we were able to spend a more relaxed day with our aunt and uncle. we went with them to the helsinki LDS temple, and it was so beautiful and peaceful.

 i loved all the granite everywhere, the temple grounds were gorgeous.

 after the temple, we went to dinner at this really posh restaurant. our aunt and uncle were celebrating their 40th anniversary, and we got to tag along! there was even a complimentary architectural tour of helsinki afterwards from my uncle!

can you believe these doors!? my aunt had a book she showed us, with doors, gargoyles, and all sorts of cool architectural details to be found around the city.

everything was so fantastic, i loved it. there is something about curvy brick, though, i have to say.

we had a really great day with them, and were so glad to be able to spend some more time enjoying their excellent company.

the next day was our last- and mary and i parted ways. she went to tallinn, estonia, and i had some plans of my own. i had a few hitches figuring out which tram to take to my appointment with this sweet girl, but finally made it after asking for help from a few kind strangers! most of the younger generation (everyone we met/tried) spoke english really well, so that helped a lot.

after getting a little "permanent souvenir" from linda, she helped me find a place nearby where i could rent a paddle board. that was one of the things i wanted to do most in finland, and i was so glad it worked out!

this was only my second time on a SUP, but i was hooked the first time i tried. it was such a dream to be able to do it in the baltic sea!

from there, i walked to the rock chapel (temppeliaukion kirkko) which looked pretty unassuming from the outside..

but the inside was very impressive! it is a chapel built into living rock, with this huge copper ceiling and lots of natural light. they have concerts sometimes, which would have been really cool to hear, but i was so glad to be able to go and see it, regardless.
the last day worked out so perfectly, with everything i wanted to do falling into place- it was all within walking distance, and i even stopped into a few vintage/thrift stores along the way!

it was hard to say goodbye to finland.
i'm dreaming of a summer cottage there, but i am really just filled with gratitude that i was able to go there. to spend precious time with loved ones, and establish/strengthen connections and bonds with our family and roots, and just enjoy the beautiful country and culture. it was such an amazing trip, and i will cherish the memories forever!






**start from the beginning: part one

finland trip- part six

mary and i got helsinki cards, which gave us access to unlimited transportation as well as a free ferry or bus tour. we chose the ferry, and happened to plan it on the only day with a rainy forecast!

it actually turned out to be perfect, and never really rained hard, just misted. there were lots of beautiful little islands around helsinki that were covered in trees, i loved it.

it was fun to see little cottages on the islands, and imagine spending a summer there.

after the ferry tour, we hurried to catch the public ferry going to soumelinna- the helsinki fortress.

this place was super cool! and so pretty. there were all these stone dungeon type rooms you could explore, it was awesome.

and then a few of these little huts built into the hillside that looked like hobbit houses!

and then these huge cannons. super cool! we loved exploring suomelinna.
after we took the ferry back to helsinki, we met our cousin eeva at the train station and went with her to visit her sister ritva, the only sibling we hadn't met before. it was so nice to meet her and her husband, as well as two of their children and their families. we had a nice dinner and visit with them, and mary made plans with ritva's daughter, marjo (as well as eeva) to go to tallinn, estonia.

**go to ahead to part seven, or back to part five.. or start at the beginning! 

finland trip, part five

as hard as it was to leave family and friends, we were also excited for the next half of our trip- exploring helsinki, sightseeing, shopping, etc!

the train station in helsinki was super cool. i loved the architecture, and appreciated my uncle explaining  to us the different types and influences. i'll have more architecture in a later post!

 so we made our way to the mission home/our aunt & uncle's house, towing our luggage and using the navigator- learning the route for much future use!

then we were off to market square to do some shopping! i loved this mermaid mama and baby statue just before the market.

the market square was right on the water's edge, with big cargo ships, ferries, and tourist boats. there were rows of vendors, both food and gifts. 

the wares were mostly all under uniform-type shades, but we did see a few more primitive vendors and really loved them. it was cool that there was some of everything- really kitchy/cheap souveniers, as well as genuine hand-made pieces. 

and there were things like these, that i was drooling over and wishing i had more money/room in my luggage..

 i tried (too hard) to be practical, because i thought i would keep seeing amazing things & i knew i couldn't buy everything. looking back, i wish i'd known better! or planned better, or something..

 after shopping, we went to stockmann's department store and got some dinner. it was the same store my grandpa had been to and talked about, so that was really fun to do. walking there was so beautiful, with the dark bark on the trees with bright spring leaves..

and then this tree, in this light, with these huge flowers took my breath away!


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