Two weeks ago my husband and I returned from a visit with friends in Finland. Today I’ll share some of the beautiful scenery and tell you a bit about the country.
Finland is a Nordic country located between Scandinavia and Russia. For centuries it was alternately ruled by its two powerful neighbors, Sweden and Russia. This year Finland celebrates 100 years of independence, released by Russia in 1917 after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Though it’s the eighth largest country in Europe, Finland is the most sparsely populated in the European Union. One quarter of its 5.5 million people live in metro Helsinki with the rest spread out among towns and country, mostly in the south.
We stayed with our friends Erkki and Helena at their summer cottage on Lake Rikkavesi (very sparsely populated; located at blue arrow) and at their home in Joensuu, a town of 58,000.
Their summer cottage consists of three buildings — sleeping space, living space, and an outhouse. It’s semi-rugged with electricity, a wood burning sauna (everyone has a sauna in Finland!), lake water for washing not drinking, and a composting toilet. Middle of the night bathroom visits required walking outdoors, but no problem. It is never dark in July.
Most of my photos below were taken at Lake Rikkavesi (check the captions for more information). Click on any photo to see a larger version of the slideshow.
Coming to Kuopio, 1 July 2017: From the air, an island with a crop of mustard seed
Beautiful Finland. The land of 188,000 lakes.
(photos by Kate St. John)
Want to jump into the photographs. What a destination!
So beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Breathtaking and beautiful!! What a wonderful experience you had, Kate. Thank you for sharing this with us!!
Wow, looks fantastic. What were the temperatures like during your stay? Were the mosquitoes bad? I find that the further north I head, the more voracious the mosquitoes become.
Stephen, the temperature ranged from about 48 degrees F at the very lowest to 70. However 60 degrees with wind felt cold! The mosquitoes varied based on the wind. Our friends burned mosquito coils (incense/smoke that keeps mosquitoes away) that worked well at the outdoor dining table. The mosquitoes were not as vigorous as ours. You had ample time to slap them between the moment they found you & the moment they bit. I had more trouble with mosquitoes biting me in Cambria County, PA this month than I did in Finland. The difference, however, might be that it was cold in Finland so I wore more clothes.
Tks for sharing! So interesting!
Outstanding photos! I laughed when I saw the cow and read your caption that she’s wearing a bra because of her heavy udders! Looks like an awesome place to go.