Finland ~ A Sunday walk along the Sea

April 14

On Sunday morning we packed up and headed into Helsinki for a church service. Afterwards we visited a bit over coffee, cookies and open-faced sandwiches.  Finland has the most delicious bread in the world! 

Leaving the church, we went to a Thai restaurant in the city for lunch.  From there we drove down to the seashore.  My sister-in-law (from the other side of my family) and her children met us there. 

The spring sunshine had melted most of the snow and ice so we had a nice long walk along the shoreline.  The kids trotted ahead of us in little groups

Granite shoreline

Looking across the water we could see the home formerly owned by the founder of Merimekko, a primarily textile company known for its bright poppy designs.

Left of center, home of Merimekko founder

My sister-in-law, Anne, resting on the seawall.

Some of the kids walked out to the end of the wall to explore further.

The sea, framed by birch branches

I love the texture of the twigs in front of the broody sky.

As I said, I love Finnish breads.  Their coffee is even better.  But nothing is tastier than their ice cream.  After leaving the beach, the whole gang went to the home of my brother and sister-in-law.  My brother agreeably stopped at a grocery store on the way so I could buy four liters of ice cream.  I made sure to get my share of the mint chip and a taste of the rocky road and then the kids made short work of the rest.