Finland Family Times

 November 1-3, 2022

On Tuesday I packed up and Anna drove me and her little one to Espoo, Finland.  I was moving for just a couple of nights to my other Finnish family's house.  Anna joined us for a nice lunch Anne had prepared for us, before she headed home to school kids.  

Though I was only there a short time, it was nice.  I settled into their cozy basement apartment, and made myself at home.  Two of their kids were home off and on, livening up the house with their piano playing and singing.  In the evenings we had long visits in their living room.  

On Wednesday, Anne and I had a nice outing.  We began at a pretty nature area that I believe was the Vantaa River.  We started off near this bridge and took a leisurely walk along the river. 

This long white building is a fancy restaurant

Some of the trail was through the very wet woods.  In muddy places there were wooden boardwalks, which were quite slippery.  Everything was drippy from recent rains. 

Anne is the perfect walking partner for me as her migraines keep her going at a moderate speed.  I love to walk, but often feel like I'm slowing someone down. 

Anne

Bright yellow lichen cling to a branch

The river looked swollen and muddy from the rain

There were quite a few stretches of rapids, and three different bridges in a fairly short walk.  A very pretty natural area, that's quite close to the city.

Walking back towards the car we passed this cute volunteer fire station. 

We were hoping to eat at this restaurant, but due to being off season, they weren't open for lunch.

Our original plan was to eat at a Nepalese restaurant in a nearby mall, so that's what we ended up doing.  It was fabulous food.  Everything I got from the buffet was a familiar Indian dish.  Chicken tikka masala, paneer makkni, and so on.  Huge pieces of naan bread were brought out.  For dessert I had a small glass of mango lassi, a delicious yogurt drink.  I took the photo below as I found it a bit humorous that Finland always includes coffee with meals, even Nepalese.  

While there Anne helped me find some great stores for gifts to take home.  Also a grocery store for some of that Finnish coffee.  This mall had a bit of tasteful Christmas decor up, which was nice as it is getting into a dark season.

Back home I was in my basement room and these two gifted musicians began to play and sing.  

It was so lovely.  I hope that they don't mind me sneaking a photo of them. 

Ben and Nicole