Helsinki is our last major stop over. We are here to stay with our friends Petri and Pirjo Tani. Andrew met Petri in Kawerau in 1985 and they've been friends ever since. Since then this is our fourth visit to Finland and hopefully not our last. Their two boys Kuutti and Santeri now speak wonderful English ( as well as German and Swedish and Finnish of course ) and it was a treat to be able to chat to them.
Catching up with Petri and Pirjo at a Helsinki bar.
We spent a weekend at their summer house and were the official guests at the 'International' opening of their new sauna house. Andrew enjoying the lake view from the new sauna house.
Drinks with Toto the dog to celebrate the official international opening.
We had a productive morning gathering blue berries in the forest. First they needed to be cleaned then.......
Made into the most delicious blue berry pie; 'mustikka piraka'!
Pirjo and I being silly in the lake after sauna. We wore our swim suits, not like others in the group!
On our last evening in Helsinki we had a real treat. The summer music festival was on, so we went into the city to enjoy a musical feast. Opera in the Ateneum, a chamber orchestra playing Bach, Mozart and Beethoven and finally a wonderful choir singing in the beautiful Helsinki cathedral, above.
Didn't go to any event here but just loved this Russian Orthodox Church, the Uspenski Cathedral.
The Helsinki Cathedral at the end of the evening. A beautiful way to say goodbye till the next time.
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