Beginning with the Finnish

Greetings from Finland! (And credit to my brother for the title of this post) And what an interesting trip it's already been! Iceland was a blast....mostly of cold air (note to Keflavik airport: if you're going to locate your luggage storage service in a building 1\4 mile from the actual airport, you really need to offer a shuttle service!) and I can't wait to go back in August and explore more of it. It was like a strange combination of Liverpool, Salekhard, and Mars...Though I have to say, the extreme winds and freezing temps (and it was practically June!) made me more than a little wary about biking and camping there...yikes! Good thing I'll have so much experience under my belt before I attempt it. It was also obscenely expensive, and I hemhorrhaged way too much money in the 24 hours I was there. Nonetheless, I got to lounge in a geothermal hot spring, enjoy Icelandic tacos, and even found myself a bed to sleep in for a few hours. All in all, it was a nice layover.

Reykjavik made me feel right at home.

Which brings us to the Finns. I've got nothing but good things to say about this place so far. From the cheery and helpful Finnish\Canadian\American cab driver who picked me up at the airport and gave me a whirlwind introduction to the food, the sights, and the language; to my excellent first-ever couch surfing host with an adorable flat in a nice quiet suburb (with bicycle paths all around, yay!); to a relaxing afternoon spent wandering the streets of Helsinki and exploring the amazing Suomenlinna Island, Finland has really laid on the charm. 

Suomenlinna Island. I could definitely live here! 

Fortress ruins on Suomenlinna

Its been so lovely, in fact, that its almost hard to remember that I'm about to set off on a bicycle this afternoon for points unknown...but that is exactly what's about to happen, as soon as the bike shop calls to let me know it's ready. I've got my bags re-packed (And am already regretting bringing a few things that I think I may not actually need), stocked up on food, and I'm ready to hit the road. I just hope it doesn't hit back!