Stop 3: Rokua National Park

We decided to camp at a caravan park at Rokua National Park and enjoy the luxury of a sauna and running water for a couple of nights. On our first night a storm hit, but luckily our tents survived the strong winds. In the morning we packed our day packs and headed off on the...

Stop 2: Salamajärvi National Park

Salamajärvi National Park is only about an hour's drive from our previous stop, Pyhä-Häkki, but the landscape is very different. We once again arrived late in the evening and settled on the first campsite we could find, at Koirasalmi. It was a bit of a noisy spot, and cost 7€/tent/night, but we were able to...

Stop 1: Pyhä-Häkki National Park

The first stop on our summer camping road trip was Pyhä-Häkki National Park. We arrived so late in the evening that we camped overnight at Tulijärven laavu area on the border of the national park, which was only a half kilometre walk from the car park. The night was mild and peaceful, aside from a...

Camping in Teijo National Park

We kicked off the spring camping season with a weekend trip to Teijo National Park in southern Finland. The weather wasn't looking great, with rain forecast for almost the entire weekend. But it was my first weekend off work in 5 weeks, so despite the weather, we packed our rucksacks and headed southeast. We left...

Autumn holiday at a Finnish cottage

During the autumn school holiday (syysloma) in late October, we headed to our family's cottage for a few days by the river. There is something special about the cottage in autumn. Shortly after arriving, we headed into the surrounding forest in search of yellowfoot mushrooms (suppilovahvero). Or, as my Little Moomin likes to call them,...

Pimeä Metsä / Dark Forest event 2019

Earlier in October, my daughter and I attended the Pimeä Metsä (Dark Forest) event jointly organised by Porin Latu (a local branch of Suomen Latu) and the city of Pori. It's a free family event held annually, in which children are given the opportunity to explore a forest at night in a safe and fun...

1.5 years in Finland – what next?

Hello everyone! Hei kaikille! It's now been about 1 and a half years since I moved permanently to Finland. Now that I'm fully settled into life here, with a handle on the language, a good job and studies underway, I've been thinking a lot about what my next goals will be. What do I really...

Forest walk & Finnish apple cake

Hello again! Hei taas! I'm back after about a year's break from blogging. The short story of why I've been gone is that I've been focused on my studies and my job, among other things. But I've missed blogging and now, instead of doing my homework, I thought I'd share our autumnal day with you....

Our Moomin mug collection

I thought I'd bring some hygge to the blog on this rainy afternoon by introducing you to our current collection of Moomin mugs. It is only a small collection, but there are a few special seasonal mugs in there. Settle down with a warm drink and enjoy! This next one is the only mug we...

A September day in Finland

Breakfast by candle and lamplight. Gumboots and raincoats for the walk to school. Lush, mossy grass dotted with yellow leaves. Arrays of curious mushrooms. A hare. A pair of pheasants. Blushing bushes and beaming berries. Puddle jumping and tree climbing. Screen time. Sunny evening. Crisp, dark night. Hot tea and a blanket. Hibernation and inspiration....