Bing, Bang, Bam! And it happened. I left Albuquerque, and am now in Europe once more. So excited to be here for the next 10 months. I am ready for travels, making new friends and seeing old ones, as well as seeing where the Lord takes me.
The flight over went as well as 32 hours of travelling can. I flew from Albuquerque to Oakland International and then to Oslo where I waited for eight hours for a flight to Helsinki. Of course a few cool things occurred. I ate my last Mexican food at Chili’s in the Oakland airport (because it was Chili’s or Chinese). I paid 5 dollars for a small cup of coffee in the Oslo Airport because everything is beyond expensive there, and I whipped out my sleeping bag for a few hours of sleep (with Kevin, my smiling traveling companion). And finally, I was met by my best friend Tuomas and His father at the airport in Helsinki.
So after travelling so far, Finland was the land of Milk and Honey. It was a fantastic place to recuperate my energy after travelling, and to I got to spend time with my best friend and his family. Most people would refer to it as cold and dark, but not just yet. I was there for the last week of warmth and sun.
From Day 1, I felt more than at home. Riitta, Tuomas’ mom had made a baked porridge for breakfast (fantastic), Tuomas and I explored Helsinki by bike, (finding the weirdest statue ever), and for dinner we had a traditional Finnish dinner or Reindeer, mashed potatoes, and ligonberries. It was fantastic!!! (Sorry Rudolph). Their house is only 200m from the sea, so I was able to wake up every morning go for a little walk and see the sunrise, basking in the glory of God’s Creation.
From Day 1, I felt more than at home. Riitta, Tuomas’ mom had made a baked porridge for breakfast (fantastic), Tuomas and I explored Helsinki by bike, (finding the weirdest statue ever), and for dinner we had a traditional Finnish dinner or Reindeer, mashed potatoes, and ligonberries. It was fantastic!!! (Sorry Rudolph). Their house is only 200m from the sea, so I was able to wake up every morning go for a little walk and see the sunrise, basking in the glory of God’s Creation.
We cooked together, explored together and enjoyed great conversations. The last day Tuomas had work, so his parents and I took the car to explore the area and we went to Fiskars, Finland. Fiskars is a brand of scissors and knives very popular in all the world and in this small little town they make knives and scissors. It was quite fun to walk through the small village, buy a few knives (which have not been taking by the European version of TSA yet), and have some nice coffee afterwards.
In the four days that I was there, I saw, I went and I did life with my friends. All in all, Finland Rocks!!! I would recommend that anyone and everyone travels there during the summer months. From great beaches, to wonderful wilderness, a different food culture, and of course Saunas (which I did not do this time). It is truly a land of Milk and Honey for recuperation and rest.
Until the next trip,
The Craving Connoisseur,
Andrew
In the four days that I was there, I saw, I went and I did life with my friends. All in all, Finland Rocks!!! I would recommend that anyone and everyone travels there during the summer months. From great beaches, to wonderful wilderness, a different food culture, and of course Saunas (which I did not do this time). It is truly a land of Milk and Honey for recuperation and rest.
Until the next trip,
The Craving Connoisseur,
Andrew