Finland: going home

Holy jet lag.

We got up at 3:30 AM in Finland.

We arrived at our hotel at 10 PM in Missouri.

I'm still so tired I can't do the math.

It took a long time to get home.

But it was worth it.

We said goodbye to Benji in Amsterdam.

Shout out to the iPad!

We never would have made it without you!

Hei Hei, Finland!!

Finland: day 8

For our last day we took it easy. 

We slept in.

We searched the mall for last minute souvenirs.

And we had one last night with Elder and Sister Williamson.

Here's where my parents live. 

It would be very reverent and righteous to live that close to the temple.

Here's the door to their apartment.

The building has rooms for people to stay in who travel to go to the temple.

Which is where we stayed.

There is a playroom for kids.

My kids loved playing (and sometimes fighting) in the room.

My parents made makkara (hot dogs) and potatoes with homemade mustard for dinner.

 Whenever we could we took a walk in the evening.

The temple is by a forest full of trails

This is a community garden we passed by.

 Walking sticks are essential.

Finland: day 7

Today we took a booze cruise to Tallinn, Estonia.

There was a dance floor full of serious dancers.

This situation provided tons of entertainment.

It takes 3 hours to get to Tallinn.

So we needed some entertainment.

Jonah and Venna entertained themselves.

We took "trips" around the ship.

They found this super windy spot hilarious.

Tallinn is a medieval city.

This is how we entered.

And this is what we found!

Tuck chased pigeons-which he calls ducks-all day.

We walked the narrow streets for hours. 

We climbed to the top of the city to see orange roofs.

Jonah and Venna stamped medieval coins.

 

 My dad really liked this wall.

And he really likes my mom.

 

On the way back to Helsinki we found the kid area.

I asked Venna and Jonah, separately, what they liked best about today.

They both said the boat.

Tomorrow is our last day of fun.

This trip has flown by.

Finland: day 6

When Josh was a missionary in the Czech Republic he fell in love with public transportation. 

In honor of his love he planned an outing to Suomenlinna (Finland's Castle).

Here we are waiting for our 24 hour day pass-good for all your Helsinki travel needs-to be purchased. We took a train, tram, and ferry.

train

We transferred to our tram at "the famous Helsinki train station."

Waiting for the tram.

Holding on for dear life on the tram.

We had half an hour before our ferry left.

So we had reindeer meatballs.

And ice cream cones.

And Popsicle.

Here's the ferry.

And here's our destination: Suomenlinna.

Where Tuck lost his pants.

And it was hot.

But the fortress was beautiful and fun to explore.

My parents have some mission friends who also have a daughter and son in law visiting.

We explored together.

And Jonah ate their chips.

There are over 100 cannons in Suomenlinna.

We had to take the ferry, tram, and train back to the yellow hotel.

We finished the day off with a visit to The 3 Smiths.