Pictures

Well, I finally have the time to post some photos of the past two weeks (I know that's a long time...but I'll do my best to give you a general idea of all the things that I've been doing)! I'll add a little description about each one (sorry if the layout of the text and photos is a little strange...it's kind of hard to change the exact position of everything!).



This is Sirpa and Alpo's house in Kokkola where I stayed for about a week. I loved everything about it - the hardwood floors, the sauna, and the location (it was surrounded by huge redwood pine trees).





These photos are from our sightseeing trip around Kokkola. The top one is from the open-air market, the second, which is of Alpo, Konsta, Kaati, and Sirpa, is from a sort of "overlook" point, and the third is from the beach (where the water was very cold).




























I took these photos in Savonlinna on the way to the castle to see Carmen. The top one is of Santtu and Emma, and the bottom two are of the castle, which was built (on an island) in the 1400's. The opera was in the courtyard of the castle (which we got to by bridge, but, according to Alpo could only be reached by boat when he first visited) and I loved every minute of the whole experience.























These two photos I took on my first full day in Tampere, which is where I went to stay with Vintta, Santtu, and Emma. In the morning the kids showed me around different parts of their neighborhood (including their old school and about six of Emma's friend's houses). In the afternoon Santtu and I took the bus into the city center and took in the sights (Santtu was a very good private tour guide). The first photo is of Santtu's school (I'm jealous...the building is old (in a good way) and located in the city center!) and the second is of the buildings that surround the main city square. We also visited the library (which is in the shape of a bird), the theater where Santtu and Emma are acting in the play Cinderella (Santtu has done a lot of acting in plays, musicals, and one TV series), and the market.


















I took these pictures at the amusement park that I went to with Santtu and Emma. We had lots of fun going on all of the rides (which included about 5 roller coasters) and also going up in the observation tower (I took the last photo from there).

Well, it's getting late here so I should probably sign off until (hopefully) tomorrow, when I can post some pictures from my (very fun) Tallin trip! Hei hei!