I'm starting to feel a little bit better after a health week from hell. This wknd came right on time! And what to do on a wknd when you're supposed to take it easy, relax and when you don't have any visitors in town? Well, plan our summer holiday of course! Right now we are looking at tickets to go to London for a long wknd. We just had friends from London visiting us here in Shanghai and they did a good job promoting the city. I actually lived in London for 6 months after I graduated from high school. I shared a flat with 7 (!) other people close to Marble Arch tube station. Although I would never, ever do that today, it was probably one of the best things I could have done back then. I had so much fun and learned so much about myself (such as: never share a flat with people that you don't know!).
Summer of 2009 in Finland was awesome. Spent some time in Hankasalmi, where my significant other's family has got the most amazing summer cottage. Three giant samoyed dogs don't make matters worse. I love dogs!
Also did a road trip to Savonlinna, which was like a summer dream. This photo is taken around 10pm!
Savonlinna
Caught up with one of my best friends, Anna, in Helsinki
...and saw some old friends in Tampere!
Except for London we also obviously have to go to Sweden and Finland. Ah summer... Still so far away, but nothing wrong with dreaming, right?!
I have a mad crush on Finland during the summers. It's simply so beautiful, I just love it. Looking at the pictures from 2009 when I did a summer vacancy in Finland and had the time to travel around for a bit makes me wanna go so much. I have a quite contradictive taste when it comes to what I like. In one way, I looooove big cities like London, Shanghai, Seoul and New York (technically, I haven't actually been in New York yet, but it's currently the number 1 destination on our list, and I know I will LOVE it). At the same time, I'm a nature geek who just loooooves small towns, hills, forests and lakes. I prefer all of that to a beach holiday, every single day. Where can you live and get both?!
Summer of 2009 in Finland was awesome. Spent some time in Hankasalmi, where my significant other's family has got the most amazing summer cottage. Three giant samoyed dogs don't make matters worse. I love dogs!
Also did a road trip to Savonlinna, which was like a summer dream. This photo is taken around 10pm!
Savonlinna
Caught up with one of my best friends, Anna, in Helsinki
...and saw some old friends in Tampere! 
6 comments:
London, Finland, Sweden -- that sounds like one fantastic summer!
I'm glad you are getting a chance to enjoy making plans. Better than being sick, no?
Beautiful pics of Finland. Didn't realize how lovely it was. :-)
Hi Jonna, I've been reading your blog for a while (I think it's a interesting way to practice English and learn a little bit of Chinese culture too).
Although I never leave any comments, I'd like to say that I am pretty much like you.. I mean, I love big cities but I have a crush on bucolic small towns as well. That's why I love my native Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. I know that most foreigners think Rio (and Brazil) is an "exotic" place, but I could realize by reading your blog that the 'average' Brazilian is not that different from the 'average' Swede (but VERY different from the average Chinese citizen, but I don't want to generalize, of course)...
Anyway, Rio is as big/diverse as London, but in the surroundings one can find little villages and a whole different lifestyle: between 70 - 110 km from the city center there's a small city in the mountains with mild weather founded by Germans and another by the Swiss people (my mother's family comes partially from there), and actually there's a Finnish settlement, Penedo, that I think it's the only one in the Americas - I've never been there, though.
Allan Carvalho
flyingfish -muuuuch better!!
Anonymos -It is lovely indeed!
Allan -Thanks for your comment. Maybe Rio is the place for me then?! Hehe. I have heard so many amazing things about Brazil, but I've never been there. How's the air quality? Not as polluted as over here I suppose. Having a little bit of both (big and small cities) is obviously the best way for people like u and me to live our lives, but it is kind of hard, especially the "small city life". I find that all the opportunities are in the big cities.
Hi Jonna,
Nothing wrong with dreaming indeed :) I'm considering going to Finland during the summer holidays because of your blogpost. It seems to be a great country for a road-trip.
Okay, now I've got to read all of your previous posts I missed. Was gone for a while, unfortunately, but I'm back again as a great fan of your blog!
Keep on blogging, and take care! :)
-Melody
Melody -Are u, for real?! That's awesome! Haha! Go in July or August when the weather is nice. Fly to Helsinki, spend some days there, rent a car and drive to savonlinna, stop in the small cities on the way and enjoy swimming in the clean lakes that you see everywhere. It's beautiful!!
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