Yesterday, Karsten’s research group spent the day in a very Finnish manner: on a boat. And because I like boats and I love the Archipelago, the little one and I decided to join them, together with friends of us.
The schedule of the research group was: enter the ferry at 8:30am, start giving presentations (and listening to them) while being slightly distracted by the landscape passing by, stop giving presentations at lunchtime, leave the boat in Marienhamn via a gangway to immediately walk onto the next boat without touching ground, enjoy a superb buffet, browse the duty-free shop, spent quality time at the bar and arrive back in Turku at 12 hours later.
The schedule of the other mostly older Finnish passengers was: enter the ferry, storm the dance floor at 9am, dance and drink coffee for the next 3 hours, browse the duty-free shop, drink alcohol, change the boat in Marienhamn (without touching ground), enjoy a superb buffet, browse the other duty-free shop, buy and consume lots of alcohol, maybe visit the sauna, arrive in Turku 12 hours later with trolleys fully loaded with alcoholic beverages.
Our schedule was: enter the ferry at 8:15am, enjoy some SUNSHINE outside, see the islands passing by, play in the children’s corner, drink tea and eat muffins, browse the duty free shop, enjoy some semi-sunshine outside and let the baby sleep, watch the Finns, meet up with the better half, change boat in Marienhamn (unfortunately without touching the ground too), enjoy a superb buffet while entertaining two little children, browse the other duty free shop, hang out in the children’s corner, have an early evening drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, depending on who you are), run outside every now and then to watch the SUNSET and the islands (being the only person to do so), arrive in Turku 12 hours later with a very tired little baby.
It was a wonderful day! I don’t know if it is a German thing or if it has to do with early conditioning during the childhood due to all the Astrid Lindgren books, but I truly love these rocks with their different colours, being round and smooth due to the Ice Ages, and all these small islands. It creates an immediate feeling of happiness and being at ease, and if you then feel a salty breeze around your nose and enjoy some sunshine there is not much that can top it off.
Morning nap with a fresh sea breeze
Watching the sea
Fancy starters
This is how you know you are in Finland: liquorice instead of chocolate sprinkles next to the ice cream
More fancy starters (very salmon based)…
Early evening drink (Jura for Karsten, non-alcoholic cocktail for me)
familial entropy 