Scenery – Page 2 – Blue Moment

Day 161: Cycling Trip

July 28, 2026July 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Finland, Nature, Outdoors, Stuart, TravellingTagged 365 Project, Activities, Finland, Holidays, Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, Stuart, Summer, TravelLeave a comment

Start of the summer holiday.

The girls, carrying their enormous rucksacks, hopped on a bus and headed to Väiski, a scout camp in Parainen forests with 1,800 kids. Stuart and I seized the opportunity, jumped on our bikes and headed for Porvoo. The plan is to cycle to Kotka over the weekend (about 130km in total).

We have cycled from Espoo to Porvoo before, and the route is not particularily interesting. So this time, we decided to take the J.L Runeberg, a museum ship that sails from Helsinki to Porvoo. Great weather, pleasant sailing, cool ship… but too many people.

Porvoo itself, is a picturesque little town with a cobbled old town, good restaurants, quaint shops and a few decent museums, including the old home of Finland’s national poet, Runeberg.

And luckily Porvoo is worth spending a little time in. Our hotel, approx 25 km away, was in the middle of nowhere, with not even a restaurant nearby. Therefore, timing dinner at the last restaurant on the way required a bit of a planning.

The last few kilometers, with the sun setting on our backs, were beautiful.

By the time we opened the last beers on the hotel garden, it felt like holiday.

Day 157: Inkoo

July 24, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Architecture, Family, Finland, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Activities, Architecture, family, Finland, History, Scenery, SummerLeave a comment

It has been the first summer that Alanna and Kiara haven’t spent in kindergarten. Despite a few camps and some time at the summer cottage, six weeks of holiday while Stuart and I are still working is a long time to kill.

The girls aren’t, strictly speaking, home alone. Stuart and I have both been working remotely. But they are in charge of their own snacks, lunch and – most importantly – their entertainment. And many of their frieds are out of town.

So whenever we can, we go somewhere. Even if it’s just a dinner and a short walk in Inkoo.

Day 133: Midsummer Moods

June 29, 2026June 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Cooking, Family, Festivals, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Finland, Food, Holidays, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Finns are always surprised when the weather is good at Midsummer. Although, I could be a spoilsport and note that every single one of the five Midsummers since we moved bach has been beautiful.

Then again, I still remember the years of +9°C and rain, so I mostly let people enjoy their weather debates.

Anyway, it is hard to capture the essence of Midsummer in single picture. I cheated and made a collage. Good food, good drinks, the midnight sun, summer…

Day 124: Sunset in Hannusjärvi

June 20, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Nature, Outdoors, WaterTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Nature, Outdoors, SceneryLeave a comment

It is impossible to take a picture of a sunset without it looking fake. I still keep trying.

Day 111: 10,000 Photos

June 5, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Asikkala, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Scenery, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Our summer cottage has been in the family for longer than I’ve been alive. I have spent every summer by this same shore. Some little things have changed, but very little.

I got into photography in 2008. Since then, I have probably taken 500 images every year with this same scenery as a backgroung – often even from this very same spot. That’s nearly 10,000 photos.

And it is still worth taking just one more.

Day 102: When The World Turns Pink

May 24, 2026May 24, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Helsinki, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Helsinki, Nature, Scenery, SpringLeave a comment

A few years ago, Stuart and I took our bikes on the metro to the opposite side of Helsinki. It is a great way to find some new interesting routes, instead of riding the same routes over and over again.

Anyway, on that day we stumbled upon the biggest pocket of cherry trees in Helsinki. It was the peak blossom time, and the park was phenomenal.

This year, when I saw the cherries are blooming, I decided to go back with a proper camera. But, as it so often happens, I got busy and waited a few days too long. I managed to catch the blooms maybe on the last day they were still properly pink. The sunnier batches of the trees had already turned green.

I’ll try again next year.

Day 85: Small Bites

May 3, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Architecture, Europe, Outdoors, TravellingTagged 365 Project, Outdoors, Scenery, TravelLeave a comment

With my siblings, good food, good drinks, and escape rooms tend to go hand in hand. That didn’t leave much time for any other sightseeing. With stormy, rainy weather, it hardly felt like a loss.

In between showers, I managed a few quick pictures around town and a short visit to Fotografiska – still my favourite photo museum in the city.

Day 83: Tallinn

May 1, 2026May 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Architecture, Europe, Family, Stuart, TravellingTagged 365 Project, family, Outdoors, Scenery, Stuart, TravelLeave a comment

Tallinn is just a 2 hour ferry ride from Helsinki, which makes it a perfect weekend get-away with Stuart, my brother, sister, and brother-in-law.

Tallinn is an old Hansa city and the old town is just beautiful. As a tourist, one rarely wonders outside of the old town. However, one purpose for the trip was to solve a number of escape rooms – none of which are in the old town.

One down, three to go. And we got to see some of the modern Tallinn too.

Day 66: Open Waters

April 11, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Finland, Outdoors, WaterTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Outdoors, Scenery, SpringLeave a comment

The sea is finally free of ice, although not many boats have braved the cold waters yet.

With sun reflecting from the beautiful calm waters, I occassionally wonder if we shoild get a boat of our own.

Luckily these moments of insanity do not last long.

Day 48: Early Signs of Spring

March 24, 2026April 6, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Finland, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Finland, Nature, Outdoors, SceneryLeave a comment

It’s been several weeks of above 0°C temperatures, and the snow is gone – except for the random piles covered in sand and pebbles that typically only melt at around midsummer (or at least it feels that way) and the sea ice. Plenty of ice left.

The sun was shining brightly and the neighborhood forest felt like spring. It is still early in the year and the nature seems unsure whether it can trust the warmth. There are no early flowers or green shoots in the trees yet. The first shoots of grass are rising from the forest moss.