Pictures are now uploaded here.
I have found a bug with the display software on the site, so I am using @ for ä and 8 for ö until I can fix it. Sorry if it makes reading hard
We went back to Mikkeli to do the tourist thing, and took the Mikke-Katujuna tourist train to go past several sites.. Kenk@vero, Kirki, Lokki communications center being among them. When we got back, we had the usual Sauna/Swim routine. After that, the best sunset of the holiday was unfolding so I got several photos of that.
a generally quiet day filled with swimming and lazing in the sun. we were invited to tea by Päivi's cousins up the hill, so we went to that in the mid afternoon. I was asked to perform on the guitar so I played for an hour, most of the songs I had forgotten the words to.
Today I am going for a walk with Päivi to where she grew up. I have noticed an element of nostalgia in the air. We are trying not to think about the fact it is my last day here. We went back to the beach I had visitted when we first arrived, and swam in the lake. We watched a very bizarre Swedish film with Finnish subtitled film (name to follow)
We started very early, at 3am, and left the cats at the log cabin for the drive to Helsinki. The sun rising behind us made wonderful orange/pink colours on the tops of the trees, and we made good time on the nearly empty roads. I checked in early for the flight, and put off going through security as long as possible before saying my goodbyes. The flight back was uneventful, with me taking the opportunity where I could to snooze. I called Ron when I got through security at Heathrow's new Terminal 5, and then had a large breakfast. This turned out to be a wise move, as the London - Glasgow trip only had cookies for the in flight snack. I was sat beside someone who had lost the use of his legs through illness, and made pleasant conversation untill we parted company in Glasgow. The bus left shortly after I had collected my bags, and I made it home by 4.30.