Real winter wonderland in Ekenäs/Tammisaari, Finland

Helsinki cathedral in winter sunshine

Winter wonderland! Temperature at the moment -13 C, but during the night about -24 C, which has created the frost flowers in the trees

”Vanja was tired” (The second sentence on the 42nd page of the book near me.)

Hauskaa joulua! God Jul! Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas!

Hauskaa pikkujoulua! Glad lillajul! Happy Little Christmas! Frohe kleine Weinacht!

A view to the Gulf of Finland

Some pictures from The Musiikkitalo on Helsinki

Great sunset also today!

Siniset this evening

Some pictures from Hanko on the last boat trip (maybe) of the year. Weather very warm and humid with fog looming on the sea…

A picture of a boat - just for fun

Recently I have been listening to this: Valborg Aulin, Ida Moberg and Elfrida Andrée - three Nordic women composers I have never heard of before. Specially I like Moberg’s Sunrise which I will be hearing in concert later in the fall…

Nice, but colder weather after the storm yesterday. Happy Sunday, everybody!

Some vehicles on/near Aura river in Turku: Föri ferry for crossing the river, Funiculaari to ascend to the Kakola prison hill and two ships moored on the river

Today in Turku visited the cathedral consecrated in 1300 (which is very early in these parts), pharmacy from late 18th century (pic from the back yard) and the notorious prison of Kakola, which as been converted to a spa and luxury apartments

Today visited Forum Marinum, sea museum in Turku, including frigate Suomen Joutsen and Sigyn, the last remaining wooden park used in intercontinental trade. The last pic shows the view along river Aura with the medieval Turku cathedral in the back ground

A pit stop in a marina on the edge of the Airisto / Erstan: a marine way between Stockholm and Turku - heavily trafficked already in Middle Ages. Fun fact: this side is Swedish speaking and the far side in the picture is Finnish speaking: one of the language divides if Finland

Next leg of the boat trip: Gullkrona in the middle of the Archipelago Sea. The name comes from the 14th century: our king Magnus Erickson was sailing here with her queen Blanche of Namur. She found the archipelago so beautiful that she threw her crown into the sea as a token of her admiration…

The boat trip continues: harbour of Nagu/Nauvo and on the way there. Only day with some cloud cover: othervice it has been scorching…

First leg of the summer boat trip: Finland’s southernmost town Hanko/Hangö

Good night, everybody!

Some pics from the boat trip today

Some views from yesterday

Happy Midsummernight’s Eve

Tallinn, Estonia. Excellent weather today and Luigede järv (Swan Lake) yesterday evening with Happy ending!

Today celebrating the Finnish spring tradition: lifting of the boats! The boats are lifted up to be blessed by the gods of winds before lowered to the realm of Ahti (colleague of Poseidon in Finnish pantheon)

Tonight’s entertainment: Mahler 2nd

First t-shirt weather in Ekenäs / Tammisaari, Finland this year

Happy Mother’s Day, everybody!

Cherry tree under my balcony

Spring flowers. Some weeks earlier than normally

Eastern lumch

A pic from yesterday afternoon - a fisherman on a rock

A great article about moomins and their darker side www.newstatesman.com/culture/book...

One more pic about sunset

Very bright day and wonderful sunset today

Tonight’s concert helsinginkaupunginorkesteri.fi/en/concerts/...

Some pictures from Ekenäs / Tammisaari. No snow: yesterday it was 11 C, which is typical for mid April…

Tonight’s concert: Purcell: Fairy Queen Suite, Händel’s Concerto Grosso no 7 & Fireworks Music. Yay!

My wife gave me as an early Christmas gift Captain’s socks so now I can tell right from left (or starboard from port) - which as a dyslexic is sometimes surprisingly hard…

helsinginkaupunginorkesteri.fi/en/concerts/.... Tonights concert with Jukka-Pekka Saraste & Christian Gerhaher (neither in pic): Sibelius 6 & 7 and Mahler’s Lieder einer fahrenden Gesälle

We are enjoying very beautiful sunsets this fall

Good Night, everybody!

#f1 Next year will be the first in 37 years with no Finnish drivers in F1. Most of the time there were 2…

Autumn colors in Tammisaari, Finland. I can't remember when we have had so fine a weather so late in the year

Tonight’s concert! Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra with Susanna Mälkki

Some pics from tonight’s sunset

Some pics from Suomenlinna / Sveaborg including a view to Helsinki center

Some pics from yesterday evening. Really nice weather for September