Hyvää kesää!

This is how people greet you these days in Helsinki. It means " good summer". And it is really nice. I don't know if there is any other country where people greet each other with words strictly associated with a year's season. I think it has a special meaning here in Finland, country where summer comes so late and is taken over by winter soon. You have to enjoy it as much as you can, enjoy it now, every sunny day. This year unfortunately summer doesn't pamper us at all. It is cold, windy and cloudy. So whenever the sun shines a bit and temperatures rise up to twenty we rush outside and enjoy the weather. Last weekend we made a long bike trip around some near by neighborhoods. From Myllypuro towards Hertoniemi through beautiful forested area - Arboretum. If you don't know the place, check on map and go. It belongs to the university, it is a forest with many plant species, very dense and beautiful. It is surrounded by fields and meadows and you can see cows here and there. Country side within a city. So after that experience and a picnic with a sea view we headed towards Hertoniememranta, along the shore. Had a stop at the small beach and play park and later we went through a big park, by a cycling path going along the shore. Funny, but I have never been there before. That path goes all the way to Marjaniemi to the East, but we crossed and headed up via Itakeskus towards home. And now the Juhanus is approaching - the shortest night events. People use to spend this day and night outdoors with sparkling wine and BBQ and huge bonfires, but this year is so cold I don't think we would like to join the crowd. But anyway, hyvä kesä!