Good afternoon,

We are hereby happy to share our travel experience of Southern Finland.

The guides were on time at the appointed place, had a lot to tell and showed us places you would never get to otherwise, for example the library in Turku and the great library in Helsinki. We can learn a lot from that in Holland. What was also nice with all the excursions and guides is that they asked what we wanted to see.

The stay in Rantasalmi was very pleasant. The nice thing about this hotel is that it is for adults only. An excellent kitchen, a nice chef who also comes from the kitchen and is not shy about having a chat and a hotel room with a nice view of the lake. The other hotels were also fine. Friendly staff, good service and a good breakfast every day. The Hotel Maria in Helsinki stood out above everything else, but that won't surprise you.

We were very happy with the museum card because we visited 16 museums/castles. For art lovers, the weekend around June 21 is not really ideal. Because from Thursday afternoon 3 p.m. until Monday everything is closed. Fortunately, we still managed to have a good time this weekend.

Some tips that were not in the program:

• Savonlinna is a very nice town easily accessible from Rantasalmi. There is a nice walk along the water to Savonlinna Castle. Very interesting, especially with the English speaking guide included in the entrance fee. Totally free for us because of the museum card.
• In Jyvaskyla (pronounced Juvaskula) we took a beautiful walk (The Green Loop). This one goes through parks and along the water. The description can be picked up at the tourist office and is well marked with signs. If you walk it all the way, you will be covered for at least 3 to 4 hours. Highly recommended for hiking enthusiasts.

We have been struggling with what to do on June 21 because of the Midsummer Festival. Still, we found something. We made a nice car route from Tampere to Turku with along the way:

Up and Under in Pinsio. A land art work of art. Very special to experience. Unfortunately we had some bad weather this day. With nice weather it would be even more interesting.

We also found a nice itinerary for June 22. Also in the middle of the midsummer weekend. From Turku we took bus 8 to the island of Ruissalo. Lovely hiking area through forests and along lakes. There is a beautiful Arboretum of the University of Turku and nice sights like this separate mill.

We completely fell in love with Helsinki. What a fine city this is: so relaxed, peaceful, friendly and atmospheric. And lots of great modern art. We especially enjoyed the biennial on the island of Vallisaari. We walked around for half a day and saw a lot of art in special places. And easy to reach by boat from the market in Helsinki. But the biennial is also well represented in the rest of the city.

All in all, we are very satisfied with this great trip and this beautiful country! And how happy we were with the temperature in Finland (despite some days with rain) compared to the heat in Holland.

Warm regards and thanks.

Joop and Joyce