Our Family Adventure

We left the heat and chaos of Athens and found ourselves in the cool, calm and organized capital of Denmark. It was easy to see why Copenhagen often makes the top spot for one of the happiest cities in the world to live.

It started with the efficient and easy journey from the baggage hall at the airport to the metro. A short ride away, we found ourselves at the Airbnb we had rented. The neighbourhood (Nørrebro) was a pleasant repeat of the other Scandic neighbourhoods we stayed in. The apartment had been described as vintage – which was true – but it was more “vintage because we haven’t bothered to update things” rather than “vintage because we like the style”. This was mixed with the quirky decor, including prevalent use of Mexican Day of the Day art and decorations. Plus, a massive collection of books and DVDs. The biggest plus was the ample number of toys that kept A. occupied and the graphics novels that kept T. reading.

We explored the city mostly by foot (and a little Metro) and while the kids complained about the amount of walking, they enjoyed the cooler temperatures and light rain while we were there. A marked difference from our time in Greece!

We enjoyed visiting Papirøen, a massive food hall written about in our Airbnb’s manual and guestbook. It was similar to the food hall in Amsterdam with dozens of independent vendors selling innovative street food, microbrews and cocktails. We thought we were clever by arriving “early” (around 6 pm) but clearly six weeks in Greece had warped our sense of time. Unlike the Greeks who eat dinner at 10 pm (or later), the Danes eat earlier and more in line with our Canadian habits.

The food hall was packed with thousands of people with long line ups for almost every stall. We luckily found spots to sit (part of a shared picnic table) and proceeded to look for food. D. and the kids were spoiled for choice and settled on ostrich burgers and yam fries for D. and T. and sushi for little A. Sadly, the only thing that big A. ended up being able to eat was a cocktail for $20. Which was good but meant she had to search for a can of tuna from a nearby supermarket once again.

On our way to the food hall, we walked along Nyhaven. It is famous for the picturesque, colourful homes along the canal. We also saw a sobering art installation by Ai Weiwei about the refugee crisis made from life jackets recovered from the beaches of Lesbos, Greece.

A highlight of our time in Copenhagen was a visit to Rosenborg Castle, right in the heart of the city. Originally it was built as a country retreat for King Christian IV but over the years the city has developed around the castle grounds and now it is practically inner city living! We went on a guided tour with an excellent guide who brought to life the history of the castle. In particular, we were all interested to see the crown jewels which were much more accessible than the British crown jewels we saw at the Tower of London.

We also enjoyed wandering along the main shopping street, Strøget. While touristy and busy, it was a treat to wander into stores we don’t have in Canada, especially the amazing emporium of modern design Illums Bolighus. We were seriously tempted to fill up a shipping container of things to send back home. It was also interesting to compare Nordic fashion and trends with what we were familiar with from our travels across Europe. While H&M, Zara and other stores make their appearance everywhere, there were also many unique Danish brands and smaller shops once you left the main street.

Then, it was time to head to the airport for our Icelandair flight back to Edmonton via Reykjavik. The metro took us right inside the airport and after some confusion as to where to check in (there were no Icelandair counters, just SAS everywhere), we made it through the very well-organized security checkpoint. If only all airports were as efficient! We grabbed some lunch and then hopped on the flight to Iceland.

With only a short layover, we made our way immediately to our gate as we knew we had to go through passport control as we were leaving the Schengen Area. We approached the passport check and handed over our Canadian passports to be checked. The stern looking (but friendly) guard first opened little A’s passport and had a quizzical look on his face. He inquired as to when we had arrived in Europe. After telling him, he became quite agitated and told us we had overstayed past our allowable time in Europe. As you can imagine, we were quite surprised and wondered what would happen next.

Apparently, Canadians are only allowed to travel in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within a 180 day period. The guard explained that if we had left a few days later, we would have been fine, as we would have started our next 180 day period. Unfortunately, we hadn’t really thought about visas or stays over 90 days when planning our trip — pretty naive, we know. We told him we were leaving Europe to go home, figuring it would be more appealing to have us leave than to try and deport us! In the end, he told us that we were banned from entering Europe for the next 90 days.

It was a somewhat nerve-racking way to end our time in Europe but it also made us feel somewhat rebellious to know we were banned from reentering Europe for a while. Fortunately, the remainder of our flight home was uneventful and we made it to Edmonton safely where A’s parents were there to meet us and drive us home. It helped immensely that we didn’t need to worry about staying awake on the road and could doze as we arrived into Calgary.

It was wonderful to be back in Canada. Six months of travelling throughout Europe was an amazing experience, but it also showed us that we are very lucky to live where we do.

After our beach time in Afissos, we returned to Domnista for a few days. We were able to see a few more family members and said our farewells. 

We drove to Athens, not looking forward to the intense heat of the city. There is a reason people flee the metropolis for the mountains – it’s much cooler! Fortunately, we had booked an Airbnb in Glyfada, a leafy suburb in the south of Athens and just a few blocks away from D.’s aunt and uncle.   We returned the rental car (they picked up the car from in front of the apartment – great service!) and settled into our fourth floor base for the rest of our time in Greece. 

The following day, D.’s parents arrived after taking care of a few final house and car related issues in Domnista. We headed down to Syntagma Square, in front of the Greek Parliament, to watch the changing of the guards. As iconic as the British Beefeaters, the Greek Evzones stand in front of the Parliament on either side of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Every hour, the guard changes in a dramatic spectacle that attracts plenty of tourists with their cameras. D. remembered getting his own evzone uniform in elementary school and wearing it for Halloween!

After watching the guard change, we wandered through the Plaka which is the neighbourhood at the foot of the Acropolis. It is full of little shops and restaurants with its fair share of tourist traps. Fortunately, we stumbled across several unique shops that have created unique and memorable souvenirs. 

We enjoyed checking out their offering and even purchased a few small items to bring home. Our evening meal was at a restaurant that A. first found during our previous visits to Greece.

The following day was spent visiting with D.’s aunt and uncle who had prepared an enormous amount of food to eat: fresh fish, homemade moussaka, roast chicken and potatoes, Greek salad, homemade hummus and to top it all off, homemade cheesecake parfaits for dessert! It was a wonderful treat – not just for the food, but also for the opportunity to catch up and talk. 
That evening, A. and D. were able to enjoy a rare date night thanks to D.’s parents babysitting the kids. A. found a restaurant in Vougliameni (another suburb further south) along a picturesque peninsula. It turns out the restaurant – Matsuhisa – is the Athens outpost of the famed Japanese chef, Nobu. The view was spectacular as were the cocktails and food. It was a luxurious pleasure to be there without the kids and eat fresh, delicious seafood. A. still dreams about the grilled octopus with yuzu! We enjoyed our evening immensely. 

The following day, D.’s parents left Greece to return to Canada and we headed to the Acropolis Museum. The museum houses a huge range of artifacts from the Acropolis, including replicas of the Parthenon and the other temples. Before starting our tour with a private guide, we ate in the second floor restaurant. While the food was decent, the view was incredible, looking out to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. After the meal, we met our guide on the main floor and let her lead us through the museum. She wasn’t as good as the guides we had previously, but it was still worthwhile to have an expert take us through the museum, provide running commentary and show us the highlights. 

After we finished at the museum, we walked through the National Garden to the Benaki Museum. Unfortunately, the extreme heat made walking slower than expected and the museum itself was closed when we arrived. However, we were able to cool off in the air conditioned museum shop. Then, it was back to the apartment to pack and bid farewell to Greece. 

Next stop: Copenhagen!

When we visit Greece, we always like to add a trip to somewhere we’ve never been. This time, we decided to check out the Pelion peninsula – just southeast of the city of Volos. 

We picked the small village of Afissos, due to the Airbnb we found and the proximity to the beach. It turned out to be a highlight of our time in Greece. The Airbnb was excellent – ample indoor and outdoor space for all of us, a well-equipped kitchen and just a few minutes away from a small pebble beach with crystal clear water. The view over the bay was gorgeous and the sunsets spectacular. There were also a number of restaurants along the coast that allowed us to enjoy fresh fish and seafood. 

We would wake up in the morning and, after breakfast on the outdoor patio, we would head down to the beach and pick out our beach chairs for the day. Our routine involved ordering fresh squeezed orange juice and frappé, then cooling off in the water and warming up in the sun looking for sea glass on the beach. The kids (and A. too!) loved using the mask and snorkels we bought to explore the underwater life. The water was teaming with little fish, starfish, sea urchins and sea anemones. 

In the heat of the afternoon, we would head back to the Airbnb and eat a late lunch, then relax with cards or naps. A. and her γιαγιά even baked some delicious cookies for us all to enjoy. 

A few evenings, we enjoyed fresh fish at the local restaurants and the setting sun over the bay. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this part of Greece and would happily recommend it. 

The only challenge was getting to and from the village. The only road was – in theory – two way, but so many people parked along the side of the road that it made the road more of a one way. Imagine what it was like driving along the road and confronting another car coming in the opposite direction. Or even worse, a truck! Fortunately, there were a few places you could pull over and, failing that, we saw several people have to reverse their way back down the street. 

Next stop: Athens!

We flew from Samos to Athens and took a taxi to our Airbnb in a part of Athens we’d never been before – Neo Psychiko. This neighbourhood has quite a different look from other neighbourhoods we’ve visited in Athens over the years. It is quite green, with many trees and planned green spaces, as well as actual sidewalks (unlike many other places in Athens). You can find many embassy residences in this area.

The apartment we booked was tiny, but we knew it was just for the night as we were driving to Domnista (D.’s father’s home village in south, central, mainland Greece) the following day. We were fortunate to have a large green space across the street with tables from nearby restaurants and an area for the kids to run around. D.’s aunt and uncle joined us that evening for a tasty meal at one of the neighbourhood fish restaurants. Interesting highlights from this Airbnb: a gecko on the ceiling of the living room where the kids slept, and no shower curtain around the shower ( just the shower tray on the bathroom floor).

The next morning, our rental car was delivered and we set out on the road to Domnista. After some somewhat scary driving getting out of Athens (Imagine helmet-less scooter/motorcycle drivers weaving in and out of the densely packed Athenian traffic as you are trying to change lanes using your signal. And you are the ONLY one signalling), we got on to the main highway north to Lamia.

After a stop for lunch and EUR 15.40 in tolls later, we undertook the most challenging part of the drive to Athens — the “strofes”, the Greek word for hairpin curves. Domnista is deep in the mountainous area of southern Evrytanias (the name of the province). It was practically unconquerable by the Turks centuries ago and its easy to see why. This part of the drive has historically required several stops along the way for motion sickness breaks and we were prepared for a similar experience.  A combination of blasting cold air conditioning, ginger lozenges, distracting audiobooks (more Nancy Drew and travel writing) and A.’s excellent driving meant we conquered the strofes this time!

We arrived in Domnista to D.’s parents’ summer house and truly began the winding down/relaxing portion of our trip. The house has two small bedrooms and a pullout sofa bed, so we were all able to fit comfortably. The house was renovated in more of a Canadian style, which meant a much larger bathroom and shower than normal in Greece and an open plan kitchen/living room. We were even able to flush toilet paper! It was a relief to have little structure to our time and adapted to an even more Greek schedule than in Samos. This meant late nights down at the plateia (village square), sleeping in/afternoon naps and our evening meal at 8:30 pm or even later. We spent our time reading, doing some schoolwork, repairs around the house, creative endeavours and hanging out. It is the one place in the world we’ve been with no light pollution enabling us to star gaze and watch shooting stars across the inky, black night sky.

Domnista is a small village of 20-30 year round residents that expands to 200 to 300 in the summer, as people escape the heat of Athens and other cities at lower elevations. It is one of several mountain villages in the area which you see across the valley or drive through on your way there. Parents often send their children with the grandparents to the village for many weeks at a time and come up occasionally on the weekends for visits before coming up for a longer period around the August 15th holiday — the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a major celebration across Greece. There are two small grocery stores and a few cafes/restaurants that are primarily only open in the summer.

The village council tries to keep people living permanently in Domnista as long as possible by providing a free shuttle into Karpenisi (the provincial capital) as well as announcing regular doctor’s visits in the small village clinic. The council faces an uphill battle as there are no local jobs and no functioning infrastructure to entice young families to remain (i.e. schools).

The area is very calm, green and mountainous with vast forests and areas for livestock grazing (cows, sheep and goats), bee hives and some farming. One has to be patient driving (and prepared to stop quickly) in the event you come across a herd of cattle or goats being lead across the road. We had trouble finding some items in the grocery stores (e.g. vegetables) because, unlike the rest of the village, we did not have a kitchen garden with salad greens, kitchen herbs, and potatoes/zucchini/tomatoes. Fortunately, many relatives were generous with the fruits of their own labours.

Domnista is also an entomologist’s dream location with more bugs and creatures per square meter than we’ve ever seen. Last time we visited, the house was infested with wasps. This time, it was black flies and ants (which we thought we had left in Samos!). You can see giant, iridescent flying beetles next to scorpions hiding in the baby poison ivy just outside the back door. It was always fun walking up the hill towards home at 11 pm or midnight, watching the lightening bugs zip in and out of the bushes and trees along the road, and listening to the goats’ and sheep bells quietly in the valley below.

We adopted a fairly authentic and local menu during our time in Domnista. T. will likely miss beginning his day with his favourite brand of lemon flavoured yogurt. A. & A. are much less likely to miss the plain goat yogurt that they ate each day. It was liberating when A. realized that she could get used to the initial taste of goat milk in her coffee, and didn’t have to search out almond or soy milk. Goat milk is so much easier to find! Her excema even cleared up after several weeks of not eating cheddar cheese. The kids and D. enjoyed sampling some of the many types of ‘pita’ ( savoury pies made with with filo pastry, and, often, with feta). D’s parents made sure we had a supply of koulouria from their favourite bakery in Karpenisi, and we polished off several bottles of our favourite moschofilero wine over the weeks we were there.

Before we leave Domnista, family members all stock up on bags of locally picked wild oregano, honey, and the Greek equivalent of chamomile tea: ‘tsai tou vounou.’ This time, it was C’s cousin, Yiannis, who gave us a huge bag of it. He had hiked up near the tops of the mountains surrounding Domnista and had harvested it from the mountain meadows there. We’ll think of him and his generosity every time we enjoy a cup of his tea this winter.

Being in a small mountain village provided us with the opportunity to put some of our Greek lessons into practice, since there isn’t a lot of English, French or other foreign languages spoken there. The kids were delighted to meet and spend time with two of their second cousins A. and T., ( aged 14 and 13 years old respectively ) who were staying with their grandparents, (D’s aunt and uncle) for July.

T. usually lives in Athens with his family, while A. lives on the SW side of Greece in Agrinion with her father and big brother. Both cousins spoke quite fluent English, but they brokered further friendships with other kids in the village whose English was much more limited. Most days, we would do some school work in the morning, and then, the moment we finished lunch and ‘mesimeri ‘ (mid afternoon quiet and /or nap time) began, our kids would race out the door to go over to hang out with their cousins until after 6 pm. While there was quite an age span between our A. and her older cousin, A., all four got along really well and helped make living in a fairly remote mountain village fun over the course of several weeks. The kids also enjoyed practicing their aim with the slingshots their grandfather bought them. He remains quite the slingshot guru and enjoyed teaching the kids how to select the best rocks and how to hit the pop cans he had set up for practice.

Evenings were often spent down in the plateia where villagers gather at tables to talk and sip ‘tsipro’, a locally made alcohol made from grapes (similar to grappa). The bars serve it with small meze (meatballs, pieces of barbecued goat or lamb, French fries or feta cheese). A. got to practice her Greek talking with D.’s family and the kids enjoyed hanging out with their cousins and other kids. Unexpectedly, D. even got to share a meal with his godfather (and family) and while we weren’t able to see his whole family, we enjoyed our evening meal with him.

Next stop: Afissos!

 

 

After a whirlwind weekend in Belgium, we landed in Greece to scorching hot temperatures. We had never been to the island of Samos before. We deliberately chose Samos because we had always planned on undertaking family Greek language lessons during our time in Greece. Thanks to a connection through D.’s mom, we found a great teacher based in the town of Karlovasi on the northwest side of the island.

Our Airbnb host arranged for a taxi to meet us at the airport and we arrived at the house in the late afternoon after a journey across the island on twisty and winding Greek roads. The house was billed as a renovated home originally built in the 1870s. We booked because it would have enough for our family, as well as D.’s parents, who joined us on Samos for a week.

In many respects, the house deserves its own blog post, there is so much we could write about our stay there! While it was technically renovated, the owner neglected to mention that the renovations happened in the 1970s.  If you ever want to go back in time to experience Greek domestic life at that time, rent this house. The property manager/housecleaner met us at the house and gave us a basic tour.

She left us to get settled in by telling us that the electrical system was “quirky”. In order to get hot water, you had to manually turn on an electric boiler from the fuse box and wait 30 to 40 minutes. This is still somewhat common in Greece although most people now use solar water heaters which provides hot water on demand. The trick was that we couldn’t operate the electric stove at the same time as the hot water heater, which couldn’t stay on longer than 40 minutes without tripping the fuse for the whole house. When this happened, D. would have to go outside to reset the main fuse from the electric company. We couldn’t use more than one appliance at a time or leave the air conditioner on too long. We learned how to deal with this through trial and error although mostly error at the beginning! Most memorable was the hot, still night we spent without power (no fans or A/C).  It added a layer of planning and timing to meal prep, bathroom time and mornings that we’d never done before. Oh, and the dishwasher was completely broken too.

Then, the bathrooms were another special feature of the home, with avocado tiles and bathroom suite in the upstairs bathroom, and a vivid blue bathroom suite in the downstairs bathroom. Did we mention the tubs in 1970s Greek homes are half sized? You sit on a little ledge in the tub, with your calves and feet dangling down into the lower portion of the tub. There was no shower. Rather, there were hand-held shower heads to add to the adventure. Which made it challenging to avoid getting the garbage cans beside the tubs wet. The garbage cans were filled with the used toilet paper we weren’t allowed to flush. The bathroom cupboards also held a wide range of medical supplies, urine collection bottles, toilet assist seats and covers and rusty tipped thermometers. It became to clear to us that the owner’s father had lived there but no one had taken the time to clear out the house before renting it out on Airbnb.

The same was true of the kitchen where old pots and pans with peeling teflon coatings (or extra layers of grease) awaited us. The chimney above the stove rained down little pieces of detritus as we tried to prepare meals. And the icing on the cake was the infestation of ants that came in through the window which lead outside (they never did leave!).

Despite the disappointing state of the house, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on Samos. The house had a wonderful view which we enjoyed from the living room, looking over the main square and out to the ocean.

We spent our mornings in private Greek lessons – one on one for little A. and D., while T. and A. had their lesson together.  Our Greek teachers were very well prepared with material at an appropriate level for each us. It was a nice way to start the day walking through the early morning sun to our lessons. We walked past the local juice bar (sometimes stopping) and along a wide boulevard with several neoclassical mansions from when Karlovasi was a prosperous tannery town.

We were able to plan the lesson schedule such that while one parent/child combo was having Greek lessons, the other pair were able to work on school underneath the grapevines woven through the trellis in our teacher’s back yard. We also benefited from her generosity as she gave us fresh lemons, basil and “katsinari” (a hybrid of cucumber and melon that only grow on Samos) fresh from her garden.

After Greek lessons, the walk back home was usually much warmer as the sun was almost at its apex for the day. We would deal with the rigamarole of stove/water heater/air conditioner use and prepare lunch. For the first week in Samos, D.’s parents joined us and kindly prepared some meals with us.

We spent a couple of afternoons at the local beaches and at the Anema Hotel pool (which was owned by the same friend of D.’s mom who connected us with our Greek teachers). It was a nice way to cool off from the heat of the day (regularly in the high 30s) and enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice and frappés. When it was too hot to go outside in the afternoon, we worked on puzzles, played cards, did school work, watched YouTube (when the internet was working) or had afternoon naps.

We had originally hoped to see more of Samos but the temperatures climbed to 40C+ near the end of our stay (an island record!) and became too hot for us to venture far from home. We would leave the house in the evenings when the temperatures cooled after the sun set and adopted the Greek schedule of eating our evening meal after 8 pm. There was ample fresh fish and seafood to choose from which also worked for A.’s food sensitivities.

As part of our time on Samos, we had hoped to volunteer at a refugee centre. Being so close to Turkey has meant that Samos (and an even closer island, Lesbos) have had a major influx of refugees. Unfortunately, the refugee centre was closed to people who weren’t working with the UN or an accredited NGO. We also heard that safety was an issue at the camps and it wouldn’t be an appropriate place for the kids.

It was also the first time we’d seen so many Turkish tourists in Greece, with many hotels and restaurants displaying menus and signs in Turkish. Given the proximity of Turkey, it shouldn’t be that surprising. We could see the Turkish coast from the seaside restaurant attached to the Anema Hotel where we ate several times. However, D. grew up hearing about the Turks from his Greek relatives and it was an unexpected economic reality for Greek islanders to be relying on Turkish tourists.

Next stop: Domnista!

We left Finland, ultimately for Greece, but we made a weekend stop in Brussels and Bruges for the 20th anniversary of D.’s graduate program at the College d’Europe. Going back to Bruges also allowed us to get in another visit with our friends and their two sons (one of whom had been at university in the US when we first visited in March).

And, in yet another amazing opportunity to visit friends from North America in Europe, A. was able to meet her former teaching partner, S., while in Bruges. The amazing part is that S. lives in PEI, on the far east coast of Canada. While it is on our list of places to visit, it costs twice as much to get there from Vancouver than our trip to Iceland. It was great to reconnect with S., even if it was just for an evening. This required some serious travel juggling involving planes, trains and taxis. Fortunately, the arrival into Brussels was smooth despite the power outage at Zaventem (the airport) that morning. We made a quick train connection to Bruges and a short taxi ride later to the hostel. A. left D. and the kids there while she joined S. for some glasses of wine and catching up.

The next day we met up with our friends and their two sons for laundry and a healthy Belgian lunch of “fritjes met mayonaise”. We really appreciated the chance to relax in their wonderful home after the hostel, as well as catching up with their family. We hope our paths cross again, hopefully without a 20 year gap this time!

Then, it was off to the Airbnb we had rented with the U. family, with whom we stayed in the UK back in February. Our kids were breathlessly awaiting their arrival as they had been starved for peer interaction. We spent the following day wandering through Bruges, visiting old haunts, College d’Europe buildings and eating waffles, chocolate, moules and frites. We may have even enjoyed some Belgian beer.

That evening, D. and S. went to their reunion. It was fantastic fun catching up with old friends and seeing where their lives have taken them over the past 20 years. There were hundreds of people from several different “promotions” (cohorts) and it was great that we could plan this portion of our European adventure to include this weekend in Bruges.

The following morning (with no headaches whatsoever), we packed up, said our farewells to the U. family and boarded the train to Brussels to catch the plane to Greece.

Next stop: Samos, Greece!

 

We spent a few days in Helsinki working with the kids on their school work and sharing our favourite sites with the kids like walking in our old neighbourhood by our last apartment. Our friend M. followed through on her invitation and we met her at the Skywheel beside the harbour.

The kids were excited to see the city from a different perspective and M. was happy to have some willing co-pilots to try out one of the newest attractions in Helsinki. One of the Ferris wheel pods is actually a fully functioning sauna! M. & the kids shared a standard pod, and T. even snapped a few photos for us (the blue tint is from the pod windows). After the ride was over, we let M persuade us to buy gigantic, molten chocolate meringues for the kids at the old Market Hall ( Kauppatori) on the other side of the harbour.

One wonderful afternoon that week, after our daily run to Ruohonjuuri for A.’s organic and/ or lactose free & gluten free food, D & A had the pleasure of going shopping with R. It was liberating to go into Artek without our children along. We capped off an enjoyable afternoon drinking sparkling wine at Teatteri , where they had the terrace doors wide open onto the lawn at Esplanadi.

One of the most memorable times for D. during this trip to Finland was getting together with a group of his former Nokia colleagues. Thanks so much to B. for undertaking the logistics needed to make this happen. It was the first time in over a decade that many of us were all together. It was a fun evening of reminiscing and catching up.

The next weekend, we had plans to drive to Koli National Park in eastern Finland. The morning we picked up our rental car, we realized that, not only had we lost our camera the last time we had a rental car, we’d also left A.’s booster seat in the back of the previous car: too much moving from place to place! We solved the booster seat problem, and set off for our rental cottage in Koli, where we spent the weekend with R., an old friend and T.’s godfather.

The drive to Koli was through picturesque farmland and lakeland. Much of Finland’s landscape reminds us of Canada. It was a pleasure driving on well-maintained roads that are significantly less congested than the last roads we’d driven on in the southeast of France!

We had never been to Koli before and many people mention the views as being among the best in Finland. They weren’t wrong. We took a short ( but unusual) ‘téléphérique style’ elevator near the top of the highest peak in the park. A quick walk to us to the very top where we admired the spectacular views. We also saw evidence of the late spring: the kids grabbed handfuls of dirty snow they found at the top of the ski lift area of the mountain. It was wonderful to have the time to catch up with R. and to relax in our quiet cottage. Being this far north and in a rural setting reminded us how early the sun rises (2:53 a.m.!) and sets just before Midsummer!

Saying goodbye to R., we continued our road trip to Kuopio to meet our friends M. & O. M. is a former colleague of A.’s, and we’ve gotten to know both M. & her husband well over the years. In fact, eight years ago, on a previous trip to Finland, O. helped T. successfully cycle his first few metres on a two wheeled bike. M. & O. are remarkable ambassadors for their hometown and took great pride in showing us the sights and beauty of the area. “Chapeaux” to M, who, for 3 days, was constantly juggling 3 languages as she spoke in both English & French to our family, and in Finnish and English to O.

We savoured O’s alder-chip smoked salmon at supper. He even enlisted T. to assist him with the careful smoking procedure at the outside BBQ/oven, while A. delighted in exploring the three storey cylindrical, blue Moomin playhouse in M. & O.’s backyard. The kids and D. played pétanque and croquet while A. & M. got caught up on the last four years.

We took a boat ride around the lake surrounding Kuopio and went up to the top of the Kuopio tower for even more spectacular views. We even got to watch a group practice ski-jumping on artificial turf. It was excellent to finally SEE the surrounding beauty of Kuopio, as the last time we were there in 2004, it was so cold and foggy, we couldn’t see a thing from the tower.

We drove back to Helsinki, listening to a Nancy Drew audiobook , and, at O.’s suggestion, stopped for lunch at a roadside bakery. The interior was decked out in full vintage kitsch with Finnish humppa (old-style polka accordion) music playing in the background. But, man oh man, did they ever have the BEST pulla and desserts!

We made it back to Helsinki and had enough time to pick up a few souvenirs at Marimekko (and join their frequent customer club!) before eating our last Finnish breakfast (with pirakkas, riisifrutti and cardamom coffee!) and hopping in our shared taxi to the airport. It’s always sad to say goodbye to Finland and the many people that we love there. We hope to be back in a few years.

Next stop: Brussels and Bruges!

We arrived in Helsinki harbour after a pleasant night on the Viking Line ferry and after an excellent morning breakfast buffet. The kids were eager to try riisipiirakka (Karelian rice pies) after having tried some a few years ago from the Burnaby Finnish Retirement Home Christmas Bazaar. They thoroughly enjoyed them – especially with egg butter spread on top – and they became a breakfast staple during our time in Finland.

Our arrival was marked by sleet (!) and an unusual traffic jam resulting from a royal visit from the royal families of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and the President of Iceland. They were heading to the Presidential Palace while we were trying to get around the other side. We didn’t mind it, though, as it gave us the chance to look around at what had changed since our last (brief) visit four years ago.

We were able to stay in an apartment that our friend R. helped us find and the location was perfect – a short walk to Kamppi and just beside our old neighbourhood. We originally thought the apartment would be a typical student bachelor pad (how it was described to us) but it turned out to be much better than expected. The apartment was in an old (100+ years) building with many preserved architectural details that reminded us of our old apartment in Töölö. It was well equipped and very comfortable.

The only downside to the apartment was discovering within the first few minutes that a dog normally lived there and A. started to have trouble breathing. We rolled up all the carpets and spent an hour vacuuming. The extra cleaning helped but it meant the kids slept in the master bed where the dog obviously also spent a lot of time. D. and A. were relegated to the couch and floor in the living room.

We always knew that our time in Finland would prioritize visiting people and strengthening old friendships. We started right away with having our friend M. over for dinner. We first met her at our church in Finland 17 years ago and then were able to reconnect with her when she moved to the west coast of the US, near Portland. We spoke on the phone last fall when she told us she had moved to Michigan but mentioned she would be in Finland the same time we were planning to be there. We made a plan to meet up once we arrived. She was the second of our North American friends we would meet in Europe. A visit to Michigan wasn’t likely so it was extra special for us to see her in Finland. After a lovely meal together, M. invited the kids to ride with her on the Skywheel the following week and they readily agreed. She also asked our daughter A. to help with a fundraising bake sale.

The next day we rented a car and drove out to Karjaa/Karis to spend the weekend with our friend R. He and his partner recently moved out of Helsinki into a spacious home on a quiet street. He kindly let us invade his peaceful home for two days. We enjoyed re-exploring the area, visiting Tammisaari and Fiskars, digging around various flea markets, checking out artists’ studios and small boutiques.

We all enjoyed Finnish pulla (except A. who looked on enviously) at a famous cafe in Tammisaari. The kids were thrilled to learn “fika” had a Finnish equivalent. We continued on to R’s summer house where we had our first family sauna. R’s summer house had a separate sauna building with a wood-fired heater. The only thing missing was a cold lake to jump into!

R’s summer house is magazine perfect (in fact, it’s been featured in one!) and we enjoyed being their with his partner and exploring the incredible garden area. Miraculously, the kids happily entertained themselves rolling around the lush grass while we caught up over gin and tonics. The setting is what many people dream of when talking about spending time at a Finnish cottage.

On Sunday, we drove back into Helsinki to attend the service at our old Anglican church, St. Nicholas. It was great to worship with many familiar faces who were pleasantly surprised to see us all. We also got to meet some new people, including some other families with girls with whom A. could play. Our daughter also helped our friend M. sell pulla to raise funds for church work in Africa. We spent an hour and a half after church outside in the large playground next door letting the kids blow off steam while we socialized with other parents.

A few days later, we met up with J. a friend (and former colleague of A’s) at his new apartment in Ruohlahti. The neighbourhood has radically expanded since we left in 2006 with a gigantic planned neighbourhood taking over the old shipping container yards and on reclaimed land. It was incredible to see how much had changed.

It was enjoyable catching up with J. since our previous visit four years ago. We were excited to hear that he would be taking a year-long sabbatical starting in August. In Finland, after 20 years of employment, workers are eligible for a partially funded sabbatical (it sounds like how parental leave works in Canada). We discussed his plans and shared some of our own experiences. We wish him a wonderful time!

Next: Finland – part two (reconnecting with friends outside Helsinki)

After our first plane trip since February, we arrived in Stockholm to cool, wet weather — a somewhat welcome relief after the increasingly hot and muggy conditions in Florence.

Our apartment was just south of Södermalm in a newly redeveloped area called Hämmerby, near a canal and a short walk from the metro. The neighbourhood contained a mix of high-rise and low-rise buildings with plenty of amenities (e.g. grocery stores, cafes, restaurants) at the street level, as well as office buildings. In our experience, these kinds of new mixed residential developments are done very well in Sweden and Finland, and more thoughtfully than what we’ve seen in Canada (e.g. there are designated rooms in the building basements for strollers and bicycles; each apartment building has playground equipment; space for gardening plots).

It was very comfortable to be back in the Nordic world. There are many similarities between the Nordic countries and Canada, especially in the urban areas. It was also great to have a startlingly wide selection of lactose-free products for A. and A. to enjoy and not feel deprived. In fact, access to a variety of foods in regular supermarkets was much better and fit more with what we are used to and missed.

While our penthouse apartment was the epitome of modern Scandistyle, it was also the epitome of bachelordom, including the twin DJ decks in the living room, mismatched linens and a complete lack of handles on any of the kitchen cupboards or dishwasher (try to imagine what that’s like when you are cooking three meals a day!). We even had to go out to buy dishtowels, sponges and garbage bags. The kids slept on blow up mattresses (needing daily top ups!) instead of proper beds.

We enjoyed having the opportunity to walk more in Stockholm than we’d been doing in Italy or France. The apartment’s location meant we were close to walking paths as well as the very walkable neighbourhood of Södermalm and its trendy and hipster boutiques. It was also wonderful to walk through the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and along the harbour.

We bought a 5-day unlimited travel pass for all of us, which meant we could easily hop on and off the metros, trams, buses and ferries. We enjoyed taking the ferry over to Djurgården and walking through the orchards and gardens. We enjoyed living through the early days of spring in Northern France at the beginning of April. We now had the chance to do it all over again six weeks later in Sweden.

We had a lovely (but expensive!) vegetarian meal from Rosendals Tradgord and its greenhouse kitchen, then napped under the blossoming apple trees while the kids played in the park. We specifically went back to Djurgården as it is one of our favourite places in Stockholm from previous visits.

The Vasa Museum is also on Djurgården and we thoroughly enjoyed what has been consistently ranked as one of the top museums in the world. The museum tells the story of the ill-fated Vasa which was built to be the pride of the Swedish naval fleet in 1628. It sank 1.3 kilometers into its maiden voyage in the middle of Stockholm harbour as thousands of people watched.

The kids were fascinated by the scale of the shipwreck and the amount of information that is available about the ship, the people who died when it sank and how the ship was raised and restored to its present state. We all enjoyed learning about the historical context of Swedish life at the time. The museum has done an outstanding job of providing information in multiple languages and has made an effort to have elements that engage all ages.

They also had a new exhibit dedicated to the women of the Vasa which highlighted the role women played outside the home during the time of the Vasa. So often, history is written by men and hasn’t always provided an insight into the roles women played beyond wife or mother. We were impressed to learn many women had important roles (independent of their husbands) at the time, including the owner/manager of the shipbuilding yard that built the Vasa.

There were many more people at the Vasa museum this time than our previous visit 15 years ago. Then, we had taken a guided tour that walked us through a level, on board the actual ship. That is no longer allowed as the Vasa is slowly deteriorating and they are trying to preserve it as long as possible. Even still, it is impressive how much is still preserved including the intricate carvings on the stern and railings.

We visited the neighbouring island of  Skeppsholmen to see the Museum of Modern Art.  It recently waived the entrance fee to its permanent collection along with many other Swedish museums. In particular, A. enjoyed an unexpected and beautiful collection of Matisse cuttings. It was nice to know that we didn’t have to spend a certain amount of time at the museum to “get our money’s worth”. The permanent collection is quite varied and the kids even recognized some artists from other museums we’d visited.

The kids also wholeheartedly embraced the Swedish idea of “fika” – a coffee (or juice for the kids) and some sort of baked good (like cinnamon buns). They ensured we had regular reminders that it was important to experience Swedish culture as much as possible!

We took a boat out to the Viking settlement island of Birka, a two hour journey (one way). It was picturesque to take the boat through the archipelago west of Stockholm and see the cottages along the shore. We met a friendly Swedish woman and her children on the way. She gave us plenty of tips about Stockholm and, despite the language barrier, the four kids bonded over fidget spinners. Birka itself was somewhat underwhelming despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enjoyed walking around the island as part of the included guided tour and the view from the top of the main hill were beautiful.

The guide at Birka, an archaeology student, was informative but had yet to master some of the subtleties of the English language such as the appropriate use of swear words in a group of mixed ages. It was clear we were there before the real tourist season started as some island facilities weren’t fully open (e.g. restaurant/cafe). It was a good thing we had brought our own picnic lunch! The journey back was coloured by meeting the rudest people of our trip. When we made our discomfort known, the boat tour staff were unempowered and too inexperienced to resolve any conflict. It marred what was generally a pleasant and sunny excursion out of the city and in sharp contrast to the friendly interactions we had everywhere else in Sweden.

Our time in Sweden came to an end by boarding the Viking Line overnight ship to Helsinki. For those who haven’t taken the boat, it is a cross between a ferry boat and cruise ship. It’s like a floating 3.5 star hotel with a duty free shop, casino, karaoke, cinema and sauna. We’ve taken this boat to and from Sweden several times and this was — by far — the quietest and calmest journey. In the past, things can get a little rowdy, fueled by the duty-free alcohol.

As we boarded, the staff checked our passports and one of the Finnish crewmen complement T. on his middle name (Kai) as it was his own name. We pointed out that T. had been born in Finland and so gave him that name as a tribute to his birthplace. The kids we excited to sleep in their fold down beds, but hit maximum excitement when they played a motorcycle racing game and we played the EUR 0.20 slot machines for fun. Hopefully, we haven’t sown the seeds for a future gambling addiction!

The kids and D. took advantage of the Viking buffet to get their fill of Swedish meatballs, french fries, prime rib and wine on tap while A. ate her can of tuna on buckwheat crackers in the room. 🙁

After A. and A. returned from watching “Beauty and the Beast” and the kids were asleep, A. spent several hours writing out memories of her Aunty H who had passed away the day before. A’s sister shared these memories at the funeral in Calgary the following day.

Next stop: Helsinki!

We left Parma with full stomachs and made our way to Florence. We had fairly low expectations based on the early 1990s experience we had towards the end of our time backpacking through Europe. Then, we were hot, tired, and had depleted most of our $30 CAD / day budget by the time we reached Florence. We couldn’t afford to spend a lot of money on restaurants or souvenirs, and we were too impatient, and felt too hot to deal with crowds at both the Uffizi and the Accademia, where the famous statue of David is housed.

This time, we had selected an Airbnb in the suburb of Scandicci (almost in the country) to be a little removed from the touristy centre of the city. It was an excellent choice – perhaps one of the best apartments we’ve stayed in so far. It was spacious, nicely decorated with the perfect bed combination (two twin beds and a queen size bed in separate bedrooms). The host was incredibly generous with a pantry full of food for us to use and little gift bags of school supplies for the kids on their beds. Plus, we had a quintessential Italian view from our bedroom of a Tuscan villa on top of a hill surrounded by cypress trees. We even had the good fortune of a free, community, sparkling (and still) filtered water dispenser (a la Paris) right across the street.

We were a short walk away from the direct tram to the main train station in Florence. It meant we were able to enjoy the benefits of Florence (museums, architecture, shops, etc.) but avoid many of the negatives (crazy traffic, crowded sidewalks). It was also the first time in our trip that we had real heat as spring turned to summer during our visit.

A short walking tour of the city provided us with an overview of the main sites (e.g. the Duomo, Santa Maria Novella cathedral) and some of the history of the city. It was a good way to get a quick introduction to Florence.

After the success we had with a guide in Parma, we decided to hire one to help us navigate the Accademia and Uffizi museums. It would prove to be another worthwhile investment. Our Italian-Australian guide Angelo provided us with background information about Florence and the Medicis, and knew exactly which rooms to skip and the shortcuts to take in both museums. He was easy to listen to and made the art accessible for all of us. Just like at the Louvre, it was impressive to see so many incredible works of art in person and up close (although the guards at the Uffizi were much more interested in telling patrons to be quiet than protecting the art!).

We were able to spend quite a while looking at Michaelangelo’s David in the Accademia, which is even more impressive in person than in photos. Angelo was full of insights about the statue, even pointing out the chunk of the foot missing from a hammer attack by a crazed patron in the 1990s. We even joked that David looks a lot like Justin Trudeau!

Another benefit of having a guide was getting personal recommendations for things to do in Florence. Because of Angelo, we had the most amazing gelato we have ever tasted. So good, in fact, that we returned every single day we were in Florence! The gelateria, Gelateria Dei Neri, was filled with locals (a good sign) and tourists in the know. They had a delicious array of flavours and spectacular sorbet for A. and A. (who can’t tolerate lactose). Our favourite flavours were pink grapefruit, strawberry, caramel and pistachio. Scrumptious!

We also visited the Gallileo museum to build on some of the science connections we’d made at the Greenwich Observatory in London regarding longitude, latitude and how explorers were able to navigate the seas with the development of better timepieces.

We enjoyed walking through the city and exploring the architecture, the narrow streets and peeking into the numerous small shops selling everything from handmade leather boxes to marbled paper. We got good at spotting the Medici crest/coat of arms all around the city (above doorways or on walls). And when the crowds and noise were too much, we hopped on the tram and headed back to the calm of Scandicci.

Next stop: Stockholm!