In Suomi… Day the First

After landing in Helsinki from Copenhagen, I did the standard routine of navigating to my lodging in yet another new city, with yet another strange language (Indeed, Finnish is stranger than most languages). It is 14 minutes pass midnight; yet, the western horizon still glows faintly with light. Although the weather is a bit more dreary then the last two weeks in Scandinavia, glimpses of the sun did break through the gloom today — albeit, due to its low traverse, the sky maintains a strange luminescence throughout the late evening.

This is the land of two hundred thousand lakes, archipelagos, Sebelius, reindeer, birch, saunas, and the midnight sun.

The Iberian North

It is some mundane nondescript Friday afternoon by the Atlantic seaside of Gaia, Portugal. This wandering traveler has again followed the capricious winds of whim and blown ashore for a few days respite from weeks of continuous travel to visit a friend. The gracious hospitality of her and her family is much appreciated as they have genuinely welcomed my intrusion into their tranquil dwellings. Often times I am unsure how to requite such the sincerity of their welcome. Although the economy here is still foundering,and they are by no means rich, they offer more than I require…as such, I count my blessings all the same and shall remember them with much gratitude.

Atop the rocky hills of Calcedonia, Parque Nacional Geres...by the Spanish border.
Atop the rocky hills of Calcedonia, Parque Nacional Geres…by the Spanish border.