Paris 2018 - Paris sightseeing in Montmartre

When I look at my photos of Paris, I can't keep a dry eye. We went there for the first time in 2016 and then returned two years later to visit all the places we hadn't seen during our first stay. Still, there were so many places we just couldn't see and Notre Dame from the inside was one of them. Now I am so sad to not have done it, but who could have guessed the tragic fate of this beautiful landmark. But I don't want to be sad when looking at these photos. Whenever I thought of Paris, I had always wanted to visit Montmartre and the first time we had gone there and were caught in a thunderstorm. This time I had made up my mind to wander the little alleys and enjoy this picturesque département no matter what. 

In 2016, the Mars field was filled with soccer fans as the European Championships took place in Paris and we couldn't wander around freely. This time we managed a picnic underneath the Eiffel Tower with Ladurée Macarons and Baguettes.

Such a cute little Café - La Maison Rose. Very small with limited seats, but we were lucky and had our afternoon tea there.

What I love right now - 2017 archives

I found a lot of pictures from last Summer in my archives that I still wanted to share here on the blog. I do look forward to Spring/Summer 2018 through these as well and it also reminds me of all those nice moments. And hey, how our little kitten has grown in these past months!!

Rainbow pictures taken on the balcony of our old flat - miss that place just for this amazing view!

Funny pictures from last summer at the folk fair "Kät"

Pictures of little kitten Sisu - she joined our family in September







Our Lion King moment!

Balloon Festival

Would love this as my new ride!

What a view!

100 years of Finland series - Travel Diary - Helsinki Part I

Today is 1st May and it is one of my favourite holidays in Finland - Vappu! It's the day of Spring, Students and workers and everyone, like really everyone, comes out for this day to celebrate with friends and family. Usually a lot of outdoor activities happen and Finns say that Vappu is also the official start of the outdoor season for them. I have experienced several Vappu seasons and they were wonderful experiences with outdoor picnics, BBQs, Sauna at the lake, lots of food and drinks and just enjoying the (hopefully) warm weather. I want to use this day to start my Travel Diary series on Finland for their 100th year anniversary celebrating Independence. As you might know, Mr.B and I share a mutual love for this Nordic country and travel there almost every summer for a couple of weeks and for the start of this series I wanted to share some photos from last year's trip with you. Also, if you are interested, I will be posting more on different regions of Finland and also updating my Top 10 list on Things to do in Helsinki soon. 

 - The White Church - 
Symbol of Helsinki



- Café Esplanad -
my favourite place for coffee and buns, but also the salads and sandwiches are great

- huge Korvapuusti - 
cinnamon bun with sugar, one of the traditional sweets



Enjoying the sun at Pohjois-Esplanadi, one of the big outdoor areas of Helsinki city centre



Dotted art right up my sleeve at Pohjois-Esplanadi



- Helsinki Harbour - 
landing spot for several ferries and soon housing a outdoor swimming and sauna area that we need to check out this summmer



Old town at the Harbour 



View of Helsinki from Island Suomenlinna 





- Fortress Island Suomenlinna - 
UNESCO World Heritage that is a favourite with tourists and locals for their historical sights and wonderful swimming and picnic spots. It also houses a minimum-security penal labor colony and about 800 inhabitants that commute to work every day via ferries.





My favourite spot to have a picnic and go swimming







A couple of picturesque houses on the way to the island that I would happily move into!



Hyvää Vappua to all my Finnish friends and I hope everyone enjoyed this first sneek peek of Helsinki. More will be coming soon!