Beauty on the Archipelago

Scandinavia has some amazing islands.  Thousands of them.  If you look at a map of Scandinavia, there are so many islands that it is more of a maze to make it to the mainland than anything else.  Luckily for us,  we had some opportunities to explore this archipelago.  We joined a bunch of other astronomers on the s/s Ukkopekka on a dinner cruise, enjoying the (almost) midnight sun.

Bram on the boat, right before indulging on some Finnish appetizers, mostly consisting of pickled fish.

The archipelago was beautiful in the summer.  The islands were dotted with summer houses, and covered with lush evergreen forests.

Enjoying the evening sunshine.

Some islands were little more than rocks poking above the sea.

We approach the tiny island where we will have dinner.

My friend Chiara stands in front of the one building on the island.

Astronomers line up to get fed.

We enjoy a buffet dinner on the island - mostly of smoked fish and grilled meat.  Delicious!

Chiara and her two Italian parents.  They didn't speak English, so we spoke to them in a combination of Spanish, French, and hand gestures. 

Along the coast of the island.

I go around to explore the island, including the one tiny building on it.

Astronomers dance on the pier.

At 11pm, we head back to the mainland.  My husband enjoys the midnight sun.

Our island recedes into the distance. 

Finally, the Finnish part of our trip came to an end.  We boarded a much larger ship this time.  Cars drive onto the boat.

Bram in our tiny cabin on the ship. 

 

A small pleasure of cruises - buffet dining.  Where else can you have smoked sausages, mozzarella, and sushi on one plate?

Views during dinner.

Tiny islands!

Bram and the midnight twilight. 

Bram and I.

My friend Chiara and I.

Now onto the cruise ship... dancing the night away.

When we awake, more islands greet us - this time - Swedish ones!

The Dutch and World Domination - Masters of the Land

Science is cool.  Do you know, for example, that if the world's oceans drained, the Netherlands would take over the world?


Check out the rigorous scientific proof.

A Seafaring Country

With so many islands and rivers, it seems natural that the Finnish take to the sea often.  Here's the marina, and a giant fin.

Mermaids!

Here's a unique "bridge" - a boat that goes back and forth from bank to bank, bringing people across the river.

A familiar boat.

Here's an old Viking ship! 

There are even some very interesting twists on the traditional boat idea: here's a car/boat, with fins and skis.

A one-man submersible.

The most famous of the boats along the river is the giant white boat, the Finnish Swan.  It was built in 1902 and even served in WWII. 

Bunk beds in the swan.

On the deck.

Bram tries to steer.  He has to push really hard, because the boat is in port.

We also visited a more recent war-ship, built in the 1950s.  It was a minelayer. Mines line up, ready to be deployed at sea.

Don't jump too hard in the boat.

Bram checks out the radar.

I steer this ship.  I tell Bram to watch out for that other boat on the horizon.

The "cozy" bunk beds.

Bram in the sights of a big gun.

We made friends with the captain of the cruise ship. 

He didn't get the word of what we ate earlier that week.  Mum's the word.

Some neat model boats.  This is a sail/paddelboat.  Gee, I wonder why this design never took off. 

A boat with a castle built in!