Day trip to Varissaari

There are some nice small islands outside Kotka. The weather had been so cool so we hadn't been at any of them yet. On the 11th of August schools started in Kotka and when they start, also the boat traffic to the islands stops. So now that the weather finally had got a bit warmer we had to hurry to go to at least the nearest islands, which is called Varissaari. It's only a 10 minute's boat ride from Kotka.
We packed our picnic bag and spent a few relaxing hours there. The sea water was still very cold, but Carlotta took a quick swim anyway.

A heart in the nature

Our picnic place in Varissaari

Relax - one of the few moments all three of my children were gathered this summer

The summer restaurant in Varissaari

Old cannons in the summer restaurant

Carlotta's birthday parties

On the 5th of August Sofia and Armando and Sofia's friend Francesca came to Finland. It still was quite cool when they arrived, but soon it became warmer and a period of sunny days started. Summer had finally arrived to Finland!

Armando only stayed 4 days, so it was a very quick visit this time. We organized another birthday party for Carlotta now that the whole family was together and also the grand parents. Daniele got a day off from work and came to Karhula and we invited my friend whose younger daughter, Hilma is the same age as Carlotta. We had a nice afternoon drinking coffee, eating cakes, chatting and laughing. The weather was nice so we could sit outside.

Carlotta had already had one birthday party in Italy on the 20th of July when it's her birthday. She celebrated it in Mc Donald's with a few of her friends from the riding school.

And when we came to Finland her grandparents surprised her with a cell phone. She had been waiting for it, but all thre of my children have got their first cell phone when they got 10 years old. Daniele also had bought her a bag full of nice presents that he found at a flew market in Lovisa. So Carlotta's 10th birthday has been well celebrated.

Trip to the summer theater

Finally I got my work done and could go with Carlotta on a trip to Raseborg where there was the last show of the summer theater, Astrid Lindgren's "Emil i Lönneberga". Raseborg is about 250 km from where my parents live, but it really was worth all those kilometres. The theater was really good, fun, with good actors, nice songs, everything was just perfect. It lasted three hours, but Carlotta wished it had lasted much longer.
After the theater we went to Ekenäs, a cute little town by the sea and found a hamburger kiosk where we had our dinner. It was quite cold to eat outside.

I had booked a night at Dönsby B&B in Karis. It was a very nice country house owned by a young lady who happened to have an Italian husband. The place was beautiful and we slept really well. In the morning we could hear the cock crow. Our breakfast was delicious with fresh eggs, home made bread and raspberries.

The next day we went to Fiskars. This part of Finland is so beautiful. There are several old manors and former factory villages in this area. One of them is Fiskars, an old ironwork town. Now it's full of nice cafés, restaurants and handicraft shops.

The weather wasn't too bad either. When we arrived to our Bed and breakfast it rained a little bit, but fortunately stopped and it didn't rain at all during the theater. The next day it was sunny and nice. On our way home we stopped at our friend's house in Espoo and had a coffee and a long chat with them eating blue berry pie in their garden. Two very nice days!

Cool summer days in Finland

We wanted cooler weather - and that's what we got! It has rarely been over 20 degrees here, so there was a difference of about 20 degrees compared to Rome. This summer has been the coolest for ages here in Finland. I think it has never been this cold during summer time since my children were born, at least. Last year we had a swim in the sea or in some lake almost every day, but now you really don't feel the need to do it. The sea water must be really cold. For us it's not that terrible, we had a lot of warm weather before coming here and know that it will still be warm when we get back in September. But I think lots of people who live here have taken a last-minute holiday to some warmer country, because if it's not warm now, it probably won't get warm anymore this summer and here the winter is long and you really need some sun before starting to think about autumn and winter.
I got quite a lot of work to do just before coming here and as a free-lancer you can't refuse all the work when it comes. So I have been working late in the night to be able to do something with Carlotta during the day.
I came here with Carlotta and in a few days Armando, Sofia and Sofia's friend will be here, too. Daniele has been working here in Finland the whole month of July and on the 11th he will fly to Monaco with his friend.
You can do lots of things here, although it's not so warm. 
We have been to the indoor pool, to the library and done some shopping, we have been to the summer theater and were lucky it wasn't raining, we have been eating lots of strawberries, we have been horse riding, we have made day trips to Lovisa and Porvoo and also managed to go on a picnic. I have seen some friends and hope to have time to see more friends and relatives, although schools start here soon and people go back to work.

Beach life in Rome and surviving the heat

July in Rome was really hot. Every day it got warmer and more humid and in the end it was about 40 degrees. The last days we were there before finally going to Finland it was so warm you couldn't do so much during the day and life for me started in the evening, although it still was 30 degrees then and very humid.
We had a pool in our garden, but in the beginning of July when we came back from the Italian Pony Championships in Cervia, where we had spent 5 days, the water had turned green and had a bad smell, so I had to empty it and as it was so warm, it took me days to clean it and I didn't fill it anymore before going to Finland. Cervia is near the Adriatic sea and there the temperatures were much more tolerable than in Rome.
The only place where you could feel a bit better was the beach or maybe some pool, but I had to work, so I can easily count the times I went to the beach in June-July on one finger. In the week-ends it gets too crowded and hard to get a parking place.
One morning we spent a few hours at the Cancelli beach which is a bit further away from Ostia and the water is cleaner. It was just lovely.

Then one afternoon we went to Ostia, but the water had already got very warm and wasn't so refreshing and it didn't look too clean either. We went there because Sofia and her friend wanted to have their nails done and in the meanwhile I went to the beach with Carlotta and her friend. It's closer to the centre of Ostia and there the water gets dirtier. The sunset was nice, though.

 

 

An other time earlier this summer I went to the beach with Carlotta and we saw this summer's lovelies sunset so far. It was so beautiful! I love the beach when the sun starts going down and people go away and it's not too hot anymore.