Although I love living here in the city, because it is something new for me, it felt really nice to spend some time in the woods this weekend. Seven of us decided to go to the Finnish National Park. We had to get on a train to Espoo, which was 30 minutes away, and then catch a bus from the station to the park stop. From the park stop, we had to walk 2 km until we actually reached the park-sounds simply enough, right? Well of course, we had problems. Getting on the train to Espoo was simple. Problems only came after we got off the train. The schedule we looked at, as well as the sweet man at the station, all stated that a bus would be arriving within 15 minutes of our arrival. Although it was cold, 15 minutes seemed bearable, considering we were planning on spending the whole day outside. Unfortunately, the sweet old man and the bus schedule we read were only referring to the weekday schedule. The bus does not run as often on the weekends, meaning, we ended up standing outside in the cold for a whole hour! Finally, the correct bus came, and we were on our way to the park!
The park was so pretty! There were snow-covered evergreens everywhere! Although there was a road with thin snow to walk on, I really enjoyed tramping through the thick snow on the side of the street that went up to my knee! It was so much fun. I think most of the time we all just walked along the road, marveling at the beauty around us. Yet, we had so much fun. The snow was actually very dry and powdery, making it impossible to build a snowman. However, we did manage to have a snowball fight with chunks of snow already in a ball for us.
Because the sun sets around 4, and we arrived around 2:45 due to confusions with the bus, we only had about an hour to play in the park. We actually only spent about half an hour in the park since it took us a little time just to get from the bus stop to the entrance.
We decided it best that we come back to bus stop at 4 because of the sun, even though the bus wouldn’t arrive until 5. This meant we stood still outside for another whole hour. It was cold in the park, but since we were moving and playing, it was bearable. Standing at the bus stop was ridiculous. Surprisingly, we ended up having a lot of fun. To stay warm and entertained, we ran up and down the main road, which seemed deserted… we played a couple games of telephone, I taught everyone WAH!!, and we played an Australian version of Big Booty that involved bunnies. Yes, we were frozen by the time the bus arrived (which we thought would never come), but we made it fun.
As soon as we got back to the dorms, we headed straight for the sauna, which is open for girls on Saturday nights. That actually felt so nice since we were bone chillingly cold!
After going to the park and seeing so much snow, the snow in the city just seems like nothing. Being at the park surrounded by the huge snow covered trees and large snow covered fields (or lakes, we weren’t sure) just seemed so surreal. Although I want to pinch myself that I am in Europe, the city just seems like home now. I think yesterday was one of the first times that it seemed too good to be true.
Today there was a Chinese New Year celebration in the middle of town. I have been looking forward to it all week… but it was not all I thought it would be. It was actually sleeting/raining/snowing, so that wasn’t fun to deal with. We watched a short parade and a couple of dragon and lion dances, which were neat. Then, later on, we went back for the fireworks, which were neat. It’s nice to go to free events!
The park was so pretty! There were snow-covered evergreens everywhere! Although there was a road with thin snow to walk on, I really enjoyed tramping through the thick snow on the side of the street that went up to my knee! It was so much fun. I think most of the time we all just walked along the road, marveling at the beauty around us. Yet, we had so much fun. The snow was actually very dry and powdery, making it impossible to build a snowman. However, we did manage to have a snowball fight with chunks of snow already in a ball for us.
Because the sun sets around 4, and we arrived around 2:45 due to confusions with the bus, we only had about an hour to play in the park. We actually only spent about half an hour in the park since it took us a little time just to get from the bus stop to the entrance.
We decided it best that we come back to bus stop at 4 because of the sun, even though the bus wouldn’t arrive until 5. This meant we stood still outside for another whole hour. It was cold in the park, but since we were moving and playing, it was bearable. Standing at the bus stop was ridiculous. Surprisingly, we ended up having a lot of fun. To stay warm and entertained, we ran up and down the main road, which seemed deserted… we played a couple games of telephone, I taught everyone WAH!!, and we played an Australian version of Big Booty that involved bunnies. Yes, we were frozen by the time the bus arrived (which we thought would never come), but we made it fun.
As soon as we got back to the dorms, we headed straight for the sauna, which is open for girls on Saturday nights. That actually felt so nice since we were bone chillingly cold!
After going to the park and seeing so much snow, the snow in the city just seems like nothing. Being at the park surrounded by the huge snow covered trees and large snow covered fields (or lakes, we weren’t sure) just seemed so surreal. Although I want to pinch myself that I am in Europe, the city just seems like home now. I think yesterday was one of the first times that it seemed too good to be true.
Today there was a Chinese New Year celebration in the middle of town. I have been looking forward to it all week… but it was not all I thought it would be. It was actually sleeting/raining/snowing, so that wasn’t fun to deal with. We watched a short parade and a couple of dragon and lion dances, which were neat. Then, later on, we went back for the fireworks, which were neat. It’s nice to go to free events!
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