The layover

One of the great things about traveling to Europe is that most destinations have options as to what airline you pick.
And if booked with a little foresight, you can add a mini-trip to your planned trip.
In 2010 I had a vacation in Finland, but I flew Air France and scheduled a layover in Paris.
I had enough time to see the main sights, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame...
...I even had time to go out and see the Palace of Versailles.
This past June, I journeyed to Budapest.
By flying Finnair, I was able to schedule a layover in Helsinki.
As I had already been to Helsinki in 2010, I didn't feel any pressure to see all the sights, and instead had time to just enjoy being in the city.

Pictures of Helsinki have been added to the galleries.
Check them out.

Rotations

One great thing about working as an expat at a fly-in/fly-out rotational job is that you don't have to "fly-out" back to your home country. You can spend the rotation traveling anywhere in the world that you wish. And you don't actually have to fly-out at all. You can spend your rotation exploring the country in which you work.

I love to travel and explore the world.

And I use the UNESCO World Heritage List as a starting point when planning my travel.

My goal is to visit and photograph as many of the 962 properties as I can in my lifetime.

This past month I managed to visit three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Hungary and Austria.

I also managed to visit a few other interesting spots on the trip.

Next I plan to visit two more UNESCO sites here in Senegal.

Expect photos in the near future.

Finland Finished

Alright!
The Finland Trip image gallery is now complete.
I feel so accomplished.

Kristiinakaupunki

So I've managed to get the last Finland trip gallery complete.
Its images from Kristiinakaupunki and other west coast towns, including Untamala, Pori, Naantali, and Reposaari.
Enjoy.

One Down, One to Go

My second last gallery from the Finland trip is up.
Laitila & Malko
The two towns where my grandparents are from.
Enjoy

Windmills, SAABs and Maybachs

Uusikaupunki was a beautiful waterfront town.
We spent a few moments at a waterfront cafe, drinking coffee and eating donuts, after touring the windmill park.
Then it was on to the SAAB-Valmet automobile museum.
Cool cars, coffee and donuts?
What a perfect way to spend a day.
My gallery is up here.

Seurasaari

My gallery from our day trip to Seurasaari is finally up.
So that's nine galleries up, three to go, and my Finland trip pictures will be complete.

Helsinki

I really enjoyed Helsinki.
I wish I had another two weeks to spend just there, never mind the rest of the country.
Anyway, my vision of the city can be found here

Turku

I've managed to get another small gallery up.
More from Turku.

Luostarinmäki

The buildings are all that is left of the original town of Turku.
A wooden town, the rest burnt in a fire long past.
Now, they make up the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum.
We visited on a rainy Saturday.
And still thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
Of all the places in Turku, this is the one I would recommend the most.

Suomenlinna

Just off shore of Helsinki is the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (yes, another UNESCO world heritage site).
Built by the Swedes, and originally called Sveaborg, the fortress has spent centuries as a strategic defensive point for whomever was ruling over Finland (be it the Swedes, the Russians, or the Finns themselves).
And the place was awesome!

Old Wooden Town of Rauma, Suomi

Continuing with the image galleries from the Finland trip, here's another UNESCO site:
Old Rauma, Finland

Sammallahdenmäki

First gallery from the Finland trip:
Sammallahdenmäki Bronze Age Burial Site.
Another Unesco site.
I love the Unesco sites, eh.
If I ever win the lottery I'll spend my days travelling to Unesco sites, photographing them, and writing all about it.