IceLake Walk

Welcome to the IceWalk blog. This is Lauren and I in Sakyla, a small town about 60 minutes away from Turku. This is where Anu has her 'summer cottage'. We are walking across the frozen lake looking for summer and the cottage. After this I think I'm definitely ready for Nepal. Lauren thinks the flat walk across a lake might be just a little different to a massive mountain - I doubt that.

So we made it across the lake and rejoiced that we had walked on water.

This would normally be an island in the middle of the lake. Sadly the owner of that little cottage doesn't have the same privacy and remoteness in winter. 

Here is the infamous hole in the ice which people jump into after their sauna (on left out of shot). Lauren looks suitably distressed at the thought of getting her gear off and jumping in.

Lauren after we told her she didn't have to (well right then anyway!)

The first week....

Chilli Crab in Hong Kong at Temple St Night Markets

Our first shop in Turku

Restaurant boats on the River Aura

Our new front door

Well Mark and I are finally in Finland and at least one of us is THRILLED to be starring in our own blog!

We had a brilliant few days in Hong Kong and just walked, ate, shopped a bit and did touristy things before embarking on our 6 month adventure in this nordic land.

It feels like we've been here for a lot longer than we have and we're both loving it so far. We're staying in the visiting lecturer accommodation on the University of Turku campus, basically a block of units but we have somehow scored one of the 2 biggest units- the bathroom floor is even heated!!

It's been great having Bruce and Anu here, Bruce is a friend of Mark's who is a professor at the uni here and married to Anu who is Finnish. They've both been extremely supportive and helpful especially Anu with language issues. To buy fruit and veg you have to weigh it and press the button for what you're buying to get a price sticker and the buttons are in Finnish!! We're determined to learn some Finnish but it's an incredibly hard language. I tried to say the word for a type of sausage the other day and said a type of insect, the difference between the words is 2 dots above the A! Apparently Finnish is like no other language, other than being a bit like Estonian so that's excellent news. 

Our place is only 10 mins walk into town and the whole city is divided by the River Aura which is totally frozen over. So we can't get too lost, just have to get back to the river, go across and past Turku Cathedral and we're home. It's been great just wandering round in the snow getting our bearings, especially for Mark after he realised he needed to buy gloves, a scarf and a beanie. I have had my first big stack, went flying in the snow chasing after some girl who had dropped her hat. Funny at the time but that's the last time I'll wear my uggies out to take photos of the pretty trees!

We're off to the english service in the cathedral this afternoon, and Mark will go into the uni with Bruce tomorrow to meet everyone and find his office.

Love Lauren

xo