Sunny skies, a little chop...

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Today we went to Soumenlinna, an island just 2 km from the dock at Market Square in Helsinki and a Unesco World Heritage site. 


It was begun as a Swedish fort in 1748, spent time as a Russian fortification and has been Finnish since independence in 1918. It's filled with lovely old building, amazing walls and now, some 500 folks actually live there, though it can only be reached by ferry. Also, cafes, restaurants and conference facilities and something that, given the people laying about on the lawn, Mark immediately referred to as the Bob Marley Hostel.


These walls are about 30 feet tall.



This was where gunpowder was stored.

The weather was wonderful and we walked the length of the island. We boarded the boat to return and just as we pulled away, I realized that my jacket was no longer with me. I asked the young woman who worked on the boat what she thought I should do. She called the main number of the island, asked about a lost and found and gave me the number. She then suggested we get off at the next island and wait for the boat back to the dock to go look for the jacket. 


We did. The next island was tiny tiny and had only a small cafe, so we waited 35 minutes for the next boat and headed wence we had come. As soon as we pulled in, I saw my jacket on a rock and yelled to a boarding passenger to bring it aboard. HURRAY! 


It was a nice warm ride back to the city, and as we pulled in I saw the young woman who had been so helpful standing on her boat. I jumped and waved, pointed to my jacket and she gave me a thumbs up. 

But that's nothing compared to my poor Sis, who took a spill last night that necessitated a trip to the hospital, which gave her a clean bill of health and a very small bill to pay (About $150 INCLUDING a CT scan, but do not get me started!) but she's bruised and STILL has no luggage! 

But here is a truism from the coffee tent in the Market Square ---


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