Our Vappu celebration started on Friday with a party at Kalee's play-school. All the kids dressed up (just like Halloween) and parents brought sweet foods to eat. Our costume options were a bit limited since I have no sewing machine here. Kalee went as a pot of flowers: brown clothes for the pot, flowers we made from felt, pipe cleaners and buttons around her neck.
In the afternoon we walked through downtown. All the restaurants had their tables outside, tents full of candy, crafts, and foods lined the pedestrian street, and Mylar balloons were for sale for 10-15 euros each (!?!) Crazy expensive for truly ordinary balloons. Kalee understood why we didn't buy one. Her comment was, "I thought that since they want everyone to have fun today they wouldn't make things so expensive." I love her innocence.
At home we blew up balloons and decorated them.
Saturday our friends Jo and Vessa (and kids) invited us to their "Mokki," (cottage).
It is only a half-hour away so it is easy to spend the afternoon there. We started with a hike along a river 
(are those children or garden gnomes?)
and saw evidence of LOTS of beaver activity.
The area around the river was made up of at least two layers of very large boulders, covered with heavy layers of moss and lichens, birch and pine trees growing up where possible and lots of places for feet to find deep holes for things to live in (and feet to get stuck it). 
I felt like I was walking on another planet. From the road the landscape of gently rolling hills, forests of pine and birch surrounding plentiful lakes reminds me of northern Minnesota. But the forest floor ... it is a whole different thing: spongy to walk on, a riot of texture and color from all the mosses, lichens and berries.
Oh, I haven't mentioned berries yet, have I. I finally understand about everyone (I mean everyone) going berry picking. You literally cannot walk around in the forest without treading on the berry bushes. Mostly it is lingonberries (the low-bush cranberry Nordic countries are known for) that are underfoot (here is a borrowed image of a lingonberry bush). 
There are also blueberries, wild strawberries, and lots of juniper (the stuff in gin). Charles tasted one of the juniper berries and confirmed it has that gin-ish taste.The kids sorted all the treasures they collected on our walk
and had a snack.
Later they dug worms and did a little ice fishing (didn't catch anything),
we all ate a fabulous meal, and Vessa fired up the sauna for us.
The day vacillated between sun and rain all day, which brought us the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen.
The highlight of the day for Kalee was the balloon hunt. Vessa hid balloons, the kids found them, then Vessa and Charles took turns shooting them with the air-gun.
All in all it was a lovely day. The girls had so much fun together. These are friends we will miss when we go home.
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