The match that lights the fuse that blows your mind

Cross the sea with his secret plan

Words fail me when trying to describe the Stockholm Archipelago.  I heard some statistic that there is somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 islands - depending on who you ask and what they consider an island.  Of course it is beautiful and awe inspiring to sail through.  There is a grey area where people exist with water and land.  Growing up under the assumption that water starts where land ends is not necessarily that clear cut.

The largest bed I've slept in for months

Finland is not considered Scandinavia.  While it is indeed nordic, the language and customs of it's people differentiate it from neighboring countries.  After arriving in Helsinki, I understood some of the distinction.  100 years of Russian occupation defined much of the architecture, although the people seemed to flourish under the repressive regime of social-democracy.  Similar to Scandinavia the trains (or trams as it were) ran on time, licorice was plentiful and the weather was crappy.

Finnish design is promoted heavily through various tourist outlets.  While iitala and marimekko didn't reinvent the wheel for me, I somehow felt drawn to purchase expensive textiles and glassware.  These brand's success is probably perpetuated by snobs such as myself that have grown accustom to expensive household products.  If I wasn't traveling out of a backpack, I would have purchased a 12 euro espresso cup.

Suomenlinna was the highlight of Helsinki.  While the city itself is nice, walkable and interesting, an island fortress that you can explore without a guided tour is better.  I'm not sure if you are technically allowed to poke around in the various munitions cells, but we did anyway.  At times the flash from the camera was needed to find where the hell we were.  

European Hatavirus 

Fatigue and sickness resulted is relative early nights.  I felt like a little kid falling asleep before the sun had completely set.  With that said, the sun set around 11:30 pm.  I'm sure I have mentioned this before, but it is a region of extreme opposites at times. 

What has 6 letter and four of them are "U's"?  

I find the Finnish language beautiful.  It is subtle, technical -and when spoken with a proper accent - can enchant a regular American dumbass.  A native english speaker has a hard time picking out the subtleties   in the language.  Not surprising when the only tool we have in our linguistic toolbox is a sledgehammer.  I leave you with my new favorite foreign word:  Uutuus.