There is no better place than Finland and no better time than Midsummer to break a 15 month involuntary hiatus from travel. So here I am, in Hanko, Finland, as the “plus one” on another working holiday. It was not easy to travel in this barely post pandemic time. Armed with a CDC Covid vaccine card, a negative Covid test less than 48 hours old, and the appropriate Finnish government forms, it was still a tedious and exhausting experience. Our documents had to be verified for each leg of our journey. Still, when you are relaxing near the Baltic with nothing but the sound of the birds and the wind in the trees, it was worth the effort.

To make things even better, my dear cousins Pamela and Jani invited us for a sail on Pamela’s parent’s sailboat .

Marianne and Bengt are an experienced crew, so it made for a fun and relaxing day on the water. It was perfect weather as well.

We sailed into the Hanko harbor for lunch.

It is a busy waterfront at this time of year. Jani called Hanko “the Monaco of Finland.” We enjoyed a very nice lunch on the water. I was surprised by the intense sun and the warm temperatures.

After lunch we made our way back through the islands to Malou’s home port. It was a very special day and we can’t thank Bangt and Marianne enough for their gracious hospitality.

In the evening we checked into the Hotel Regatta, where we are staying until Thursday. My travel companion is here on business, while I am enjoying a break from work. We walked around Hanko in the evening. It is lilac season now in Finland, and we saw many beautiful bushes.