“Bye bye rocks,” Lilia chimed in.
We had stopped at a lookout near a bridge in Lohja after visiting the Paavolan Tammi there. The Paavalon Tammi was the reason why we drove an hour and a half outside of Helsinki, but the presence of mosquitos and other pesky bugs made the trip anti-climatic to both of us. So after spending about thirty minutes there, we were heading back when I realized the sun was setting.
So we stopped.

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It wasn’t anything special, or at least you wouldn’t think it was.
But Lilia captured us with her fascination with the pebbles, walking back and forth, and repeatedly saying “bye bye rocks” every time she threw the pebbles a few inches away on the boat dock, creating ripples in the water.
It is moments like this to live for. To photograph. To simply enjoy!

– – – – – – –

With only three days to explore the city and its surroundings, I had come somewhat prepared but also understood flexibility would be key. Again I made a customary list of what I would like to accomplish visiting, with no particular rank:
1. Kumpula Botanical Gardens
2. Helsinki University Library Main Building
3. Design District
4. Natura Viva (for kayaking)

This was me keeping it simple. I knew that flexibilty was a key to having a great time with my cousin and her family. I chose not to take pictures all the time, because as I stated above, I wanted to enjoy the moments from kayaking and midnight swims to walking in the Design District.
I look forward to exploring Helsinki (and Finland) more sometime.