Goodrick Summer Adventure Part 1 in Finland
This past summer Mike and I took the trip of a lifetime! We’ve been together for five years (crazy right?!) and we’ve loved traveling the world together. From India to London to Austin, I’m so grateful for all the places we’ve explored and the memories we’ve made. And this summer was no exception.
We traveled abroad for almost four weeks, making this trip the longest vacation and time away from work we’ve both had. And let me just say, it was much needed. We both love our work and are thankful we get to pursue our passions for a living, and this trip came at the perfect time for our careers, for our relationship, and for ourselves! It was hard work to plan and prepare for this trip but it was worth every single google search, Pinterest pin, and penny saved.
This summer marked EIGHT years since I’ve last seen my extended family. I was born in Helsinki, Finland and moved to the states at five years old. My parents and sister live in the Valley, but my entire extended family lives in Europe. I was beyond stoked to show Mike my hometown and introduce him to my grandparents and cousins!
I’ll be sharing a blog post for each country we spent time in, so we’re kickin’ things off with our time in Helsinki, Finland. Here we go!
We boarded our first flight unbelievably happy to find our flight was about 95% empty! We took a redeye to London and were both able to stretch across our own row of seats, sleep through the whole fight, and wake up refreshed. Talk about the BEST way to begin our trip. All the praise hands! 🙌🏽
We had a five-hour layover at Heathrow where I made a rookie mistake by adding a tip to our dinner bill before realizing tip is already included. Thankfully, I learned quickly and it didn’t happen again during our trip. 😂 We hopped on a quick flight to Helsinki where we landed around 11pm and were picked up by my grandfather and mom, who had flown to Helsinki a few days before us. We then drove about 90 minutes to Salo, a small town outside of Helsinki where my grandparents live.
For our first day in Finland, we opted for a quiet day of relaxing, drinking coffee, and spending time with family. We went into Salo for a few groceries and errands, but for the most part, relaxed with family.
This is my grandparents back patio. 👇🏽 And yes, it was a literal dream come true. My grandfather is incredibly talented and built the sunroom and back patio as an addition to their condo. We spent many mornings and late evenings watching the sunset from this patio while drinking delicious gin and tonic cocktails. Mike and I even slept in a tiny space within the sunroom!
After pushing through the jetlag that inevitably comes with the first day after traveling, my grandfather, mom, and Mike and I headed to Helsinki for a day of adventure! One of my favorite things to do is walk around downtown, explore the markets and shops, and experience the islands nearby. It was a warm day in Helsinki, so many tourists and locals were out and about enjoyig the sunshine.
During the warm months, Helsinki has a great market near the water. It’s great for browsing local, handmade crafts and souvenirs, as well as fresh fruits and veggies. As a little girl, my grandfather would buy a pail of fresh strawberries and we’d eat them as we walked around and shopped. So of course, that’s exactly what we did!
We also made arrangements to meet up with my childhood friend, Anni. Her family lived in the States for a few years and we spent 2 years in elementary school together. We met up for coffee and crepes and after not seeing one another for 10 years, it was great to catch up!
We spent our day exploring the waterfront and the market nearby. We then opted for a slightly more touristy excursion and signed up for a beer tram tour! We got a front row seat to the city and enjoyed our beer and cider. While it wasn’t the most informative tour, it was a nice break from all the walking.
We then headed to the most anticipated portion of the day, Nikoli Pizza! Nikoli Pizza is at the far end of a local island, Suomenlinna, and it’s literally found inside the wall of a military fortress. Brick oven and all, Nikoli Pizza is a family tradition. I spent many of my summers in Finland and coming here was always on our list of adventures.
After a quick ferry ride and a trek to the other side of the island, we finally arrived hungry and ready for a delicious meal. I was almost afraid to eat it, for fear the pizza wouldn’t be as good as I remembered. But after the first bite and a sigh of relief, it really was as good as I remembered.
Nikoli Pizza also has the best view. As cruise ships leave Helsinki and head towards the Baltic Sea, they find their way through a narrow canal just outside Nikoli Pizza. Every hour or so, a cruise ship comes through and it’s a beautiful view!
With our bellies full, we began the journey back to the mainland. As we walked through the square, we heard my mom’s name being called out, “Hanna!” I couldn’t believe it, another childhood friend, Tekla, recognized my mom and we were baffled to run into each other. Our parents were friends growing up and we spent many summers improving her English and my Finnish on park swings, with ice cream in hand, of course. I couldn’t believe we ran into her. Tekla, it was so good seeing you!
After a day of adventuring in Helsinki, we took the next day to rest and relax. We spent the day drinking coffee and devouring a delicious homecooked meal by my grandma. In the evening, we took a slightly less crazy adventure into Salo for a local flea market. We enjoyed some quintessential Finnish pancakes, aka, really large crepes. They have to be folded four times to fit on a plate! Served with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, it’s totally my jam! Literally. 🤗
Mike loves disc golf and while we didn’t arrive in Helsinki with any discs, we certainly came home with a few. 😉 Helsinki is home to a pretty incredible disc golf store, and as you can see, Mike was like a kid in a candy store. He was SO happy to score a few discs for himself and friends back home. Mike was also stoked to find that there were two disc golf courses nearby my grandparents, so of course, we played there! Let’s just say playing disc golf in the forest is quite different than in the desert!
While in Finland, Mike celebrated his 28th birthday! My grandmother made a special lunch with all the staple Finnish foods (do you see a food pattern here?). We ended the evening with a date night in Salo. We toured the tiny small town mall, took a walk by the river, and had dinner at a local restaurant. Between the amazing food and playing disc golf, I’d say Mike had a pretty great birthday!
One of my uncles is married to a beautiful and kind woman, Kun. She’s originally from Thailand and crafted an amazing spread of homemade food just for us. My grandma also added in a fresh salmon, because that’s the Finnish way. 😉 It was as delicious as it looks! 👇🏽
During our time in Helsinki, Mike experienced many firsts! He experienced my grandmother’s home-cooked meals (which are the best in the world), Finnish beer, and of course, the sauna my grandfather built in their condo! I’m not sure if he loved or hated it, but it was an experience. 🤗
It was a gift to spend time with my grandparents and bring Mike to my hometown. It never feels as though the time with them is enough and it’s always hard to leave and live a world away.
It’s safe to say that our time in Finland was full of great food, great company, and lots of relaxation. It was the perfect way to begin our trip and I couldn’t be more grateful.
We left Finland with heavy, full hearts and headed to our next stop – Amsterdam. During our flight, a family friend who works for Finnair surprised us with champagne to celebrate our anniversary a little early. It was the perfect way to salute our time in Finland!
Next -> Check out Part 2 of our European adventure to Amsterdam!
Goodrick Summer Adventure Part 1 in Finland
This past summer Mike and I took the trip of a lifetime! We’ve been together for five years (crazy right?!) and we’ve loved traveling the world together. From India to London to Austin, I’m so grateful for all the places we’ve explored and the memories we’ve made. And this summer was no exception.
We traveled abroad for almost four weeks, making this trip the longest vacation and time away from work we’ve both had. And let me just say, it was much needed. We both love our work and are thankful we get to pursue our passions for a living, and this trip came at the perfect time for our careers, for our relationship, and for ourselves! It was hard work to plan and prepare for this trip but it was worth every single google search, Pinterest pin, and penny saved.
This summer marked EIGHT years since I’ve last seen my extended family. I was born in Helsinki, Finland and moved to the states at five years old. My parents and sister live in the Valley, but my entire extended family lives in Europe. I was beyond stoked to show Mike my hometown and introduce him to my grandparents and cousins!
I’ll be sharing a blog post for each country we spent time in, so we’re kickin’ things off with our time in Helsinki, Finland. Here we go!
We boarded our first flight unbelievably happy to find our flight was about 95% empty! We took a redeye to London and were both able to stretch across our own row of seats, sleep through the whole fight, and wake up refreshed. Talk about the BEST way to begin our trip. All the praise hands! 🙌🏽
We had a five-hour layover at Heathrow where I made a rookie mistake by adding a tip to our dinner bill before realizing tip is already included. Thankfully, I learned quickly and it didn’t happen again during our trip. 😂 We hopped on a quick flight to Helsinki where we landed around 11pm and were picked up by my grandfather and mom, who had flown to Helsinki a few days before us. We then drove about 90 minutes to Salo, a small town outside of Helsinki where my grandparents live.
For our first day in Finland, we opted for a quiet day of relaxing, drinking coffee, and spending time with family. We went into Salo for a few groceries and errands, but for the most part, relaxed with family.
This is my grandparents back patio. 👇🏽 And yes, it was a literal dream come true. My grandfather is incredibly talented and built the sunroom and back patio as an addition to their condo. We spent many mornings and late evenings watching the sunset from this patio while drinking delicious gin and tonic cocktails. Mike and I even slept in a tiny space within the sunroom!
After pushing through the jetlag that inevitably comes with the first day after traveling, my grandfather, mom, and Mike and I headed to Helsinki for a day of adventure! One of my favorite things to do is walk around downtown, explore the markets and shops, and experience the islands nearby. It was a warm day in Helsinki, so many tourists and locals were out and about enjoyig the sunshine.
During the warm months, Helsinki has a great market near the water. It’s great for browsing local, handmade crafts and souvenirs, as well as fresh fruits and veggies. As a little girl, my grandfather would buy a pail of fresh strawberries and we’d eat them as we walked around and shopped. So of course, that’s exactly what we did!
We also made arrangements to meet up with my childhood friend, Anni. Her family lived in the States for a few years and we spent 2 years in elementary school together. We met up for coffee and crepes and after not seeing one another for 10 years, it was great to catch up!
We spent our day exploring the waterfront and the market nearby. We then opted for a slightly more touristy excursion and signed up for a beer tram tour! We got a front row seat to the city and enjoyed our beer and cider. While it wasn’t the most informative tour, it was a nice break from all the walking.
We then headed to the most anticipated portion of the day, Nikoli Pizza! Nikoli Pizza is at the far end of a local island, Suomenlinna, and it’s literally found inside the wall of a military fortress. Brick oven and all, Nikoli Pizza is a family tradition. I spent many of my summers in Finland and coming here was always on our list of adventures.
After a quick ferry ride and a trek to the other side of the island, we finally arrived hungry and ready for a delicious meal. I was almost afraid to eat it, for fear the pizza wouldn’t be as good as I remembered. But after the first bite and a sigh of relief, it really was as good as I remembered.
Nikoli Pizza also has the best view. As cruise ships leave Helsinki and head towards the Baltic Sea, they find their way through a narrow canal just outside Nikoli Pizza. Every hour or so, a cruise ship comes through and it’s a beautiful view!
With our bellies full, we began the journey back to the mainland. As we walked through the square, we heard my mom’s name being called out, “Hanna!” I couldn’t believe it, another childhood friend, Tekla, recognized my mom and we were baffled to run into each other. Our parents were friends growing up and we spent many summers improving her English and my Finnish on park swings, with ice cream in hand, of course. I couldn’t believe we ran into her. Tekla, it was so good seeing you!
After a day of adventuring in Helsinki, we took the next day to rest and relax. We spent the day drinking coffee and devouring a delicious homecooked meal by my grandma. In the evening, we took a slightly less crazy adventure into Salo for a local flea market. We enjoyed some quintessential Finnish pancakes, aka, really large crepes. They have to be folded four times to fit on a plate! Served with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, it’s totally my jam! Literally. 🤗
Mike loves disc golf and while we didn’t arrive in Helsinki with any discs, we certainly came home with a few. 😉 Helsinki is home to a pretty incredible disc golf store, and as you can see, Mike was like a kid in a candy store. He was SO happy to score a few discs for himself and friends back home. Mike was also stoked to find that there were two disc golf courses nearby my grandparents, so of course, we played there! Let’s just say playing disc golf in the forest is quite different than in the desert!
While in Finland, Mike celebrated his 28th birthday! My grandmother made a special lunch with all the staple Finnish foods (do you see a food pattern here?). We ended the evening with a date night in Salo. We toured the tiny small town mall, took a walk by the river, and had dinner at a local restaurant. Between the amazing food and playing disc golf, I’d say Mike had a pretty great birthday!
One of my uncles is married to a beautiful and kind woman, Kun. She’s originally from Thailand and crafted an amazing spread of homemade food just for us. My grandma also added in a fresh salmon, because that’s the Finnish way. 😉 It was as delicious as it looks! 👇🏽
During our time in Helsinki, Mike experienced many firsts! He experienced my grandmother’s home-cooked meals (which are the best in the world), Finnish beer, and of course, the sauna my grandfather built in their condo! I’m not sure if he loved or hated it, but it was an experience. 🤗
It was a gift to spend time with my grandparents and bring Mike to my hometown. It never feels as though the time with them is enough and it’s always hard to leave and live a world away.
It’s safe to say that our time in Finland was full of great food, great company, and lots of relaxation. It was the perfect way to begin our trip and I couldn’t be more grateful.
We left Finland with heavy, full hearts and headed to our next stop – Amsterdam. During our flight, a family friend who works for Finnair surprised us with champagne to celebrate our anniversary a little early. It was the perfect way to salute our time in Finland!
Next -> Check out Part 2 of our European adventure to Amsterdam!
