Photo Tour of Hameenlinna

Today was a beautiful day outside- sunny and actually hot (I finally wore one of the three pairs of shorts I brought)! I am not sure how many more days like this we will have here, so I tried to spend as much of it outside as possible. The day started with a lovely 5k run around the lake with my team,  followed by coffee for Marina and Damir and ice cream for me in the market square, and lastly a bike ride/photo shoot around Hameenlinna. Since it was sunny out, it was the perfect day to capture some pictures of the different sights around the city for you all to see. Enjoy the tour!

 Had to start the tour with the Hameenlinna castle. Not really sure what it was used for or who lived in it, but it is big and sits along the lake. Marina said it is not too impressive on the inside, but it seems like the castle is an important symbol for Hameenlina. Maybe I will make it inside one day...

 I took a little break in this garden right by one of the bridges and this was my view onto the lake. Everything is super green here now and really pretty. Marina and I were discussing this and she said to enjoy it now because pretty soon it will be gone! :)

 This church sits in front of the market square. I am not sure what denomination it is, but I think it is pretty to look at and reminds me of one of the churches in Belgrade on a much smaller scale.

 The market square. On Saturday mornings this place is hopping. Everyone had gone home by the time I took this picture, but earlier there were lots of different vendors selling fresh produce, flowers, and little knick-knacks. There is also a small coffee and pastry shop and ice cream stand. On one edge of the square is stage where different performers will occasionally play live music. It is also a great place to people watch! The square is about a 2 minute walk from my apartment.

And finally the street that I live on. If you look closely, you can see the lake at the end of the street. It is about 2 blocks from my apartment. The apartment sits on the top of a hill which is sometimes a nice thing and sometimes a pain! 

These are major sites of Hameenlinna! Super exciting stuff I know, but I thought you would like to see some of the city where I am living.

Officially Finnish

Well, not really. But I did get one step closer with the purchase of a bike. I know this is not only a Finnish thing, but it seems like EVERYONE has a bike. Although bikes are super expensive here (new ones start at like 200 or 300 Euros) and I won't be able to ride it in the winter (unless I get spiked tires), I still think it was a wise investment. Here is how long it takes to get from my apartment to the places I need to walking: Gym- 10 minutes, Weight Room- 15 minutes, Cafeteria- 15 minutes (These times are all estimated while walking at a decent pace). Not only does the bike save me time, it is also a lot easier than walking! 

Marina took me to the place where she got her used bike last year, and luckily they had one that fit my size and only cost 70 Euros. I considered this a good price since it still works and doesn't look half bad! The man did not speak any English, but was so cute and threw in a lock and tire pump for free! The bike does not have any gears so going uphill can sometimes be tiresome. Luckily there are no huge hills in Hameenlinna. Also, in order to brake, you must push the pedals backwards. I am used to having handle brakes, so this took a little while to get used to. It also came with a cute little bell to warn people to get out of my way! :)

Overall, I am very pleased with my newest purchase. I have used it everyday and it feels great to speed past all those walkers. (Although this is a little mean, it is so true!)

 My bike! Soon there will be a small basket on the front to hold grocery bags or other things!

Been here a week!

Hey guys! So, I have almost been in Finland for one week; one busy week! Here are some of the highlights of the past seven days:

• Had to change my flight leaving from Pittsburgh because the first flight was delayed into Newark, and I would have missed my connection to Amsterdam. Luckily, the nice people at Continental and United switched me to a flight to Chicago first and then to Amsterdam. Plus, they upgraded me to Economy Plus on the over ocean flight, so I got an extra 5 inches of legroom! Yay!
• Once I arrived in Hameenlinna, I watched a little bit of practice and then headed to my new apartment. One of the girls had already moved in, so I got to choose my bedroom from the two remaining. The apartment (as you will see in the video) is really big and very nice. Its about a five minute walk to Marina's apartment. We still need some stuff (biggest thing is a washing machine!), but have most everything we need.
• On Tuesday I started practicing. This is what my days will look like for the next three weeks of preseason:
• Monday: Weights (lower body) @ 9 am. Practice @ 10:30 (can be switched). Practice from 4-6:30. Running Intervals right after practice.
• Tuesday: Weights (upper body) @ 9 am. Practice @ 10:30 (can be switched). Practice from 4-6:30. Spinning class right after practice for 1 hr. 
• Wednesday: Practice at either 9 or 10:30. Practice from 4-7.
• Thursday: Weights (lower body) @ 9 am. Practice @ 10:30 (can be switched). Practice from 4-6:30. Sand workout right after practice. 
• Friday: Weights (upper body) @ 9 am. Practice @ 10:30 (can be switched). Practice from 4-6:30. Running stadiums right after practice. 
• Saturday: 5k run on your own
• Sunday: Off
•  The rest of my time has been spent sleeping. For some reason it was really hard to adjust to the time difference this go around. I would sleep for sometimes 12 hours at night and take naps between practices. Plus, my stomach had been really bothering me since I got here and it would feel a lot better when I was laying or sitting. So, I would solve two problems with one solution: sleep (take care of the tired factor) while laying down (make my stomach feel better).  :)
• I finally got around to unpacking today. Usually I love organizing and putting stuff away (just ask my sister-in law Amanda), but for some reason, I was not into it at all! Anyways, it looks good now and I even have more room for new stuff!
• The weather here has been great. It feels like an American fall. Most days I'll either wear shorts and a long sleeve shirt or pants and a light top. However, it gets pretty cool in the morning and night. Don't think I needed as many warm-weather things as I brought! I guess I'll just bring them home at the Christmas break.

That's enough for now. I will leave you with a lovely tour of my apartment. Unfortunately, I did not have Layne's expertise on the camera (which allowed me to do only one take!), but you still get my witty commentary and a view of my new home for the next 9 months! Until next time...