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.