Taking the opportunity of Finland hosting the 163rd ESO Council meeting and celebrating ESO’s 60th anniversary we visited the Finnish capital Helsinki during a week in early June 2023 and then undertook a 10-day and 2260 km roundtrip through the Southern part of Finland. We visited the medieval town of Porvoo on the southern coast, hiked in the Repovesi National Park, explored the Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna in the far East, continued through extensive lake and forest areas to Kuopio in the North-East, returned to Jyväskylä in Central Finland, and continued via Tampere to Rauma on the west coast. After an overnight stay at the Kylmäpihlaja lighthouse in the Bothnian Sea, surrounded by nesting seabirds, we continued along the southwest coast and visited the vibrant city of Turku including a small circle trail by car and ferry through the nearby Archipelago.

The long summer days, the exceptionally beautiful weather with blue skies and pleasant temperatures, the good food, the friendly and relaxed people, the vast nature, but also the cities with their mix of historical and modern buildings and the many historical sights along the way made this trip a very enjoyable, relaxing and memorable experience.

Enjoy the pictures and the panoramas follow our trip on this map: