summer trip 2013 - part 5/5

[continued from here]

i thought i was gonna get to helsinki and take at least a nap before doing anything else, but after my friend picked me up, we went straight for a walk, then hung out at kaivopuisto park, with a nice view of the sea, and also the ateljee baari on the 14^th floor of hotel torni, with a beautiful panoramic view of downtown..

finally rested, i went to the city and saw the lutheran cathedral (tuomiokirko) – a white church, and not too far from it, the uspenski cathedral (uspenskin katedraali) – a red, russian orthodox church, the market square, the finlandia hall, the olympic stadium and the music hall.. in the evening we went to a couchsurfing meeting with some friends, met some cool people, went to a bar and finally home..

and then i got there, the last day of my summer trip.. i went to the very pleasant seuasaari island (not before getting a little lost in the woods) and spent the early afternoon there hiking, enjoying nature and checking out some authentic old finnish houses, stables, churches, boat houses, storages, etc..

at night i went to my friend's cousin's farewell party, mostly with finnish people, and for the second time in 3 days, i didn't sleep before heading to the airport to fly back home to barcelona (with a 30 minute stop in stockholm first).. there's no better excuse for not sleeping than enjoying your last night somewhere!

first thing i wrote on facebook after getting home was "home again, after 24 days and 8 countries, with an empty wallet, a tired body and most importantly, a renewed soul!", and that's a very short version of this whole story you just read..

this time i took my big camera, but i focused on shooting videos and not so many photos. i'll get to the editing as soon as i get a computer upgrade, because mine can't take the load anymore..

more and more, what i take from the experience of traveling are the awesome stories and the great memories i build with the people i meet and connect to. cities are beautiful, cultures are fascinating, nature is powerful,  but people are the core of it all. and you might've noticed how many times i mentioned couchsurfing.. it's my main tool..

i can't thank enough the old friends i met and the new ones i made, not only on this trip, but on all the others before it.. i won't stop traveling until i absolutely have to (and i don't see why i would), but if/when it happens, i'll be glad to know i have my mark in people's lives all over the world, and most importantly, they all have their marks in my life, and that's invaluable.