Despite the end of April looming, it continues to be cold here in Finland – but the snow and ice in Jyväskylä has essentially gone for now, so Spring and Summer are just around the corner I believe. This afternoon I was delighted to join Kristof, my key contact and mentor at the University of Jyväskylä where I am based until mid-June, and family on a typically Finnish ‘Luontopolku’, meaning ‘Nature Trail’. We were joined by colleagues from JYU and their family (originally from Japan). I got my walking boots on, coat, woollen hat, thermals, and off we went.

You don’t have to drive very far to find the ‘forrest’ or a lake or waterway in Finland. Our goal was to walk about 4 km on a trail and enjoy the fresh air and nature. We did that…and a bit more…which was fine. We then stopped right next to the lake for a BBQ, Finnish style. I found out afterwards that they brought wood in to burn as it was nice and dry and burned well. The snow and ice in the forrest had really only disappeared in the past 2-4 weeks but the wood was too damp to use. We had a good fire and the families brought sausages, cheese and apples to cook, finishing with the ubiquitous BBQ marshmallows. Interestingly you may see in the pictures below a utensil I do not think we have in Australia – an extendible fork for the BBQ. It folds up into a pouch for portability – I should buy one to bring home. The BBQ was excellent, however the slight wind coming off the lake was cold….and I did get colder and colder. A brisk walk back to car, then home sorted me out. Looking forward to the next ‘Luontopolku’ experience!