Playgrounds

I know that I've bragged about the Finnish people and how much they love the outdoors, but their playgrounds seriously kick some Canadian butt. First off, whatever the time of day, there are TONS of people out walking, biking, hiking, rollerblading, etc. People everywhere. It is such a difference than Canadians, where you rarely see people outside of their house.

There are tons of playgrounds that we've found so far, which Madison is very happy about. So far, we have found a small one two minutes down the street, one large one about a 20 minute walk away, and two large ones a short bus ride away. And by large, I mean HUGE. Swings, slides, playground equipment, giant lawns and flowerbeds, tons of bikes for little kids to borrow, huge multiple sandboxes, little cottages to sit in, teeter totters, etc. This country was definitely made with children in mind.

And we have also discovered that some of the playground equipment we have in Finland would never be built in Canada. Let's just say the equipment here is a bit "less safe" or "more risky" than in Canada. High balance beams, gigantic swings that hold multiple kids at once, rope climbs, etc.

The weather continues to be gorgeous - two solid weeks of sunshine. Spending a lot of time outside, we're very happy to have such a wonderful spring (now that it has finally arrived).

Happy Long Weekend, my Canadian friends and family. Hope it's a great one.

Cheers.

Kim