A few short years ago, my sisters and I decided a journey to revisit our heritage country, the birthplace of my parents and five of their daughters was long overdue. Only our youngest sister Margaret was born in Ontario! It has been a full 43 years since I was here on a visit with my parents and last walked the well worn paths of the farmland where I was born! It has been 58 years since my parents left their homeland for the wilds of Canada, with five girls ranging in age from 1 to 7 … a harrowing journey, surely!

A plan was set in motion and here we are, en route to that country of a zillion lakes, of the midnight sun, vast spaces of empty forest, home to just over five million Finlanders! Sadly my sister Maija and her daughter were unable to come, but Margaret, her daughter Jennifer, my Sarah and granddaughter Aliana all forged ahead, knowing that if we continue to wait for everyone to come on board, the trip will forever remain on the back burner. First steps, for whatever we take on in life, always seem to hold a special kind of magic and so it was for us.

A detour to Windsor and London to show Jennifer, Margaret and Jordan a touch of England was a spot of fun … Rob joined us for our time here as did Margaret’s son Jordan, on his way to a Scottish holiday …. We all enjoyed our few days here, roaming the streets of Windsor and the royal castle, toasting over Guinness and various other libations 🙂 …. savoured the quintessential British fish and chips by the River Thames, walked the lush gardens of Hyde Park, discovering a hidden treasure for a toddler …. a playground for Aliana to burn off some much needed two year old energy!!

Tomorrow we fly to Helsinki …. an adventure of the heart begins.

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