Eventually, we made our way up into one of the famous bird-watching towers for a great overview of the entire lake. We weren’t the only ones up there, and we exchanged some good conversation with a couple, one of whom – in all sense of the word coincidence – also is doing research on bats! (This was/is Juan’s PhD focus)…

Eric McDermott

Afterwards, we walked back during a setting sun, and were given a truly epic red sunset. Other than the visual splendor that it was, we also stumbled across some interesting looking parking meters… only they weren’t parking meters, they are electric car charging stations. Everywhere. Rows and rows and rows of them, literally for every car.

Eric McDermott

Perhaps feeling inspired by the sustainable travel initiatives, we decided to take our way back using the city bikes. This model costs either 10EUR a week or 35EUR for the season, and you can ride for 30 minutes for free, after which it is 1EUR per 30 minutes. The thing is, the stations are everywhere, and you can easily dock it and take it again if the money is a concern for you. This enables everyone to have relatively cheap transportation, and it works great for Helsinki given the flatter topography of the city. 

Eric McDermott