Last weekend I was with M in Vaasa, visiting her parents. As we woke up on Saturday morning, a soft layer of snow was covering the land, and a warm sunshine and blue sky promised for a fine day - a day better spent outside instead of inside. M's mom has been a couple of weeks ago to UN Natural World Heritage Site Kvarken Archipelago which is just a short car ride from Vaasa. We didn't need much convincing, and at noon we were on our way.
![](https://lh5.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ0UcJtTgI/AAAAAAAADhA/f1iCaZdmFxQ/s800/IMG_1027.JPG)
View from the Parking lot.
![](https://lh3.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ0XewfX1I/AAAAAAAADhE/4ydcHwW3CDM/s800/IMG_1028.JPG)
![](https://lh6.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ0f44E5SI/AAAAAAAADhM/AWgJiIG1St0/s800/IMG_1032.JPG)
Identify the two mosses and two lichen species.
![](https://lh3.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ0rhNed1I/AAAAAAAADhY/DkMSSr5P0D0/s800/IMG_1036.JPG)
We walked the green route.
It was the first time in a long while that I was walking on the coast, and the coast's charm immediately caught hold on me. It is so relaxing to see the Baltic Sea and walk on a beautiful trail through birches and pines, the floor covered in moss, climbing little moraines up and down, passing swamps on duck boards and structures from a time gone past.
![](https://lh6.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ0wuVNxJI/AAAAAAAADhc/6UJzla-GfXI/s800/IMG_1037.JPG)
An old fishing hut with the traditional reed roof.
![](https://lh3.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ1D_iNkbI/AAAAAAAADhw/IA4G24fBdVc/s800/IMG_1045.JPG)
Unidentified mushroom.
![](https://lh3.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ1ehLOclI/AAAAAAAADiM/GPFW2_ogpHQ/s800/IMG_1051.JPG)
No chance of getting lost.
We walked a short nature trail, which passed the bird watching tower which you can see on some of the photos. A Mew Gull & a Whopper Swan was all I spotted, though one can see the White-Tailed Eagle there as well - reason alone for me to return and try to spot it. But there also goes a 12 km long trail through it, and at the end one could use a packraft (or walk over the ice, depending on the season) to get to the other side and continue onwards. It would make a mighty fine coastal walk, something which sounds like a nice adventure in my ears.
![](https://lh3.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ2S1QhZZI/AAAAAAAADi4/qXNBa2xHpps/s800/IMG_1063.JPG)
![](https://lh4.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ2XSCoZ5I/AAAAAAAADi8/KPQkMy3b7Ks/s800/IMG_1064.JPG)
![](https://lh6.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ2qmT5g7I/AAAAAAAADjQ/nADKRj2Jvtk/s800/IMG_1070.JPG)
View from the tower.
![](https://lh3.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ2FQ5vQLI/AAAAAAAADiw/nOaP7gTB0lQ/s800/IMG_1061.JPG)
![](https://lh4.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNZ3MZEsYeI/AAAAAAAADkY/LBZR2mioKl4/s800/IMG_1088.JPG)
![](https://lh4.ggpht.com/_TyRaf0hBoEE/TNgg96HEOcI/AAAAAAAADk0/LOrtz5rKIHU/s800/photo2.JPG)
Finland's longest bridge at dusk.
A fine day to be out, in an area which has sparked my interest and beckons me to return. And return I shall!
View from the Parking lot.
Identify the two mosses and two lichen species.
We walked the green route.
It was the first time in a long while that I was walking on the coast, and the coast's charm immediately caught hold on me. It is so relaxing to see the Baltic Sea and walk on a beautiful trail through birches and pines, the floor covered in moss, climbing little moraines up and down, passing swamps on duck boards and structures from a time gone past.
An old fishing hut with the traditional reed roof.
Unidentified mushroom.
No chance of getting lost.
We walked a short nature trail, which passed the bird watching tower which you can see on some of the photos. A Mew Gull & a Whopper Swan was all I spotted, though one can see the White-Tailed Eagle there as well - reason alone for me to return and try to spot it. But there also goes a 12 km long trail through it, and at the end one could use a packraft (or walk over the ice, depending on the season) to get to the other side and continue onwards. It would make a mighty fine coastal walk, something which sounds like a nice adventure in my ears.
View from the tower.
Finland's longest bridge at dusk.
A fine day to be out, in an area which has sparked my interest and beckons me to return. And return I shall!