But you still gotta work...

These are words that I muttered on a family ski vacation many years ago while my parents were daydreaming about moving to a slope-side locale. Luckily, I was able to put this thought out of my head the last few days before I started work today.

In my last day of freedom, we visited The National Museum of Finland, or Kansallismuseo.

I am not sure what this guy had to do with the national history of Finland, but he was sitting outside the door:

Inside there were permanent exhibits of artifacts from pre-history through the mid-20th century, as well as armor and weapons, and currency. We were allowed to take pictures inside and these are a few highlights...

Oldest skis in the world found (in Finland!), dated to 3200BC:

A sledge, used for travel and hauling, dated around the same time:

A typical Finnish fireplace from Rococo period (mid-18th Century): 

That took most of the day and we aren't feeling pressed to see all of the sights in a short period of time since we live here. However, days in Finland are hovering around 16 hours, and so we had plenty of daylight left. We decided to go where apparently everyone else in Helsinki decided to go: kauppatori (the market) to see the sights, pick up some fresh produce, and take in the sun. It was very busy in the late afternoon compared to the morning. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed my lengthy vacation. But even in exotic locations, people work and carry on life. And so will I, with the goal to squeeze in some exploring on the side.