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Jul 3: Leila and I were married today in a civil service in downtown Porvoo. Gudrun acted as sole witness to this brief ceremony. Afterwards the three of us went to have lunch at Wanha Laamanni near the big church. In the afternoon we took the boat (M/s Runeberg) a few kilometers west along the coast to Haikko spa, where we checked in. Before evening we went for a short walk around the grounds and had cocktails on the terrace. We found the spa and relaxed in the pools. Dinner was excellent and stylish. Slept well. Jul 4: Went to the gym before breakfast and then prepared for the day's excursion. We rented some bikes from the hotel and rode to nearby Tolkkinen to look at where Leila spent her years as a teenager. From there we rode south and over a bridge to Emäsalo island and on down to it's southernmost tip to bask in the sun by the sea for an hour or so. The water was a bit cold for swimming so we got back on the bikes to find a nice place to picnic on the rye bread and cheese we bought. A small jetty was located for this purpose about halfway back up the island. After lunch we continued back to Haikko, totaling a little under 40km of riding for the day. That evening Leila went back to the spa while I retreated to the terrace to teach the waitstaff about good cocktails. Leila joined me before things got too out of hand and we went inside for another excellent meal. Jul 5: After breakfast we packed and checked out. Leaving our belongings at the hotel we wandered down the road to visit a small museum dedicated to Finland's most famous artist (Albert Edelfelt). We then caught a bus back to Porvoo, where we met Christoph, Anneli and little Emilia at Gudrun's place. We all went downtown to the riverside cafes to have lunch and then returned to relax at Gudrun's place. Leila and I were pretty tired and had a nap. Before turning in for the night we went for a short walk around town. Jul 6: Woke early to prepare for our next adventure, packing as much as we could into tiny backpacks for our upcoming river kayak trip. Saying goodbye to everyone we took a bus to Mikkeli, and then another one to Antolla, from there we walked about 2km to the camping area. For dinner we borrowed a rowboat to get across the lake and back to town. After a hearty pub meal we rowed back to the camping area where we met up with the guy who was organizing our kayak trip. We arranged to be ready by 10am and went back to our cabin to sleep. Jul 7: Met the kayak guy, who was busy helping some Russians into a couple of canoes, so we had to wait until after 10 before he was ready to drive us 95km north to Pieksänmaa. We were finally in our kayaks at noon and on our way. Beautiful trip, though the clouds of mosquitoes were a bit troubling. It took us about 6 hours to do 25 km, at the end of this we located our hut. The owner had left out some flowers to help us identify the correct one. It was open and so we made ourselves at home. Luxurious! Leila got the sauna going, I barely had the energy to stand around. We sauna'd and skinny-dipped in the lake, and then relaxed in front of the TV before bed. Jul 8: After a slow breakfast we packed our stuff back into the kayaks and paddled across the lake to meet the hut's loquacious owner and pay her for the use of the hut. It took some time to break free of her and continue on our way. Despite cloudy and windy weather it didn't rain, and we really enjoyed our second day on the water. After 4 hours and 15 km we reached Nykälä and the kayak guy showed up soon after to drive us back to the camping area in Anttola. After showers and a nap, we walked a few km to town for dinner. Jul 9: The next morning was cool and grey, and it soon began to rain. The walk back to town to catch our bus was therefore a sombre affair. We stopped in Mikkeli to explore the markets and have lunch before continuing on. Back in Porvoo, Gudrun was waiting to take care of us once again. After dinner and a quiet evening of chat, we went to bed. Jul 10: Leila rushed off to pick up her new id card and get a haircut, so Gudrun and I passed the time over breakfast with a long chat. When Leila returned, expertly coifed and properly identified, we packed our bags, hugged Gudrun goodbye and took a bus to Helsinki. Jul 11: We spent the day exploring Helsinki and flew back to Switzerland in the evening.