Not yet summer?

Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, oh my!

There are many things that I'm growing to love about summer in Helsinki.  The days are long and you can feel the energy of people when you're out and about that are also relishing the seemingly never ending hours of daylight.  The public transportation is easy to use and makes the entire city accessible.  Fruit stands are scattered all throughout downtown, making it easy to catch a whiff of fresh Finnish strawberries.  Flowers are abundant and in all sorts of colors.  The trees and the grass are a vibrant green.  There's a sea breeze and numerous islands scattered along the coast.  

Gulf of Finland

The thing is, however, it doesn't always feel like summer.  Tourists definitely don't flock to Finland to work on their tans and I knew that this is what I signed up for when I prepared to spend three months in a Nordic country (even if those three months are June, July and August).  In the past two weeks since my arrival, I've worn more long-sleeved shirts than short-sleeved shirts, but packed more short-sleeves than long-sleeves.  I've worn fleece jackets and scarves almost daily.  And, my flip flops have yet to make contact with Finnish ground. 

Esplanade

The calendar says its June 16, which says summer to me.  But, the temperature has yet to exceed 65 degrees, which says spring or fall or winter in Texas.  And, if the current forecast for the rest of the month is accurate, the temperature will only reach 69 degrees during the last week of June, again not an indicator of summer.  To further complicate things, the American calendar tells me that the first day of summer is just right around the corner - June 21 - while the Finnish calendar indicates that Midsummer is on June 23.  So, its simultaneously summer and not summer.  

But, regardless of the temperature on the thermostat and the date on the calendar, there are those moments (even if brief) when the sun is shining intensely and you feel the warmth on your face, that it finally feels like summer in Suomi.