Johanna K Photography: summer

I'm finally here.
My dream for a long time has been to visit Los Angeles and its surroundings and this year that dream finally came true. And to get to travel this adventure with of the most funniest and wonderful friends I'm happy to call my friends makes this trip even better. We landed on LAX on Saturday the 6th. It took quite a while o get the car and find our way to our apartment so on Saturday we pretty much just chilled. But on Sunday it was adventure time.
Hopped in our car and headed towards Joshua Tree National Park. Absolutely worth the three hour drive (give or take). The entry fee to the park was 20$ per car. If you know you're staying in the US for longer and national parks are your thing, you can choose to pay 80$ and for a year you can explore all the national parks you want. Crazy cheap!!
Joshua Tree National Park is a desert area with funky trees, desert squirrels, rock formations (for an experienced climber a treat I'd think) and toasty weather. It's extremely hot so bring a lot - A LOT - of water with you. We hiked the Hidden Valley Trail that takes about 45 min and in that heat (about 40°C/100F)
So here are some pics from Joshua Tree :)

Jump and touch the sky,

Johanna K

My friend and decided to explore our home town on the last day of May. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I had read that a new island near Suomenlinna fortress had been opened so we ended up doing a little island hopping.
The ferry/boat that takes you to Vallisaari can be found at the Market Square. The ticket from JT Line for all islands costs 7€. The history of Vallisaari is quite interesting as it's been a place for military service but also a workplace for hundreds of people. You can read more about Vallisaari here.
After Vallisaari we took a quick visit to Suomenlinna because that's where you need to switch ferries to visit the small island of Lonna. In Lonna you can find a restaurant but if you wish to eat there you probably need to make a reservation. Vallisaari and Suomenlinna are my personal favorites and there are a lot of great restaurants in Suomenlinna as well. Lonna as an island was a bit of a disappointment and it was filled with birds that were nesting so you need to be careful while walking around. You do not want to be attacked by a barnacle goose. They seemed to be used to people walking past but still, be cautious.
Here are the photos from this island hop exploration :) (just click on the first one and a reel will open except if you are reading this blog directly on my webpage)

A peek from Vallisaari towards Suomenlinna

The Alexander tour starts here and it's 3 km. You can also choose the Kuninkaansaari tour (King's island) which is 2,5km. We chose to leave Kuninsaari part of the islnad for the next trip :)

Charlotte's web?

The guides are clear and you can find out about the history of the island while you walk. Educational.

Swimming is not allowed. The water is not safe as there is all kinds of rubble and you could get stuck. You also must stay on marked paths because there might be active mines in the area and some of the rocks/cliffs can also be dangerous.

There are several places where you can stop, admire the view and eat your lunch :) But please do not litter. The trash cans are there for a reason.

Hobbit country.

Panorama view.

Alexander battery.

At the Alexander battery you can find a viewing point that offers in my opinion some of the best views in Helsinki.

Panorama view.

Linden path

You can find a bite to eat at Vallisaari but be prepared to pay with cash and it was expensive. 12€ for a waffle and 4€ for a small drink. Normally I'd refuse to pay that much, but we were exploring and very hungry. :)

I didn't do any photographing in Suomenlinna because we didn't have to wait for our ferry to Lonna that long and I've visited Suomenlinna before. :) We enjoyed a quick ice-cream and hopped on the ferry to Lonna. It only takes like 5-10 minutes from Suomenlinna.