Our favorite thing to do here in Turku is take a bike ride out to Ruissalo Island, one of the first islands off the coast of Turku. The bike path is absolutely gorgeous and the island has several good beaches.
A view of Turku Castle from Ruissalo Island.
Ruissalo Island & beyond.
2 bees having a chat.
The Beach. The main route for cruise ships going from Turku to Stockholm and back is right alongside Ruissalo Island. The picture doesn’t come close to showing just how massive these ships are.
A cruise ship from Stockholm arriving in Turku.
The Wild Rose 
I’ve been on one of those ships. They are indeed huge.
I was so shocked when the Finnlines ship first came around the corner! I had no idea that the water in between these islands was even deep enough for a ship that size. I guess I just assumed that the cruise ships go to the South of the islands, not straight through them. I was also shocked that the ferry ride between Turku and Stockholm is 12 hours!!
Those ships do look huge! I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy reading your posts. Its been fun for me to take this passive role in reading the chronicle of the journey you are on.
Fred
Thanks so much for taking time out to read the posts, Fred. This blog is a great way to keep people updated and to stay in touch with everyone back home. I haven’t posted on this yet, but the University of Turku has their biological garden on Ruissalo Island and we stopped by on our way to the beach. I remember you saying that you try to go to the botanical gardens of the places you visit. It was really fascinating and beautiful. I’ll do a post on it sometime today.
Thanks for taking me on a bike trip to Ruissalo! I loved the whole day!
Too bad the weather wasn’t warm enough for a swim. It was, however, perfect for a long bike ride!