Spring in the Finnish archipelago

Summer cottages need to be fixed up and warmed up for the season. Guest harbours, restaurants, and accommodations compete for the best summer workers. Migratory birds land exhausted on our outer islands after long flights from the south, and birdwatchers gather with their binoculars and cameras. Archipelago farmers plant potatoes and watch over them day and night so they won't freeze. All of this is done so that we can enjoy this annual delicacy by Midsummer along with archipelago bread, herring, and other goodies.

April and May often offer warm and sunny days and beautiful views from bridges, ferries, and lookout towers. Fields of coltsfoot, wood anemones, and flowers greet visitors along the ring roads. The trees have buds and the sea is newly awakened and crystal clear after the ice melts. Deer and their calves graze on the first green shoots that sprout on the fields and meadows of the larger archipelago islands. Seabirds court their partners and if you move around by kayak or on foot, you have a great chance to experience the archipelago's natural spectacle up close if you are attentive. It's like the whole archipelago takes a deep breath before summer arrives.