Monday, May 23

As our ferry pulled into Turku, Finland, today, we could see sheets of water pouring down the glass in the viewing area at the front of the ferry. It was raining. Following the pattern set in Stockholm last week, it appears that we may face rain the first couple of days in Finland, with nicer weather towards the end of the week. From what we have heard, however, we've got better weather here than exists in Utah.

We dropped our stuff off at our hotel in Turku at around 7:30 am and our appointment to see Dr. Iira Koivisto was until 10 am. There was really nothing much to see in Turku that was open yet and to make things worse, the ride over on the ferry was not one full of good, resting sleep. In fact, most of the group got very little sleep, so things weren't all smiles for the first couple of hours as we just walking around the town a bit. We finally stalled long enough and we were able to find Dr. Koivisto's office.

What we learned was that Dr. Koivisto and her associate are running a student health clinic for a vocational school. Students at the university nearby go to another clinic. Students who need it, can visit the clinic and receive primary health care, including treatment for mental health issues...mostly depression and some anxiety disorders. They can also receive hospital care when they need it. They are not required to pay out of pocket for these services.

Dr. Iira Koivisto (left) and Mervi Paatere, chief nursing officer, speak to our group about student health care in Finland. They also answered a number of good questions from the group about health care here in general.

Lari Kovisto, on the left, met us at the clinic and then walked with us back to our hotel, stopping along the way to point out a few sites. We entered one of them, a very nice Lutheran or State Church. Two large church buildings exist here in Turku, the Lutheran building and the Orthodox Church.

Lari, as you might have guessed, is a brother in law to Iira. The Koivistos are taking care of us here in Turku and later on this week (some other family members). They are related to my wife...cousins from a few generations back. Lari and Iira's husband, Mikki, are brothers.

 Lisa, Meagan and Stefanie take a look at the art exhibit that was inside the Lutheran building.

Above, Nathan, Troy and Jeremy head down the steps of the church. Heather, Marcy, Eric and the others are below.

It's always luck of the draw on the rooms we're giving. None of our rooms, so far, have been exactly the same. This hotel was once someone's house, it appears. It very nicely furnished and fun to stay in.
Stefanie and Meagan good a great room (below). Windows on two walls, a lot of space, even a dog statue. It was quite regal.