It has been a very busy last few days. I have met a lot of my family and today I am wandering around Turku while my relatives are at work and school. I got the Turku card which allows me to see most of the museums for free and I get a discount at Hesburger. Mmmm.

I took the ferry here from Stockholm and it wasnt what I expected at all. I was thinking more along the lines of BC Ferries. Two car decks and then some seats, a cafeteria and a souvenier shop. I got a CABIN on this ferry and it was on deck 2 of 10. I met two really nice Finnish girls and we spent the twelve hour trip together. They explained to me that the whole idea of the ferries was to party. It was nice becuase they showed me around. We did some duty free shopping in the morning and then went to the all you can eat buffet for lunch. We ate for about 2 hours straight, and it was really good food. Lots of traditional Finnish food too. I ate my fill of pickled herring. It was absolutely beautiful weather, so we sat out in the sun on the top deck for a while. Most of the ferry ride is through these little islands on the coasts of finland and sweden and it is wonderful scenery. We went to the FUN CLUB bar for a little while which was hysterical. Because it was a day cruise, there werent a lot of young people. Lots of families and middle age couples. The fun club bar had a band playing covers of patsy cline and elvis and a lot of couples were dancing. Most of the couples that danced looked like they had been drinking all day and the atmosphere was like being at a wedding of someone you dont know very well. Very amusing.
When I got to Turku the Uusitupa's had a sign with my name and we went to their house where I have been staying. They are very very nice and the kids are trying to teach me Finnish. I can count from 2-10 and say a few other things like good night and car and mouse. I've met a few of my grandma's relatives which was nice, and I saw the house her grandma lived in. Most of the relatives I meet can speak English, but some of the older ones dont. Every time I go to meet someone, there is a huge spread of food laid out and if my plate is empty, something appears on it, or if my cup is empty it is instantly filled up. On one occaision, the platters of food were nudged towards me everytime I finished something, until I had all the food directly in front of me.
Anyways, I am writing this at the Turku tourist info center, and they are beginning to give me the evil eye for taking so long, so I will end it here. Hopefully I can get a hold of Johanna today and go to Jyväskylä tomorrow. Now I think I will try to get to the Handicrafts museum which is the only part of Turku that didnt burn down in the 1800's. Ok. I will update again soon.