My First "Sunset" in Lahti

I heard all about the white nights before I arrived in Finland, and it definitely lived up to the hype. My favorite part, ironically, is the sunsets. These photos were taken around 11:30pm during the first week of July, shortly after Midsummer (Juhannus). 

The beautiful colors last for hours since it takes so long for the sun to set and then it remains dusk before the sun rises again. Lahti has a lovely harbor on Lake Vesijärvi where the colors reflect across the lake. 

While I loved the hot summer nights back home in Virginia complete with lightning bugs, sparklers, stars, and the moon - I could not help but be jealous of all of the children in Finland that get to grow up with THIS.

Lahti: Sibelius Hall

Lahti is a city about an hour north of Helsinki along the coast of lake Vesijärvi. I wish I had taken more photos when I was there, but I was quite preoccupied! This is the Sibelius Hall and home of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. It is right on the water, which you can see through the glass atrium lobby. Lahti is the Finnish word for "bay."
I will call this city home starting in July! I cannot wait. It is the perfect size (population of about 100k), so it has everything you could ever need but is not too overwhelming.