by Przemysław Opłocki

This year's annual BTJ trip took me to the picturesque land of the happiest people in the world (sixth year in a row) - incidentally, also perpetual coffee drinkers and sauna addicts, where awe-inspiring landscapes, pristine air, and untouched wilderness somehow mix perfectly with a bustling activity of its cities and ports.

It was Finland, of course, whose ports of Turku, Hanko, and HaminaKotka welcomed me for a visit in May of 2023, painting, along the way, a truly vibrant picture of Finnish maritime heritage, which sustains the country's undeniable economic prowess, often hidden in quaint, historic towns.

My gracious hosts fed me excellent Finnish coffee and cuisine while entertaining me with local stories of the past, present, and hopes for the future, sharing concerns and misconceptions about the current state of affairs in the country with the longest Russian border in the European Union.

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