helsinki sans snow

The past few days have been a tiny bit warmer here, the days are getting MUCH longer, and the sidewalks are visible! By the time I leave at the end of May, the sunset will be at 10:30pm. Right now, it is already staying light until around 9pm. I am starting to believe the Helsinki I see in postcards actually does exist in the summer. It's nice because, although I have enjoyed living here all along, the streets look so different because they are not covered in ice and the city has started cleaning up all the pebbles and dirt they sprinkle on on the sidewalks during the winter.