Once again we had a fantastic SYLRA-meeting (Scandinavia Young Lady Radio Amateur).

This time it took place in Finland, in August 11-14 2011. Porvoo was the name of the town, one of the eldest town in Finland which was founded 1380. In the middle of the town there are many old wooden houses painted in many different colours. From Helsinki (the capital of Finland) are there only 50 miles to go to this beautiful old town.

Thursday was time for hugs. What a wonderful experience to meet all the YLs and we were of course in good spirits. We met at the dinner table during the evening, listened to all the stories we have to tell. And - of course – our OMs had stories to tell as well. 26 YLs plus 9 OMs from 10 countries were represented.

Friday was time for YL forum. Annika OH2HSJ, Memma OH1EG and Marita OH5KIZ were the organizers. We were all dressed in a beautiful dark blue Tshirt with logo, nice looking young ladies. We made our reports for the last two years. Then introduction of each YL. Unni LA6RHA showed us a film she had made about her trip to Shetland 2010. Ingrid LA8FOA talked about the YL-expedition in Greenland 2010 (we were all five YLs at the SYLRA-meeting). A bus picked us up. Now we were taken to a wood where Annika's parents had invited us to a grill party. They lived in a beautiful place in this wood. With food and wine and company we enjoyed the party and we all felt that we have known each other for ever. They had hired a rock orchestra and you bet we were dancing. When the bus returned we were in high spirits. The evening was fantastic.

Saturday was early up in the morning. OK I must admit that I have difficult to wake up in the morning, but Sharron, ZL3EA, spoiled me, brought me coffee in bed every day and it turned out to be wonderful mornings, hi hi. The bus picked us up and we went on sightseeing surrounding Porvoo. We were shown a mansion house, Malmgaard, which family has been there for 14 generations. There was a brewery too and of course we had to test the beer. We drove to another mansion house where we had a delicious lunch. The countess herself served us. As she said:" We have to take in tourists as it is very, very expensive to keep". Rutumi Mansion was built in 1724 but restored beautifully. It is also popular for wedding, and I can just imagine how to be a guest at a wedding party there. The last mansion house which we visited was fashionable. its time started in 1356 and year after year the famous people pay the Haikku Mansion a visit. The Tsars from Russia dropped in very often. Today it works as a very fine and expensive hotel. We had our afternoon coffee served with a delicious cake. Then back to Poorvoo to hear the history of the town. What a lovely day with lots of histories. Now gala dinner. But first there were some YLs who would like to get rid of their champagne. They invited for a drink to their room. 26 persons in one little hotel room – always place for one more, hi hi.- and we had fun. The gala dinner was as usually nice, cosy and fun. We had buffet with many different Finish dishes. It tasted so nice. Marko OH2LRD told us about the radio amateur's work in Finland. I noticed they had a summer camp for young people to become a radio amateur. What a good idea!!!

Sunday Time to say goodbye after breakfast. Always difficult. We all agreed that the Finish YLs had made a marvellous job. Everything was perfect. Next meeting is in Roskilde, Denmark in 2013.

But together with the 3 Finnish YLs, Sharron ZL3AE and Inger OZ7AGR went on for a two day YL expedition in the Liesjärvi National Park, about 60 miles North of Helsinki. Our OMs Glenn ZL3GL and Bjarne OZ2UV joined us. That was a big experience. It was very primitive with no lights, water and a outdoor toilet. We knew all this beforehand. We felt like playful girl guides. We made our dinner at the fireplace, and just besides there was a beautiful lake with a lot of lotus'. No huts without a sauna which we made use of. There was a hut where the four "guests" slept. But the radio was in a tent and running by a generator. Thanks to Rami OH3BHL and Ari OH5VA as everything about radio was settle before we arrived as we only had two days. We were able to start immediately We were quite busy calling CQ and the SYLRA-meeting 2011 in Finland ended up with 1000 qso's from countries all over the world with the callsign OH2YLS.

Thank you to the Finish YLs: Annika, Marita and Memma

73 33 88 Inger OZ7AGR