The Good Thing about a Bad Memory

May 4, 2012

Helsinki, Finland

How can one resist the moose?

The good thing about a bad memory is that you get to re-experience the first time excitement of doing things you’ve already done. Case in point for me is Finland. Yes, I lived in the country for almost a year and a half. It could arguably be said I even spoke Finnish during that time. But with the exception of the main church, the harbor, and some favorite food items, I remembered almost nothing of Helsinki, and even less Finnish. Fortunately, it’s a wonderful place to rediscover, and most people there speak English.

I traveled there with Kat and Alicia, my Aussie friends from the last tour. We almost missed our flight from St. Petersburg after checking in while the girls were having their first TGIF Friday’s experience. There was a screen inside the restaurant showing boarding gates and times we were watching, but it turns out they don’t update it regularly. (Which, in our defense, is strange as it’s a TV monitor that is continually changing like it is being updated.) Anyway, when we finally decided to head downstairs to see what was happening at the gate, it turns out the airline was looking for us. We were quickly ushered through security and almost had the whole shuttle to the plane to ourselves. Oops!

There's where we're supposed to be.

 We arrived to our apartment around nine in the evening, and the whole process of checking in the place was electronic. We received a code online when we booked the place and then used the code to open the door to the apartment and our room. We received some information about the place on the TV, and that was it. No people involved. (Perfect for a country like Finland. ;)) If we had stayed there longer than a five nights, I believe housekeepers would have come to the room, but that was it. The apartment was small, but very efficient. (See photos.) The bathroom must have been an afterthought as it was on a raised platform (presumably for a place for the plumbing) in the middle of one wall. A bit different, but an experience and cheap (at least for Scandinavian standards).

Chairs convert into beds.

And linens are stored inside the chair cushions. Ingenious!

If we could just figure out how to make the bed.

There was even wifi!

It’s a wonderful time to be in Scandinavia because the days are getting long. It’s still dusk around 11:00 in the evening, and the moon reflecting on all the water makes it a magical place to be. (Corny, I know. But really, you could be in a fairytale!) We only had one full day there, which we spent walking the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus tour route and then went to the old fortress island of Suomelina, a 15-minute ferry ride from Helsinki.

The sights:

The church was built into a rock. How's that for symbolism?
(Or maybe the firm foundation is on the rock. Either way, pretty neat.)

Sibelius Monument

Part Two.

Train Station (Not sure it's a must-see, but it's pretty.)

Helsinki Cathedral, with Alicia

Group Photo

Off to Suomelina

Does anyone else find this sign amusing?

Oh, Kat

Helsinki's Bridge o' Love

Feelin' the Love

People take this seriously.

 It just so happened that the first games of Ice Hockey World Championships hosted by Finland and Sweden coincided with our two days in Helsinki. I saw the US beat France 7-2, which was fun. It was the Aussies’ first ever hockey game which made the experience that much more fun. And, they were handing out paper helmets and flags as we entered the stadium so we even got to look like hockey players. Or something.

Hockey Bird

Put us in, Coach!

I talked the girls into joining me at a public sauna that evening before getting onto the ferry to Tallinn. We asked where to go at the tourist information desk, and they definitely sent us to an authentic place.  And as it was a Friday evening, the sauna was a happening place to be. I think we were all a little worried to see only men hanging around outside the sauna in towels when we arrived at the place, but after inquiry at the front desk, we learned the ladies sauna was upstairs. It’s ironic to me that a culture with a reputation of such shyness is so willing to strip down and hang around naked with naked strangers. But I like the tradition, and I think it’s fair to say that the sauna brings out a less inhibited side of the Finns.