I LOVE Helsinki! I already know I want to come back and visit the other Scandinavian countries. These have got to be the nicest people on the planet.
We had an uneventful train ride from St. Petersburg to Helsinki . I could really get used to traveling everywhere by train and cutting out the headaches of the airport. As we were waiting on the train we met a group of middle-aged men and their wives from the US. They are in an ice hockey league and had just played in St. Petersburg and were headed to Helsinki to play a game. I think they travel for a few weeks out of the year doing this. They were a lively bunch!
As we crossed from Russia into Finland, we had to stay in our seats for a while so they could check everyone’s passport. Once we were cleared to move about, there was a massive beeline for the dining car. Michelle and I finally found a seat and had a few drinks with the hockey team and their wives.
We took public transit to our hostel and had our fingers crossed that it would be much nicer than the one in St. Petersburg – we got our wish! This hostel was fantastic: just like a hotel but with a shared bath (this time with hot water).
Helsinki’s been a nice change of pace from Russia. There’s not a ton that we feel like have to see here so it’s been great to just amble about. We started at Market Square – a huge outdoor market on the water. They’ve got everything for sale here: flowers, vegetables, souvenirs, local food, etc. We wandered around a bit and then took a ferry over to Suomenlinna. It’s a sea fortress that was built in 1748 to protect Finland from Russian expansion (didn’t go so well though, they surrendered to Russia in 1808).
Once we got back to Market Square we got some great seafood from a vendor for lunch. You’ve got to guard you food like crazy from the tons of seagulls flying around. At first it was funny, but it turned into a huge annoyance really quickly.
Lunch!
The weather is just starting to get warmer here and the Finns are outside in full force. I spent the afternoon walking around town and came upon an open air jazz concert. I grabbed a table and a glass of wine and spent the next few hours outside listening to the concert with what seemed like all of Helsinki.
I can’t say enough nice things about the people here – they are so friendly and willing to help. Seriously, every person we’ve asked for directions has physically taken us to the place we want to go. Thank goodness everyone here is helpful and speaks English because I can’t even imagine attempting to pronounce a Finnish word!
Next stop . . . Amsterdam.
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