Arrival in Helsinki, at the airport, wondering where the Finnbus was, we encountered a sign for a free shuttle to the train station. Well, say "free" and I am on it. So we ventured forth and were transported to a new link to the downtown train station which is exactly where we wanted to be. The airport link resembled something futuristic from the Jettsons TV program from way back. We paid our euros and went down into the bowels of the earth and found a wonderful fast train that took us downtown. In fact, George read later that it just opened in July. Very cool. After dragging our suitcases (I am so happy we packed lightly!), we arrived at our almost totally white, IKEA furnished place.
After our food needs were satisfied, we relaxed, tried to decide what to do using photos from Grant's trip and ideas from Sheryl's suggestions. Church in the Rock, Temppeliaukio, was high on the list and also really near our place. What an amazing structure! There was a pianist playing and many tourists milling around--somewhat irritating. However, when we returned for the Sunday concert, there was a more respectful atmosphere. The organist played very well--one piece was composed by Jean Siblius, Finland's renowned composer. We recognized it from the concert at the Cathedral. The acoustics in the church are outstanding.
From there we walked to Market Square where there was a grand market--lots of yummy food and stuff. The food looked wonderful and we did buy some treasures. We stopped to listen to a military reserve band play some jazz. Also stopped at the Old Market Hall for a Finnish Fika--coffee and a cinnamon bun. We checked out the Uspendki Orthodox church and George and Kendra took many photos. This is where they did the serial baptisms that Grant wrote about. Stockman department store was next--Kendra scouted it out while George checked the book store and I sat at Starbucks outdoor tables and read. Kendra was right, this Stockman was the fullest shop I have ever seen. The grocery part is probably 10 times the Eaton's one that Beth and I used to patronize in Winnipeg in the "70s. We, of course, spent some more euros.
The Lutheran Cathedral is an imposing white structure. The cool thing is there are many steps leading from it to Senate Square where they set up a huge stage and the "100 Guitars from Hel(sinki)" auditioned to play with a local metal hero. We went to a concert today with everyone in Helsinki and two ship loads of cruise people on the steps and in the square. It was so hot and there was almost no shade--I thought we would melt. After we had a lovely dinner at Zetor, the decor was old farm stuff. The food was good. We went home for a couple of games of Quiddler and then to bed.
Our tour of the city was a Tram ride which took us to many sites including the Olympic park. Hard to imagine Helsinki hosting an Olympic games. We also saw the Bear park. Anyway, it was a good way to tie places together. While on the Tram, a couple of women got on, sat across from us and were chatting with each other in Finnish. The one looked at me and asked where we were from. She was very interested and George told her how much everyone loved the gentlemanly, hockey player, Teemu Selannie. She was pleased and told us of places we might visit and invited us to join her as she and her friend were going for lunch on a small island. Unfortunately, we had already made other plans but it was fun to chat with her.
Kendra left early this morning. She is a great travel companion--we had lots of fun. Yesterday, while shopping, she discovered a book called "Ernest Gellner". Maybe this is a long lost relative!! We are excited about the next chapter of her life. Yay, Kendra!
This our last full day in Helsinki, we are having a relax and will explore our neighbourhood. We walked to a beach which is nearby, enjoyed a snack while we watched some beach volleyball. We also put our feet into the Baltic Sea. People were swimming but the water felt cool to us. There were two men chatting on the terrace where we were sitting. One was from Germany and the other from Finland, they were conversing in English. Rick Steves is right!
Hel Yeah!!! This is a great city. By the end of Monday plus some extra hours, we will be in Ottawa. It has been an amazing, magical month. Yay!
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