13 August 2007
Wasn’t it Ben Franklin who said “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Ben was a moron! It just makes you tired. We were up at 4:00 and took a van service to the airport at 5:20 because we watched the 5:15 shuttle bus pull out as we were waiting to check out. But that was OK. The van was very convenient.
Heathrow check-in was unexpectedly smooth perhaps because of the unspeakable hour of the morning. We made it through security and without much of either a line or a hassle. But my anxiety ramped up a bit (maybe my sister Peggy and I have some of the same travel genes) when I went to locate the gate on the big “where’s your gate board” and our flight was listed but under gate it flashed “to be posted at 6:50.” You wouldn’t think this was a cause for alarm but our boarding pass said we had to check in at the gate no later than 7:05 for our 7:30 flight. Not a problem so far right? Then I saw the big notices giving the estimated walking time to the various gates from where we were standing. Some of them were 15 minutes. The old my glass is half empty mindset kicked in and I began to think: what if the walk traffic gets backed up on the moving walkway? What if the wheel on my well packed suitcase comes off? What if I blow out a tennis shoe or get mugged or there is an earthquake, etc.
Fret not we made it with time to spare. The Finnaire flight went very well. The passenger in the row behind me talked on the cell phone in some language I did not recognize (which would be all of them but English, French and Spanish) but then he talked to his seatmate in a rather thick English accent and was not thrilled at all with British Airways. Evidently he had flown BA 14 consecutive times (he repeated this several times for emphasis) and they lost his luggage each time. Nice man but I think a dozen or so would have been my “let’s try a different airline” point. Breakfast was a tomato and basil omelet with a side of ham, broccoli and a potato mush stick kind of thing (tasted a bit like the potato pancakes my mother used to make from the left over “I made far too many” mashed potatoes. Penny and I enjoy, but would rarely order, unusual breakfast foods. It was very tasty.
We landed in Helsinki about 12:30 local time and gathered our luggage and stopped at the tourist kiosk and confirmed information for catching the Finnaire bus from the airport to the central railway station (I know it was a bus). The ride was comfortable but the windows had some kind of dark horizontal stripes that prevented me from seeing out very well. We had a short 10 minute walk (not including the obligatory pauses on the corners to consult the map and look ever-so-much like all of the other tourists) to the Sokos Hotel Presidentti where we were greeted by a very nice lady and we checked into this lovely room.
We got our bearing, sighed, tore out the Helsinki portion of the guidebook, got the camera and then headed out for the walk to market square to catch the bus tour of the city. Headphones provided a running commentary with sound effects in about 8 languages. I chose English. To prove I was paying attention, some Helsinki facts.
1. There are more saunas (pronounced sow-nuhs) than there are people in Finland. Most Finns take at least one sauna a week.
2. Finland has the highest per-capita library cardholders in the world.
3. Helsinki makes some 85% of all the world’s icebreaker ships.
4. Virtually every person in Finland has a cell phone (most are Nokia – pronounced KNOCK-key-uh)
Our bus took us past most of the major sights including the oldest Evangelical Lutheran church
Wasn’t it Ben Franklin who said “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Ben was a moron! It just makes you tired. We were up at 4:00 and took a van service to the airport at 5:20 because we watched the 5:15 shuttle bus pull out as we were waiting to check out. But that was OK. The van was very convenient.
Heathrow check-in was unexpectedly smooth perhaps because of the unspeakable hour of the morning. We made it through security and without much of either a line or a hassle. But my anxiety ramped up a bit (maybe my sister Peggy and I have some of the same travel genes) when I went to locate the gate on the big “where’s your gate board” and our flight was listed but under gate it flashed “to be posted at 6:50.” You wouldn’t think this was a cause for alarm but our boarding pass said we had to check in at the gate no later than 7:05 for our 7:30 flight. Not a problem so far right? Then I saw the big notices giving the estimated walking time to the various gates from where we were standing. Some of them were 15 minutes. The old my glass is half empty mindset kicked in and I began to think: what if the walk traffic gets backed up on the moving walkway? What if the wheel on my well packed suitcase comes off? What if I blow out a tennis shoe or get mugged or there is an earthquake, etc.
Fret not we made it with time to spare. The Finnaire flight went very well. The passenger in the row behind me talked on the cell phone in some language I did not recognize (which would be all of them but English, French and Spanish) but then he talked to his seatmate in a rather thick English accent and was not thrilled at all with British Airways. Evidently he had flown BA 14 consecutive times (he repeated this several times for emphasis) and they lost his luggage each time. Nice man but I think a dozen or so would have been my “let’s try a different airline” point. Breakfast was a tomato and basil omelet with a side of ham, broccoli and a potato mush stick kind of thing (tasted a bit like the potato pancakes my mother used to make from the left over “I made far too many” mashed potatoes. Penny and I enjoy, but would rarely order, unusual breakfast foods. It was very tasty.
We landed in Helsinki about 12:30 local time and gathered our luggage and stopped at the tourist kiosk and confirmed information for catching the Finnaire bus from the airport to the central railway station (I know it was a bus). The ride was comfortable but the windows had some kind of dark horizontal stripes that prevented me from seeing out very well. We had a short 10 minute walk (not including the obligatory pauses on the corners to consult the map and look ever-so-much like all of the other tourists) to the Sokos Hotel Presidentti where we were greeted by a very nice lady and we checked into this lovely room.
We got our bearing, sighed, tore out the Helsinki portion of the guidebook, got the camera and then headed out for the walk to market square to catch the bus tour of the city. Headphones provided a running commentary with sound effects in about 8 languages. I chose English. To prove I was paying attention, some Helsinki facts.
1. There are more saunas (pronounced sow-nuhs) than there are people in Finland. Most Finns take at least one sauna a week.
2. Finland has the highest per-capita library cardholders in the world.
3. Helsinki makes some 85% of all the world’s icebreaker ships.
4. Virtually every person in Finland has a cell phone (most are Nokia – pronounced KNOCK-key-uh)
Our bus took us past most of the major sights including the oldest Evangelical Lutheran church
which stands in opposition to the Russian Orthodox Church nearby.
The Lutheran’s won as nearly 85% of the population are Lutheran and a “good 1%” are Orthodox.
We stopped at the Lutheran “Church in the Rock” which in 1969 was built by blasting out the rock and building the church rather than excavating the rock. It has rock walls. The ceiling is made of a 13 mile long coil of copper rope with glass surrounding it. It is quiet stunning.
We stopped at the Lutheran “Church in the Rock” which in 1969 was built by blasting out the rock and building the church rather than excavating the rock. It has rock walls. The ceiling is made of a 13 mile long coil of copper rope with glass surrounding it. It is quiet stunning.
We also stopped at the monument to Finland’s most famous composer Jean Sibelius. I am embarrassed to say that I was not aware of this. The abstract sculpture looks to many to be pipes from an organ but is supposed to represent the many trees which are so much of the Finnish landscape. I believe the commentary said that 65% of the land is forested.
After the tour we walked around the market square where there was a very tempting display of fruits and lots of some kind of mushroom.
After the tour we walked around the market square where there was a very tempting display of fruits and lots of some kind of mushroom.
We then decided to take a ferry to the Helsinki zoo which holds the world record for the most apparently empty cages. But the ferry was delightful and the walk around the island where the zoo is was delightful. I almost got in trouble with my wife when two young ladies started making eyes at me on the ferry. How young, you ask? I am not for sure but they may have been two. One of them waved hello or bye-bye, I am not sure which but evidently the gesture is inverted here. The hand was held palm up which might have been “give me give me” in the US.
We narrowly avoid a transportation disaster as we boarded the wrong ferry going to –who knows where. As we saw the crowd boarding at the other pier we realized our mistake and arrived in time but at the end of the line so we had to take a seat inside the glassed in (thus a bit warm) seating area rather than the breezy top deck.
After the zoo is where things began to deteriorate – Penny asked where I wanted to eat dinner (lunch had been an ice cream cone). I chose a restaurant from Rick Steve’s guidebook. It was a long walk but I thought since I was planning on overeating at the Finnish buffet that it would be OK. We were passed by several trams (which were free with our Helsinki card that we had purchased) but on we trudged. Just so you will know Rick Steves’ has been moved down a notch in my list of guidebook folks. Either Rick Steves’ directions need improving or the restaurant we were trying to locate is closed. The map said we should be starring at it but alas there was no restaurant to be found.
This is where I made a tactical error. I was still determined to eat something that could not easily be found in US. We walked past many “ravintolas” that were Chinese, Thai, kebabs, an American something or other, Italian. We walked 500 miles in a serpentine route heading back toward the hotel and found nothing but the same ethnic foods you can find on the plaza in Kansas City.
We made it back to the hotel about 8:30 (still bright daylight) and changed sweaty clothes and found in the guidebook a traditional Finnish restaurant about 3 blocks from the hotel – but when we got there the prices were for traditionally wealthy Finnish folks. We opted to keep looking and walked a bit further. We found one place with Finnish food but they were closing at 9:00. It was 8:59. We stopped at one burger place but the outside smoking section was crowded with smokers and the inside area was about 105 degrees. More walking and we decided on a place near the hotel that had outside seating that was busy but the inside was cool and not busy. We sat down and although the service was slow (relaxed?) the food was good. I had grilled chicken with garlic potatoes and grilled veggies some of which I could not identify. Perhaps they were grilled peppers of some kind – very taste. Penny had a vegetarian pasta. We each had a diet coke (very small with ice that cost about $4.75. Speaking about beverages, we have stopped at several places for bottled water and the only brand we can find is one called Novelle and it is a mineral water that has a bit of a bite to it. I am OK with it but Penny does not care for it at all.
As we ate dinner we could see out the front window to the large plaza area. Two sisters (perhaps 4 and 6) were playing a game as they waited for their parents. The game brought back childhood memories. Did any of you play red-light green-light? The name was perhaps different but the rules were the same. One girl hid her eyes while the other stood 40 feet or so way. The second girl could advance but had to stop and stand still if the first girl was looking. If the first girl saw her moving she had to go back and start over again.
14 August 2007
I woke up about 4:30. Now this is something unusual for me. I am not sure if the time change, the racing thoughts, or the slightly warmer than comfortable room is at work. But after tossing and waking up Penny a couple of time she suggested I shower. I did. The tub/shower here in the hotel requires a small step ladder to get into. It is up in the air with a very high side. However, it is very clean with plenty of hot water.
We made our way to the 3rd floor where the included breakfast is served. There we found a smorgasbord of food, cultures and languages. Nothing two different from what you might find to eat in KC, perhaps not on a breakfast buffet however. There was a large selection of cold cuts and tomatoes, lettuce and pickles and people were eating sandwiches. I did try the rye porridge which was next to the scrambled eggs. It had the look and consistency of malt-o-meal but a distinctly different taste (like rye shockingly enough.) The berry salad in my yogurt was good but there were berries that I believe are the ones that were described in Rick’s book as “explosive little red berries”. I have been looking forward to trying the European sausages that I remember. Next to the bacon were sausages but I was disappointed to find that these came direct from Vienna.
About 8:30 a.m. we headed to the market square area to catch the water bus to Suomenlinna harbor fortress which has been called the Gibraltar of the North. We watched a wide screen video describing the history of the fort. We also walked around the islands. It was very quiet and peaceful.
Make a note to yourself: When in Finland if the weather report says partly cloudy, take an umbrella and buy a life vest. While we were watching the movie it began to rain. As we waited for the waterbus I was reminded of the Garth Book lyric that says “and the thunder rolled.” I did not see much lightening but man did the sound of the thunder echo. When the boat arrived, a couple of people got off and those of us waiting to get on the boat rushed from the cover to the pier. Just as we got there, a whole group of Oriental tourists started slowly getting off. Each would come to the door look out and stop and then open the umbrella (which at least most were carrying) paused again and then slowly rambled off. It was a long process as the rest of us stood in the rain. We were a bit damp.
Back on the mainland we decided to just go to the hotel. The rain was steady but not hard. The streets were full of folks. The mothers were pushing babies in the strollers which all had rain covers that encased the babies.
We got to the corner where Stockman’s “if Stockman’s doesn’t have it you don’t need it” department store is located and we decided to cut through the store to stay out of the rain for a block. It is a huge store. We made it back to the hotel and have dried out mostly and it is no longer raining. We will check out shortly and walk to the pier.
Helsinki has been wonderful and almost feels like home even though we have only been here 25 hours or so. We have seen much of the center of the city and walked most of that.
Ray
We narrowly avoid a transportation disaster as we boarded the wrong ferry going to –who knows where. As we saw the crowd boarding at the other pier we realized our mistake and arrived in time but at the end of the line so we had to take a seat inside the glassed in (thus a bit warm) seating area rather than the breezy top deck.
After the zoo is where things began to deteriorate – Penny asked where I wanted to eat dinner (lunch had been an ice cream cone). I chose a restaurant from Rick Steve’s guidebook. It was a long walk but I thought since I was planning on overeating at the Finnish buffet that it would be OK. We were passed by several trams (which were free with our Helsinki card that we had purchased) but on we trudged. Just so you will know Rick Steves’ has been moved down a notch in my list of guidebook folks. Either Rick Steves’ directions need improving or the restaurant we were trying to locate is closed. The map said we should be starring at it but alas there was no restaurant to be found.
This is where I made a tactical error. I was still determined to eat something that could not easily be found in US. We walked past many “ravintolas” that were Chinese, Thai, kebabs, an American something or other, Italian. We walked 500 miles in a serpentine route heading back toward the hotel and found nothing but the same ethnic foods you can find on the plaza in Kansas City.
We made it back to the hotel about 8:30 (still bright daylight) and changed sweaty clothes and found in the guidebook a traditional Finnish restaurant about 3 blocks from the hotel – but when we got there the prices were for traditionally wealthy Finnish folks. We opted to keep looking and walked a bit further. We found one place with Finnish food but they were closing at 9:00. It was 8:59. We stopped at one burger place but the outside smoking section was crowded with smokers and the inside area was about 105 degrees. More walking and we decided on a place near the hotel that had outside seating that was busy but the inside was cool and not busy. We sat down and although the service was slow (relaxed?) the food was good. I had grilled chicken with garlic potatoes and grilled veggies some of which I could not identify. Perhaps they were grilled peppers of some kind – very taste. Penny had a vegetarian pasta. We each had a diet coke (very small with ice that cost about $4.75. Speaking about beverages, we have stopped at several places for bottled water and the only brand we can find is one called Novelle and it is a mineral water that has a bit of a bite to it. I am OK with it but Penny does not care for it at all.
As we ate dinner we could see out the front window to the large plaza area. Two sisters (perhaps 4 and 6) were playing a game as they waited for their parents. The game brought back childhood memories. Did any of you play red-light green-light? The name was perhaps different but the rules were the same. One girl hid her eyes while the other stood 40 feet or so way. The second girl could advance but had to stop and stand still if the first girl was looking. If the first girl saw her moving she had to go back and start over again.
14 August 2007
I woke up about 4:30. Now this is something unusual for me. I am not sure if the time change, the racing thoughts, or the slightly warmer than comfortable room is at work. But after tossing and waking up Penny a couple of time she suggested I shower. I did. The tub/shower here in the hotel requires a small step ladder to get into. It is up in the air with a very high side. However, it is very clean with plenty of hot water.
We made our way to the 3rd floor where the included breakfast is served. There we found a smorgasbord of food, cultures and languages. Nothing two different from what you might find to eat in KC, perhaps not on a breakfast buffet however. There was a large selection of cold cuts and tomatoes, lettuce and pickles and people were eating sandwiches. I did try the rye porridge which was next to the scrambled eggs. It had the look and consistency of malt-o-meal but a distinctly different taste (like rye shockingly enough.) The berry salad in my yogurt was good but there were berries that I believe are the ones that were described in Rick’s book as “explosive little red berries”. I have been looking forward to trying the European sausages that I remember. Next to the bacon were sausages but I was disappointed to find that these came direct from Vienna.
About 8:30 a.m. we headed to the market square area to catch the water bus to Suomenlinna harbor fortress which has been called the Gibraltar of the North. We watched a wide screen video describing the history of the fort. We also walked around the islands. It was very quiet and peaceful.
Make a note to yourself: When in Finland if the weather report says partly cloudy, take an umbrella and buy a life vest. While we were watching the movie it began to rain. As we waited for the waterbus I was reminded of the Garth Book lyric that says “and the thunder rolled.” I did not see much lightening but man did the sound of the thunder echo. When the boat arrived, a couple of people got off and those of us waiting to get on the boat rushed from the cover to the pier. Just as we got there, a whole group of Oriental tourists started slowly getting off. Each would come to the door look out and stop and then open the umbrella (which at least most were carrying) paused again and then slowly rambled off. It was a long process as the rest of us stood in the rain. We were a bit damp.
Back on the mainland we decided to just go to the hotel. The rain was steady but not hard. The streets were full of folks. The mothers were pushing babies in the strollers which all had rain covers that encased the babies.
We got to the corner where Stockman’s “if Stockman’s doesn’t have it you don’t need it” department store is located and we decided to cut through the store to stay out of the rain for a block. It is a huge store. We made it back to the hotel and have dried out mostly and it is no longer raining. We will check out shortly and walk to the pier.
Helsinki has been wonderful and almost feels like home even though we have only been here 25 hours or so. We have seen much of the center of the city and walked most of that.
Ray
2 comments:
In honor of this walk through the streets of Finland, somebody MUST sing Sibelius' "Finlandia." Here's a bit of it (as best i recall):
On great loan hills, where tempests brood and gather,
primeval earth against primeval sky,
We, faring forth, possessed by fervent longing,
have found a throne eternal and high;
The hills, behold, are now a path of splendor,
Transfigured all, and all crowned with light.
i am impressed Pat knows a Finland Song! Wow. Jill
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