Hämeenkryö is the hamlet that Muumuu came from. Yesterday we drove over there (only 35 km from Tampere) and went to the visitor center, the old church, and the church office. Chris and Nick, you may remember going to these when we were here in 1995.
The drive was gorgeous - the roads and fields are lined with clouds of yellow buttercups, blue and pink lupin, lilacs, white Queen Anne´s lace, and of course, lots of trees, wild grasses, etc. The sky was the most brilliant, clear blue, and the sun was intense. (note to self: write about endless day)
About 3 km east of Hämeenkryö we left the main road and wended our way along small roads and lanes to the Myllykoulu croft + birthplace of the famous Finnish author, F.E. Sillanpää. He was born about 10 years after Muumuu, in the same township. The house was a simple log house, very small, as they were very poor. In the midsummer sun, surrounded by wildflowers, and near a small brook, it seemed like an idyllic place to live. (However, I´m sure that in the winter, without enough to eat, or warm enough clothes, it would be far less than ideal.) But, it was probably very much like the house Muumuu lived in.
Then we went to H:kryö and discovered a vegetarian restaurant at the visitor center! This was a very good thing, as Peter was getting quite hungry. (I later discovered that it was the ONLY restaurant in H:kryö, so it was doubly good.) We had a lovely lunch on the terrace beside the little river, and then I went and did a little shopping in the Visitor Center (another good reason to have lunch there.) Finally we went up to the little museum that we had gone to before, which is right across from the church. The museum was actually closed while a new exhibit was put in, but the door was open and we went in. A young woman working on the exhibit said we could look around, so we did. Then we went around to the church office, and I talked with the women there and looked in the old books again. I also learned that there is one family with the name Illotu which might possibly be some relations. So I got the name and phone number to call. However, I ended up not calling for 2 reasons: 1. There are no public telephones in Tampere (really - of course, it´s Nokia-town) and 2. I thought it might be a bit odd. Today I went back and got the person´s address, so I can write to him when I get home.
Today, Tuesday, we went first to the museum in Tampere with a couple of amazing exhibits - one of the 1918 civil war, which was centered in Tampere for a time. Tampere was the headquarters of the Red Finns (which would have probably included Muumuu´s relatives if there were any still around then). Of course, as you all know, the Whites won, and it was a bloodbath both during and afterwards. The saddest things were the pictures of the children soldiers, children just killed in the bombardment, the fact that the war was Finns against Finns, and, finally, that after the war, the reforms for universal voting, land reforms, and public education, that the Reds had favored, were introduced.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
North of Turku
Saturday was a picture-perfect day for sightseeing, and as everything in Turku was closed, we decided to take a drive north up the coast. Good choice. Well, we did find out where "everyone" was - out in their boats or at their summer cottages on the coast. We drove about 40 miles up along the coast and out onto a peninsula into the archipelago - a lot like driving in the Champlain Islands in VT, except that the farms and cottages are modest in size, some of them quite tiny, but nearly all well maintained with either attractive gardens or just plain yards that are very neat and tidy.
Driving about 20 km or so along a road through the country, we were impressed by the number of speed camera signs - it seemed that every time the speed limit changed it would be preceeded or succeeded with a sign about a camera! Naturally, that makes for pretty controlled driving - which we didn't mind at all. Also, Finland, like other nordic countries, has extremely strict laws about drinking and driving - apparently the alcohol in 1 strong beer is enough to put a man in trouble with the law if picked up. And the penalty is severe - he would lose his license or an extended period of time.
When we left Turku it was about 8:30 in the morning, and it was a bit cloudy, but as we drove north the sky began to clear and the day turned out lovely. We drove to the very end of the peninsula, where the map indicated there was an inn (maybe there was when the map was printed), and suddenly we came to one of those signs that shows a car falling off a cliff into the water - like at Innisfree in Ireland. All along the road and in the parking lot at the end were parked cars - but no people. We were trying to figure out where they had all gone, as there were no boat trailers in sight. Finally, we noticed rows of boat racks on the ground - like the ones we used to have at Sunnyside for pulling a boat up on the shale, and we noticed that there were literally tens of small islands within sight, each with one or two small cottages on them. We could even see people on some of the islands. Obviously, people keep a little boat - maybe a row boat, maybe a row boat to which they can attach a small motor - on the shore, and when they go to their kesämökki they drive out and hope into their boat!
It was gorgeous and wild - looked a lot like the BWCA with its rocky shores, low scrub evergreens, and blue sky. The water looked a bit different, it was a gray-blue-green color - like Lake Constanz in Germany. But it was really, really lovely. I would love to spend a month on one of the islands. On our way back toward the mainland, we stopped at a small roadside bar and restaurant in the tiny town; their billboard advertised a buffet lunch for E16. This was a really fun experience. We went inside and I asked the waitress (in Finnish) i we could get lunch there, she said yes, but then disappeared. The restaurant seemed to be totally run by pretty young people - and we discovered that none of them spoke any English. They seemed quite flustered by my Finnish (probably my fault, but it might have just been that they were young and local and even when my grammar was correct, it was formal and probably sounded weird), anyway, they mostly stood around and giggled and stared. Finally, I decided to ask if anyone spoke English, and that got a totally deer-in-the-headlights look, BUT the young woman with whom I was trying to converse did seem to think that one of the young men, who had been standing towards the back of the group, might be up to that. He protested that he didn't speak much English (well, maybe he didn't by his reckoning, but his English turned out to be WAY better than my Finnish), however, he asked if we spoke German!! Turned out his German was excellent, so Peter was able to take over the conversation. Later we did talk with the proprieter, who also spoke perfect German, but we never did ask how that happened that they spoke Finnish and German, but little English. Anyway, we had a terrific, Finnish buffet lunch - starting with 2 or 3 kinds off pickled herring, several cold vegetable salads (including potato salad and home made cole slaw), and going on to hot courses of boiled potatoes with dill, rice, some kind of meat (I think it was pork chops) in a gravy, a fantasticly delicious salmon in a light lemon sauce. And, of course, including bread and butter, dessert, and coffee/tea.
I was thinking of what Chris said in one of his Ghana blogs about how tiring it is to be a stranger, and to have everyone looking at you, etc. That's curiously true here - even though our skin and eye colors are the same as most of the population, obviously our clothes are not Finnish, and we just look different. Plus, we've discovered that as we don't know the customs we have to ask a lot of questions, which people find very funny. Like, even in Helsinki, when we were going to have lunch in the little restaurant at the museum, we had to keep asking the waitress things like, "How do we order? Do we just sit down at the table? How do we pay for our meal?" Turns out, you do just sit down, someone comes and asks you if you want a menu or if you want the buffet (in some instances that requires additional instruction. In the museum, there were 2 buffet sections that were similar but not quite the same. You could have one or the other, or you could have both...but we never did find out if they charge more if you have both! We also weren't quite sure if it was considered polite to return for seconds at the museum or the little restaurant yesterday, so we didn't. In the big hotels, of course, you can go take as much as you want several times, you just take fresh dishes each time.
Anyway, it was great fun even though we did get a bit tired of the stares we got from the other guests at the restaurant and the staff. Even the proprieter kept looking at us, and smiling - maybe we were did seem strange, or maybe they just liked having foreigners there. Peter was convinced that they thought we were Germans! Yikes!
Today we're off to Tampere, where we'll stay for 3 nights, and then back to Helsinki on Wednesday to stay there overnight before returning home on Thursday. Tomorrow we plan to go to Hämeenkyrö, where Muumuu came from.
Driving about 20 km or so along a road through the country, we were impressed by the number of speed camera signs - it seemed that every time the speed limit changed it would be preceeded or succeeded with a sign about a camera! Naturally, that makes for pretty controlled driving - which we didn't mind at all. Also, Finland, like other nordic countries, has extremely strict laws about drinking and driving - apparently the alcohol in 1 strong beer is enough to put a man in trouble with the law if picked up. And the penalty is severe - he would lose his license or an extended period of time.
When we left Turku it was about 8:30 in the morning, and it was a bit cloudy, but as we drove north the sky began to clear and the day turned out lovely. We drove to the very end of the peninsula, where the map indicated there was an inn (maybe there was when the map was printed), and suddenly we came to one of those signs that shows a car falling off a cliff into the water - like at Innisfree in Ireland. All along the road and in the parking lot at the end were parked cars - but no people. We were trying to figure out where they had all gone, as there were no boat trailers in sight. Finally, we noticed rows of boat racks on the ground - like the ones we used to have at Sunnyside for pulling a boat up on the shale, and we noticed that there were literally tens of small islands within sight, each with one or two small cottages on them. We could even see people on some of the islands. Obviously, people keep a little boat - maybe a row boat, maybe a row boat to which they can attach a small motor - on the shore, and when they go to their kesämökki they drive out and hope into their boat!
It was gorgeous and wild - looked a lot like the BWCA with its rocky shores, low scrub evergreens, and blue sky. The water looked a bit different, it was a gray-blue-green color - like Lake Constanz in Germany. But it was really, really lovely. I would love to spend a month on one of the islands. On our way back toward the mainland, we stopped at a small roadside bar and restaurant in the tiny town; their billboard advertised a buffet lunch for E16. This was a really fun experience. We went inside and I asked the waitress (in Finnish) i we could get lunch there, she said yes, but then disappeared. The restaurant seemed to be totally run by pretty young people - and we discovered that none of them spoke any English. They seemed quite flustered by my Finnish (probably my fault, but it might have just been that they were young and local and even when my grammar was correct, it was formal and probably sounded weird), anyway, they mostly stood around and giggled and stared. Finally, I decided to ask if anyone spoke English, and that got a totally deer-in-the-headlights look, BUT the young woman with whom I was trying to converse did seem to think that one of the young men, who had been standing towards the back of the group, might be up to that. He protested that he didn't speak much English (well, maybe he didn't by his reckoning, but his English turned out to be WAY better than my Finnish), however, he asked if we spoke German!! Turned out his German was excellent, so Peter was able to take over the conversation. Later we did talk with the proprieter, who also spoke perfect German, but we never did ask how that happened that they spoke Finnish and German, but little English. Anyway, we had a terrific, Finnish buffet lunch - starting with 2 or 3 kinds off pickled herring, several cold vegetable salads (including potato salad and home made cole slaw), and going on to hot courses of boiled potatoes with dill, rice, some kind of meat (I think it was pork chops) in a gravy, a fantasticly delicious salmon in a light lemon sauce. And, of course, including bread and butter, dessert, and coffee/tea.
I was thinking of what Chris said in one of his Ghana blogs about how tiring it is to be a stranger, and to have everyone looking at you, etc. That's curiously true here - even though our skin and eye colors are the same as most of the population, obviously our clothes are not Finnish, and we just look different. Plus, we've discovered that as we don't know the customs we have to ask a lot of questions, which people find very funny. Like, even in Helsinki, when we were going to have lunch in the little restaurant at the museum, we had to keep asking the waitress things like, "How do we order? Do we just sit down at the table? How do we pay for our meal?" Turns out, you do just sit down, someone comes and asks you if you want a menu or if you want the buffet (in some instances that requires additional instruction. In the museum, there were 2 buffet sections that were similar but not quite the same. You could have one or the other, or you could have both...but we never did find out if they charge more if you have both! We also weren't quite sure if it was considered polite to return for seconds at the museum or the little restaurant yesterday, so we didn't. In the big hotels, of course, you can go take as much as you want several times, you just take fresh dishes each time.
Anyway, it was great fun even though we did get a bit tired of the stares we got from the other guests at the restaurant and the staff. Even the proprieter kept looking at us, and smiling - maybe we were did seem strange, or maybe they just liked having foreigners there. Peter was convinced that they thought we were Germans! Yikes!
Today we're off to Tampere, where we'll stay for 3 nights, and then back to Helsinki on Wednesday to stay there overnight before returning home on Thursday. Tomorrow we plan to go to Hämeenkyrö, where Muumuu came from.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Juhannes!!
Dateline: Turku, Saturday, June 20, 2009
Warning: If you come to Finland during Juhannes (Midsummer weekend) be prepared: when they say everything is closed, they mean EVERYTHING is closed! It's kind of weird and spooky in to visiting a big city and have NO stores open, maybe 2 restaurants open in the whole city - one of them at the Radisson Hotel (go Carlson group), and possibly one or two coffee shops, NO bars, etc. And practically no one out on the streets. We had a tiny forewarning about this when making reservations in March - one small hotel in central Finland told me they were closed this weekend because of Midsummer. Then, Monday, just a day before we left I had a message from the B&B where we had booked, that they were going to be closed, but we could still stay there on our own with their 15 year old son. I think I wrote about that earlier. However, none of the guidebooks we consulted prepared us at all or the extent of this holiday! Fortunately, we prepared ourselves before leaving Helsinki yesterday by buying extra bread, cheese, fruit, and beer. We didn't buy wine, because the wine shop was closed. Now, of course, all shops are closed at least until Sunday afternoon. I might have to walk over to the Radisson to have a glass o wine!
One thing that is very weird to me, is that almost everyone here in Turku appears to be Finnish - blond or light brown hair (except or the women who have dyed their hair black or neon red) with very blue eyes. I've seen a very few people with swarthy skin, but no Indians or Pakistani (there are quite a few in Helsinki), and absolutely no people of African heritage. It's rather disconcerting - kind of like Minnesota squared!
People are very nice when we have an opportunity to speak with them, it's hard to speak Finnish, though, because everyone between age 5 and 50 at least speak superb English. I did have a chance to talk with an older woman at the market who was selling some handknitting. She didn't speak English, and I was able to use a little Finnish talking with her. In the hotel in Helsinki I asked one man where the sauna was (in Finnish) and he answered me in English.
Today we are going to drive out towards the sea - it's too cold to swim, but it looks as though there are some good places or nature walks, so we'll take our raincoats and umbrellas, and try to at least get out and see some scenery and the water.
Warning: If you come to Finland during Juhannes (Midsummer weekend) be prepared: when they say everything is closed, they mean EVERYTHING is closed! It's kind of weird and spooky in to visiting a big city and have NO stores open, maybe 2 restaurants open in the whole city - one of them at the Radisson Hotel (go Carlson group), and possibly one or two coffee shops, NO bars, etc. And practically no one out on the streets. We had a tiny forewarning about this when making reservations in March - one small hotel in central Finland told me they were closed this weekend because of Midsummer. Then, Monday, just a day before we left I had a message from the B&B where we had booked, that they were going to be closed, but we could still stay there on our own with their 15 year old son. I think I wrote about that earlier. However, none of the guidebooks we consulted prepared us at all or the extent of this holiday! Fortunately, we prepared ourselves before leaving Helsinki yesterday by buying extra bread, cheese, fruit, and beer. We didn't buy wine, because the wine shop was closed. Now, of course, all shops are closed at least until Sunday afternoon. I might have to walk over to the Radisson to have a glass o wine!
One thing that is very weird to me, is that almost everyone here in Turku appears to be Finnish - blond or light brown hair (except or the women who have dyed their hair black or neon red) with very blue eyes. I've seen a very few people with swarthy skin, but no Indians or Pakistani (there are quite a few in Helsinki), and absolutely no people of African heritage. It's rather disconcerting - kind of like Minnesota squared!
People are very nice when we have an opportunity to speak with them, it's hard to speak Finnish, though, because everyone between age 5 and 50 at least speak superb English. I did have a chance to talk with an older woman at the market who was selling some handknitting. She didn't speak English, and I was able to use a little Finnish talking with her. In the hotel in Helsinki I asked one man where the sauna was (in Finnish) and he answered me in English.
Today we are going to drive out towards the sea - it's too cold to swim, but it looks as though there are some good places or nature walks, so we'll take our raincoats and umbrellas, and try to at least get out and see some scenery and the water.
Turku and a comment about an interesting custom
It was raining this morning when we left Helsinki, and continued to pour on our drive here. Turku is a big industrial and business city, as we drove into the outskirts and toward the core of the city I was amazed at all the new factorytype buildings and the large apartment blocks. Reminds me quite a bit of Llubjanka )sp= in Yugoslavia in the 1970s. We found our hotel with only a bit of trouble, for once Google map directions were correct, but I had trouble figuring out where we were on the map. We are staying in a hotel right in the center of the downtown, the older part of the city, on what appears to be the main street. The hotel is part of the same chain, Scandic, that is affiliated with FinnAir. This is a bit less posh that the Helsinki hotel. I haven't checked out the sauna yet / will let you know how it is. The rooms are smaller and the bathrooms definitely more Finnish in feel (smaller, everything closer together, no tub just a shower, etc.) The restaurant is not open, except, they promise, for breakfast because....
and, here is the interesting custom, this weekend is Juhannes or Midsummer, and nearly EVERYTHING is closed. Really, almost everything - no mcdonalds, subways, wayne's coffee (the finnish equivalent of starbucks they say) hardly any restaurants (we were told none at all, but we did manage to find a restaurant at a local hotel chain called Sokos, and one at the Radisson that are open. We also found a cafe down on the docks, and a restaurant that appears to be mostly pizza, etc., another on a boat moored along the Aura River, and a pizza and kebab restaurant around the corner from our hotel that appears to be run by someone whose name is Al Nadir. Someone was getting very testy as we were looking for a place to have lunch - I don't know why as it was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon and we had a big breakfast at 6:30 am, I won't say what his name was, perhaps you can guess!!! We ended up having lunch at the Radisson - it was actually quite nice and, by finnish standards, not particularly expensive. The Radisson restaurant (Aurora) is right beside the River Aura, so we had a nice view. As it was raining lightly, it was really nice to be inside looking out!
After lunch the rain had left up for the most part, and we decided to stroll down the riverside toward the harbor. We saw some fantastic boats - including the last 3-masted ship (I can't remember what kind it was, not a ketch, not a yawl, not a frigate, but a ......will look it up and put into my next blog. And another huge, modern sailing ship, the Suomen something. Took several pictures for the boat buffs among the family. Eventually, we wound our way back to the hotel, where Himsel is now washing some pesto sauce of his white pants (with palmolive soap - good thing to have when you travel) and I am about to go check out the sauna. More soon, love you lots!
and, here is the interesting custom, this weekend is Juhannes or Midsummer, and nearly EVERYTHING is closed. Really, almost everything - no mcdonalds, subways, wayne's coffee (the finnish equivalent of starbucks they say) hardly any restaurants (we were told none at all, but we did manage to find a restaurant at a local hotel chain called Sokos, and one at the Radisson that are open. We also found a cafe down on the docks, and a restaurant that appears to be mostly pizza, etc., another on a boat moored along the Aura River, and a pizza and kebab restaurant around the corner from our hotel that appears to be run by someone whose name is Al Nadir. Someone was getting very testy as we were looking for a place to have lunch - I don't know why as it was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon and we had a big breakfast at 6:30 am, I won't say what his name was, perhaps you can guess!!! We ended up having lunch at the Radisson - it was actually quite nice and, by finnish standards, not particularly expensive. The Radisson restaurant (Aurora) is right beside the River Aura, so we had a nice view. As it was raining lightly, it was really nice to be inside looking out!
After lunch the rain had left up for the most part, and we decided to stroll down the riverside toward the harbor. We saw some fantastic boats - including the last 3-masted ship (I can't remember what kind it was, not a ketch, not a yawl, not a frigate, but a ......will look it up and put into my next blog. And another huge, modern sailing ship, the Suomen something. Took several pictures for the boat buffs among the family. Eventually, we wound our way back to the hotel, where Himsel is now washing some pesto sauce of his white pants (with palmolive soap - good thing to have when you travel) and I am about to go check out the sauna. More soon, love you lots!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Helsinki by foot
Some of you know what I mean by that title. Perhaps it should be Helsinki by forced march. Anyway, we did have a great day today. It started out a little rocky, at least for me. We got up at 6 am, having gone to bed at 1 am. I slept fitfully some of that time. It didn't get darkish until after 1, and by 3 it was already quite light.
Breakfast at the hotel began at 6:30, and we were at the gate before it opened. What a fantastic spread - there was everything you could imagine for breakfast and then some - porridge, with butter and cream, scrambled eggs, bacon, two other kinds of cooked meat, little rice pies that looked like small, oval quiches, served with "egg butter" which was sort of like egg salad, then there were cold deli meats, 3 kinds of fish - the picked silt, herring in mustard sauce, and a smoked, peppered mackeral, there were 2 fruit soups, with plan yoghurt and strawberry yoghurt, and there was fruit salad, and green salad. Then there were the breads - everything from small, delicate looking croissants to coarse farmstyle rye bread, and cardamon buns; of course there were cheeses, jams, marmalade, and juices, and coffee and tea. It was truly a feast.
Too bad it was so early on the first morning, because after eating I felt both exhausted and kind of sickish. Jet lag hits me that way sometimes, so then we went out and walked along the lake in front of our hotel for about 30 minutes. I thought I would feel better, but I didn't, I actually felt worse. So we were going back to the hotel anyway to get ready to go out for the day, so I decided to try to sleep a little more, and when I woke up 20 minutes later I felt much, much better.
Peter was champing at the bit to get going, so off we went. I think we really did walk just about all over Helsinki. First we walked about 3/4 of a mile to the railway station to try to buy a map, (we had several, but Peter wanted a different one). They don't sell maps at the rrs, but we did buy a newspaper and some postcards. So then we walked to the University Botanical Garden, just a few blocks away. The architecture in Helsinki is absolutely astounding, especially on a day like today. More later, I think I'll go sauna.
Breakfast at the hotel began at 6:30, and we were at the gate before it opened. What a fantastic spread - there was everything you could imagine for breakfast and then some - porridge, with butter and cream, scrambled eggs, bacon, two other kinds of cooked meat, little rice pies that looked like small, oval quiches, served with "egg butter" which was sort of like egg salad, then there were cold deli meats, 3 kinds of fish - the picked silt, herring in mustard sauce, and a smoked, peppered mackeral, there were 2 fruit soups, with plan yoghurt and strawberry yoghurt, and there was fruit salad, and green salad. Then there were the breads - everything from small, delicate looking croissants to coarse farmstyle rye bread, and cardamon buns; of course there were cheeses, jams, marmalade, and juices, and coffee and tea. It was truly a feast.
Too bad it was so early on the first morning, because after eating I felt both exhausted and kind of sickish. Jet lag hits me that way sometimes, so then we went out and walked along the lake in front of our hotel for about 30 minutes. I thought I would feel better, but I didn't, I actually felt worse. So we were going back to the hotel anyway to get ready to go out for the day, so I decided to try to sleep a little more, and when I woke up 20 minutes later I felt much, much better.
Peter was champing at the bit to get going, so off we went. I think we really did walk just about all over Helsinki. First we walked about 3/4 of a mile to the railway station to try to buy a map, (we had several, but Peter wanted a different one). They don't sell maps at the rrs, but we did buy a newspaper and some postcards. So then we walked to the University Botanical Garden, just a few blocks away. The architecture in Helsinki is absolutely astounding, especially on a day like today. More later, I think I'll go sauna.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
me olemme helsingissa!
what time IS it anyway? we left MSP on Tuesday about 3:30 in the afternoon, arrived Amsterdam about 6:30 in the morning, Wednesday, left Amsterdam at 10:30 am and arrived Helsinki about 2:45 pm. Helsinki is 8 hours ahead of the Midwest, so we are mighty confused. Especially since it's now about quarter to midnight and it's still LIGHT outside!!! \hahaha
MIDSOMMER - the joke is on US because nearly EVERYTHING will be closed by 3 pm on Friday and remain closed all day Saturday for Midsommer!! Well, at least we got here on Wednesday, so we can make plans to get whatever food, etc., we need tomorrow. ]\
I'm going to try to give you some quick highlights of our trip so far
The plan to walk down the hill, take the #3 bus to the Metrodome LRT stop went off without a hitch - well, almost no hitch. There was the little problem that I hadn't anticipated, that Himself didn't want to shower with Corynn in the house, so we got going a few moments later than planned and missed the bus I had intended we take. But that didn't matter, we got to the airport in plenty of time and whizzed through security. We only had to wait about an hour and 45 minutes before they started boarding, so that was good. Our flight was fine - we had the front exit row seats on an Airbus 330/something - great seats, TONS of legroom, but a bit noisy as we were right next to the galley. It was pretty funny because the flight attendant in our section kept trying to flirt with Pete - she kept bringing him things he didn't want (like the USA Today newspaper) and winking at him! I finally decided she was humoring an old man. She was actually quite nice, we talked with her during the landing and learned alot about what it's like flying back and forth across the Pond a lot.
In AMS we found our gate for the Finland flight (a LONG walk) then went back the long walk to the main part of the terminal and got some food. In the terminal they have a section with LOVELY chairs and sofas, so we found a quiet corner and kind of sacked out for a bit. Our flight here was fine - just an ordinary plane, I forget which, but it was pretty clear and we could see Holland, Denmark, Sweden, the Baltic, it was gorgeous!!!
Once we got to Helsinki, we got really lucky. I didn't want to take a cab, because I had read that there was good bus service, and Pete noticed a travel info place. A really nice woman told us about the buses, and we got one in about 5 minutes that we discovered stopped right behind our hotel!! And, it only cost about $9 each - a lot better than a cab, and it was very comfortable. When we got to the hotel they didn't have any nonsmoking rooms available yet, so we locked up our bags and went out for a walk. I wasn't thrilled, because I wanted a big glass of water, a shower, and a nap...but, oh, well. Our hotel is right across Mannerheimitie from a park on a lake - and we walked along in the park which was lovely. You do have to watch out for bicyclists, though. Car drivers are very cautious and polite, but the bikers!! There seem to be hundreds of them and the go very fast. We walked by the lake for a while, it was cool adn breezy, but not cold. However, at the end of the lake (near Finland Hall(, there was a little boat rental place. A very small boy - about 7 I'd say - was apparently being taught to sail a little boat - about the size and shape of a dinghy, with an aluminum mast and boom, and a small sail - fortunately he had a lifevest on because the adults set him out alone in the little boat, and the next moment he was headoverteakettle in the water. There were 2 adults in a rowboat (part of the teachers I guess) and they managed to pull him out of the water and into their boat. He did not look happy!
We walked about a mile or so to a Stockmann's - the big store here - and ended up buying stuff for supper - even I was too jetlagged to think about dealing with a restaurant. Tomorrow we will have lunch (dinner) in a restaurant, as that is the Finnish custom. We also got some beer and wine at the store - prices for the alcohol were a bit higher than at home but not too high. The food prices here even in the stores are REALLY high - $20 a pound for beefsteak for example. Will figure out some more later. Anyway, then we walked back to our hotel, where we got our room. Some kind of rock festival seems to be going on in Helsinki (Nick can you check???) as they hotel is FULL of young people, in various states of decoration, who seem to have just come to town. They're pretty polite - even the ones who are obviously drinking. I guess in Finland drinking in public (walking along drinking out of cans of beer) is tolerated, although public drunkeness is not (this may be a problem for Himself!) Anyway, the hotel is still quiet in the rooms.
We have a nice room, on the western side of the building and with very, very heavy drapes - very important, as it is still light in the sky NOW - and it's 12:02. It will start getting lighter again in about 2 hours I think! So we had some of our supper, I took a shower, and we crashed to sleep about 6:30pm. Woke up about 10 pm here. We decided to get up and read, write on computer, etc., until about 1 and then go back to bed, hopefully to sleep until 6 am. Breakfast starts at 6:30, and Himself wants to be one of the first there, of course!! It is our only full day in Helsinki, so we want to get in as much activity as we can.\
More later, love you all tons. Do send emails as I can check it at the hotels we're staying at.
MIDSOMMER - the joke is on US because nearly EVERYTHING will be closed by 3 pm on Friday and remain closed all day Saturday for Midsommer!! Well, at least we got here on Wednesday, so we can make plans to get whatever food, etc., we need tomorrow. ]\
I'm going to try to give you some quick highlights of our trip so far
The plan to walk down the hill, take the #3 bus to the Metrodome LRT stop went off without a hitch - well, almost no hitch. There was the little problem that I hadn't anticipated, that Himself didn't want to shower with Corynn in the house, so we got going a few moments later than planned and missed the bus I had intended we take. But that didn't matter, we got to the airport in plenty of time and whizzed through security. We only had to wait about an hour and 45 minutes before they started boarding, so that was good. Our flight was fine - we had the front exit row seats on an Airbus 330/something - great seats, TONS of legroom, but a bit noisy as we were right next to the galley. It was pretty funny because the flight attendant in our section kept trying to flirt with Pete - she kept bringing him things he didn't want (like the USA Today newspaper) and winking at him! I finally decided she was humoring an old man. She was actually quite nice, we talked with her during the landing and learned alot about what it's like flying back and forth across the Pond a lot.
In AMS we found our gate for the Finland flight (a LONG walk) then went back the long walk to the main part of the terminal and got some food. In the terminal they have a section with LOVELY chairs and sofas, so we found a quiet corner and kind of sacked out for a bit. Our flight here was fine - just an ordinary plane, I forget which, but it was pretty clear and we could see Holland, Denmark, Sweden, the Baltic, it was gorgeous!!!
Once we got to Helsinki, we got really lucky. I didn't want to take a cab, because I had read that there was good bus service, and Pete noticed a travel info place. A really nice woman told us about the buses, and we got one in about 5 minutes that we discovered stopped right behind our hotel!! And, it only cost about $9 each - a lot better than a cab, and it was very comfortable. When we got to the hotel they didn't have any nonsmoking rooms available yet, so we locked up our bags and went out for a walk. I wasn't thrilled, because I wanted a big glass of water, a shower, and a nap...but, oh, well. Our hotel is right across Mannerheimitie from a park on a lake - and we walked along in the park which was lovely. You do have to watch out for bicyclists, though. Car drivers are very cautious and polite, but the bikers!! There seem to be hundreds of them and the go very fast. We walked by the lake for a while, it was cool adn breezy, but not cold. However, at the end of the lake (near Finland Hall(, there was a little boat rental place. A very small boy - about 7 I'd say - was apparently being taught to sail a little boat - about the size and shape of a dinghy, with an aluminum mast and boom, and a small sail - fortunately he had a lifevest on because the adults set him out alone in the little boat, and the next moment he was headoverteakettle in the water. There were 2 adults in a rowboat (part of the teachers I guess) and they managed to pull him out of the water and into their boat. He did not look happy!
We walked about a mile or so to a Stockmann's - the big store here - and ended up buying stuff for supper - even I was too jetlagged to think about dealing with a restaurant. Tomorrow we will have lunch (dinner) in a restaurant, as that is the Finnish custom. We also got some beer and wine at the store - prices for the alcohol were a bit higher than at home but not too high. The food prices here even in the stores are REALLY high - $20 a pound for beefsteak for example. Will figure out some more later. Anyway, then we walked back to our hotel, where we got our room. Some kind of rock festival seems to be going on in Helsinki (Nick can you check???) as they hotel is FULL of young people, in various states of decoration, who seem to have just come to town. They're pretty polite - even the ones who are obviously drinking. I guess in Finland drinking in public (walking along drinking out of cans of beer) is tolerated, although public drunkeness is not (this may be a problem for Himself!) Anyway, the hotel is still quiet in the rooms.
We have a nice room, on the western side of the building and with very, very heavy drapes - very important, as it is still light in the sky NOW - and it's 12:02. It will start getting lighter again in about 2 hours I think! So we had some of our supper, I took a shower, and we crashed to sleep about 6:30pm. Woke up about 10 pm here. We decided to get up and read, write on computer, etc., until about 1 and then go back to bed, hopefully to sleep until 6 am. Breakfast starts at 6:30, and Himself wants to be one of the first there, of course!! It is our only full day in Helsinki, so we want to get in as much activity as we can.\
More later, love you all tons. Do send emails as I can check it at the hotels we're staying at.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Getting ready
Monday, June 15, 2009
When I got up this morning to go to work I found an email from the b&b in Rauma where we had reservations for this Friday and Saturday. Guess what!! It's midsummer in Finland, and the proprietors decided they wanted to go out of town to their kesamokki (summer cottage). After writing that just about everything (restaurants, shops, museums) in this small city would be closed and the city "empty," they suggested that the would leave breakfast materials in the refrigerator for us and their 15-year old son would meet us if we could give an estimated time of arrival! Naturally, this didn't sit well with Himself, nor me, actually, when I came to think of it! It would be okay if the city itself were open, and if the 15-year old wasn't going to be there, but the combination of nothing to do, or see, and the possibility of having a surly 15-yrold in residence was quite unattractive. So, I found us a reservation in a bigger city, still on the sea, in Turku.
This evening I'll be sending an updated itinerary around to the family - since I didn't send the original to you yesterday, the only one you get will be the current one! Lots more to get done before we leave tomorrow - from buying a new sun hat, a skirt, and packing to cleaning up the house. But, tomorrow morning Corynn will come to do some cleaning so we can return to a neat, clean, and clean smelling house! Our plan is to walk down the hill about noon tomorrow and take the #3 bus to the Metrodome, where we can switch to the LRT to go to the airport - using my GoTo! card it will cost about $4 altogether!
When I got up this morning to go to work I found an email from the b&b in Rauma where we had reservations for this Friday and Saturday. Guess what!! It's midsummer in Finland, and the proprietors decided they wanted to go out of town to their kesamokki (summer cottage). After writing that just about everything (restaurants, shops, museums) in this small city would be closed and the city "empty," they suggested that the would leave breakfast materials in the refrigerator for us and their 15-year old son would meet us if we could give an estimated time of arrival! Naturally, this didn't sit well with Himself, nor me, actually, when I came to think of it! It would be okay if the city itself were open, and if the 15-year old wasn't going to be there, but the combination of nothing to do, or see, and the possibility of having a surly 15-yrold in residence was quite unattractive. So, I found us a reservation in a bigger city, still on the sea, in Turku.
This evening I'll be sending an updated itinerary around to the family - since I didn't send the original to you yesterday, the only one you get will be the current one! Lots more to get done before we leave tomorrow - from buying a new sun hat, a skirt, and packing to cleaning up the house. But, tomorrow morning Corynn will come to do some cleaning so we can return to a neat, clean, and clean smelling house! Our plan is to walk down the hill about noon tomorrow and take the #3 bus to the Metrodome, where we can switch to the LRT to go to the airport - using my GoTo! card it will cost about $4 altogether!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
