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.