Day 1 - Helsinki

Once again, as with the Taiwan trip, I had wonky access to a computer.

Saturday, 11/22-

The flight to Helsinki went smoothly with one little snafu - a very large man sat next to me and half of his body spilled over into my seat. At one point, I even used his crooked arm as a book rest while he slept. Otherwise, it was your typical economy class filled to the brim overseas flight.

We landed in Helsinki a little earlier than expected, which was great considering I was to have such a short stay and so welcomed the extra time. I left my carry on bag in the left luggage room, bought an all day tourist bus pass, and headed into the city for the day. Helsinki is a very easy city to manage and most everyone speaks English. In the short time there, I walked around or took the #3 tram. My first stop was in Senate Square and a visit to Tuomiokirkko, Helsinki's most famous Lutheran church.

Next, it was onto Uspenski Cathedral and Market Square, both in the same area. I thought the market a bit blah and too touristy, but what did I expect considering it was in a touristy area. I finally got to sample cloud berries, which are native to Finland and were a bit too tart for my tastes. There was also a bread and pastry stall that had some delicious samples. I wanted to buy some rahkapulla, which is like a cream cheese pastry, but Scandinavian countries are so expensive and how would I cart that around without devouring it all in one sitting?

After eating lunch, I tried to find the Sibelius Monument, but lost my bearings and veered east over near the opera house. A kind gentleman informed me of this when I stopped him on the street.

Temppeliaukion kirkko, or the rock church, was cool, and a christening was taking place, so we were held outside until it ended. Thankfully, I hugged the entrance so once the doors opened, I could make sure to take a photo of the church empty before it crowded with others.

Overall, Helsinki was a great town, but I wouldn't come here for an exclusive visit, unless it was part of a much more extensive trip to the country of Finland. The people are super friendly, and saying "kiitos" (thanks) gets automatic smiles.

I gave myself a lot of time to get back to the airport to make my flight to Tallinn, Estonia. Upset at missing out on the chance to shop at Hemtex, which I discovered in Denmark, I really could've gone back a little later, but due to personal experience, have major fears of missing my flights. I ended up sleeping the entire journey over, waking up a few minutes before we landed.

Once in Tallinn, I grabbed a taxi to my hotel, which was in the medieval Old Town section of the city. Estonia has the unfortunate history of being occupied not once, but twice by Russia. Only in the last twenty years has she been a free country and the relationship with Russia is a contentious one. Ethnic Russians make up 40% of the population, much to the chagrin of the native Estonians who are bitter towards their former occupiers. Being curious, in the cab on the way to the hotel, I asked the driver what his ethnicity was. He replied he was Russian and that Estonia was the true Russia. Okay. That would be my politics for the night.

I arrived at the Merchant House Hotel, which ended up being fantastic in every way possible. Just steps to the town square (Raekoja plats), the hotel is housed in a medieval building. My room had exposed wood beams and original stonework. I took advantage of the private sauna and it was pure bliss! My skin was smooth as a baby's bottom and my mind cleared of any stress. I also conked out on the bed wearing just the robe I returned to my room in!