Waking up in Budapest at 3:31... I wonder why I ever went to sleep... or did I? We hopped in the cab, arrived at the airport, checked-in for the flight, boarded the plane, and hit the friendly skies all before sunrise... next stop is Finland: home of Teppo Numminen and the Lingonberries (sounds like a band name, eh?).
As we stepped off the plane in Turku, we were greeted by cool air with a crisp breeze, gloomy skies with a clean landscape. In fact everything in Turku was clean and well-kept. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to explore the city, as we had to hop on the train for Helsinki within the hour... so we just made a quick walk through the city centre on our way to the train station and we pushed on to Helsinki. The train was immaculate (cleanest train ever, even in second class where we sat). And, when the snack cart came through, I couldn't hold back... there was a retro-designed candy box calling my name. I learned that it a Finnish specialty called Salmiak: a strange variety of spicy salty licorice root... totally strange, but I'm a sucker for candy, especially that of exotic international distinction...
Anyway, Helsinki... We arrived in the late morning and had only the day to explore, but we got around quite a bit. Unfortunately I couldn't visit the Kiasma (Contemporary Art Museum), because it was Monday... but I found Helsinki pretty freaking cool anyway...
I went with Kent and Emily to check out Suomenlinna: a maritime fortress located off the coast. We took a ferry to the island and had a hike around the rocky grounds, checking out what it had to offer. After all, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it had to be worth checking out. I think there would be a bit more to enjoy in the summer months, as many of the artist studios were closed and locals were hiding out during our cold and windy afternoon visit.
Back to the mainland... plenty of walking (with our packs all day). I dig it though; when I have my backpack on and I'm cruising around from place to place freely, I feel like a bonafide traveler; it's a part of me. This is the beautiful Lutheran Cathedral in the center square.
In addition to the sites of the city, I wanted to check out the famous Helsinki Design District... Of course, being that it was Monday, I missed out on a bunch of the galleries and regular exhibits, but I was able to check out a bit of the scene anyway. Helsinki was chosen to be the World Design Capital for 2012.Eventually we met up with Mari, a new friend we made on CouchSurfing, and had the best supper of the tour! We went to an authentic Finnish joint called Juttutupa. I had the most incredible Scandinavian meatballs (in brandy sauce with potatoes and beet roots)... totally worth the entire trip to Finland! Mari was a great host. Not only did she find the hottest spot in town to dine; she put us up for the night and helped us navigate the local transport, etc. so we could find our way into town, around town, and back out again...
Finland was cool. I'll go back, maybe when I make my way into Russia... but for now, on to Estonia...
No comments:
Post a Comment