around helsinki

following the quick Tallinn getaway i had a morning to relax a bit, sleep in a little later, and after a bit of both i had a few hours to explore Helsinki on my own.  i had a general idea of which way i wanted to head and with katy's recommendation i boarded tram three and headed off into the land of "can i buy a vowel".  exiting at a random stop, i looked around to try to get my bearings.  i had little idea where i was but i know the general direction the tram ran so i headed toward what i thought might be east.  i looked up and saw the spires of a church and used that as my guide.  i followed a cobblestone street to a huge cathedral.  it sat atop a small hill, surrounds by a park.  there were benches to sit on, and a playground full of children and their parents.  the kids in helsinki had not yet transitioned from wearing their snowsuits to play outside.  and every single kid was decked out in a super cute one.  it reminded me of growing up in minnesota, where recess in the winter meant playing outside in the snow.  st. john's (johan's) church was a big one.  i opened the doors and the sound of the playing children was replaced by peaceful silence.  i sat in a back row and took the time for a little rest and a glance at the map.  smelling the familiar scent of incense and looking at stained glass, i could have stayed there longer but it was too nice a day to be inside.  

after asking a friendly finn for the location of a cafe en route to the waterfront, i made my way south-ish, downhill to the water.  about three blocks from the street separating city from seaside park i found the cafe and devoured a cinnamon roll and latte.  window shopping through the neighborhood, i was pretty sure i was edging my way into the design district, where i'd spend time later in the week.  my destination for this morning wast the waterfront.  it was there that i realized the magic of helsinki, at least for me.  like minneapolis, providence and boston, this busy city had a deep tie to water.  and here was the place to enjoy it.  like the parks around lakes harriet and calhoun, this was where people came in all seasons to escape the hustle of the city, and it was right in the city.  hundreds of boat slips awaiting warmer weather, some brave boats already put in by anticipatory owners, wide lawns, a big rocky outcropping, walking paths, and of course, a cafe, made up the park.  this is also the neighborhood the diplomats call home and it was nice to see the familiar stars and stripes outside the us embassy.  i walked north along the shore and saw the ferry bound for st. petersburg, boats in the harbor boasting lunch buffets and seafood dinners while cruising around the water, and all of the sudden i was getting very hungry.  it was time to head for home, so i walked about a half hour, eating half a candy bar i was keeping on hand for moments like that one.

following my solo sightseeing day brad and i met some of his fellow fulbrighters for a small happy hour get-together at a tapas place.  it was kind of nice to sit in a restaurant in finland, listening to familiar accents speaking english.  i always seem to reach a low point, energy-wise, at the midpoint of every trip, and i was at that point and not having a relaxing sit down with brad's friends was welcomed.  we returned home for dinner with some friends and i went to bed looking forward to the next day.  partly because we were going to be playing floor hockey, but mostly because herman and janice were going to be arriving.

so.  floor hockey.  in finland it is called salibandy and it is their national sport.  it is played with a softball-sized wiffle ball and plastic hockey sticks.  we played in a gym at the university of helsinki.  herman and janice, having literally just arrived from the airport, are my heroes for playing so soon after arriving.  herman made his mark early, slap-shooting a ball right into janice's stomach.  the welt it left was giant.  we ran around for an hour, and it was a great way to spend time on vacation.  brad, janice, and i won at the last second, as i totally schooled herman with an amazing shot.

following salibany we walked to the esplanade, which is a long, rectangular park surrounded by fancy stores and restaurants.  on one side it is bordered by the harbor-front where i had been the day before.  i had walked past a small building which i had assumed had something to do with one of the boat companies (remember, "may i buy a vowel" language).  it turns out it is a small market, recently reopened.  produce here was arranged beautifully.  the cafes were full of lunchtime diners.  we found seats at one and enjoyed sandwiches, soup, coffees, sodas, and of course, pastries.  above you see a blueberry tart (amazing) and also one of finland's famous pastries, the pulla.  this is kind of like a doughnut, but way, way better.  light and airy, with cinnamon sugar liberally sprinkled on top.  good thing we were walking around six or seven miles a day this week.  after some resting and snacking at home we went out for the evening, first walking to a sweet little bookstore (think websters in state college, just in a town renowned for its design, if you're familiar) to see a finnish classical guitar musician playing argentinian classical guitar music.  the concert was about an hour long and the music was beautiful.  but we were all tired, listening to the sweet music and we all admitted to being dangerously close to falling asleep; it had been so relaxing.  there were about 35-40 people there, by my estimate and i would look at them as i was about to drift off and i would pinch myself - it would be bad if a bench full of friends fell asleep at the show.  we left there and made our way to a pizza place.  phenomenal thin-crust pies loaded with toppings, and brooklyn lager, which the finns seem to have an obsession with.

 

 

saturday morning dawned warm and clear.  i went for a walk around the neighborhood, leaving the rest of the team to take more time waking up.  on a short, 30-minute walk i saw flowers blooming where they hdn't been when i arrived.  some ducks were swimming in the inlet.  and finns were out and about with their kids.  and yes, the kids were rocking their snowsuits.  we spent much of the day walking and shopping to our hearts' content, looking at the amazing finnish design from fabrics to furniture.  blood sugar level began to drop but luckily i knew where we were and the tapas place from the other night was near there, so that's where we ate lunch.  we covered a lot of miles that day and did our part to sustain finland's economy.  friday night took us to a cafe serving large salads, sandwiches, and beverages.  it could have been on a corner here in west chester - filled with students, loud music playing, people eating with friends. 

sunday was our last day in finland and it was a long one.  we covered many locations in different parts of helsinki.  we had to stick to a schedule to get to everywhere each of us wanted to see.  first on the itinerary was suomenlinna island, the oldest sea fortress in the world and a unesco world heritage site.  a fifteen minute ferry ride from the mainland brings you to this small island, home to about 800 people and an everyday destination for finns, especially in the sunny summers.  it is also an open prison.  prisoners who are transitioning toward being released at the end of their imprisonment might end up here, where they need to return to the prison buildings at the end of every day, but they must find jobs either on the island or in helsinki.  one of the places they might look for work is on the island at the dry dock, the oldest continuously-operating dry dock in the world.  we visited the dry dock and saw huge sailboats waiting or in the process of being worked on.  the island, as i said, is a sea fortress, and there is a wall surrounding much of the island and bunkers inside the wall, which were used as shelter, as well as storage for ammunition.  we walked along the wall and saw the views of helsinki across the harbor.  being at war in this remote corner of the world was difficult to imagine.  the nordic countries did not always get along.  and this fortress speaks to the need for protection - in this case, the swedes began construction and the Russians held it during the 19th century.

herman and i took a moment to stick our hands in the baltic.  it was cold.

another highlight of the day was visiting the rock church.  it is a church built inside a rock.  in the neighborhood near the book store where we'd seen the concert, there is a park surrounded by beautiful residential buildings.  what looks like a rocky outcropping is actually the exterior of the church.  it was an inspiring place, a modern notre dame or st. patrick's, a sanctuary blending modern and ancient mediums.

the week in helsinki and tallinn was very full - food, sightseeing, shopping, time with friends, and travel.  seeing this corner of the world will stay with me.  the trams, the friendly people, the way nature mingles with the city, the cold sea air, and the feeling that the towns were just about to explode with life after a cold, dark winter.