Contrasts of Scandinavia and Russia
Day Five – 27 May 2010
Weather: RDF. (Rain, drizzle, fog), 14 C
Believe it or not I slept like a rock. Some of the others complained that the kids were loud all night, but I guess I got the quiet aisle of cabins. I went up to breakfast at 8:30. We missed the earlier rush and had a hearty breakfast. Then we wandered around the main deck waiting for the ferry to dock. It was a short walk through a crowd to the bus waiting for us outside.
Our rooms weren’t going to be ready till 1 pm so our guide, Lesley, started the included tour of Helsinki. It’s a lot like Stockholm and Copenhagen except there are not as many “old” buildings. The guide called it “Get Lost Russia” architecture since a lot of the buildings were designed to replace Russian design. We drove along the waterfront where shipbuilding is still a major industry. The largest cruise ship in the world was built there. Nokia is also a major industry (yes, it’s Finnish, not Japanese. Who knew? LOL). We passed three wharfs with tables on them. Lesley said they were for cleaning mats (since there’s so little else to do in Helsinki, they clean mats).
We turned the corner where a driver was getting a ticket. Lesley told us that the speeding ticket in Finland is in direct proportion to your income.
So, the cops are looking for the Porches and BMWs on the highways.
In the Second World War, Finland was on the side of the Axis and fought against Russia, but came out of the war relatively unscathed. The Russians did manage to bomb their own embassy, and according to Lesley, at one point, the Finnish government asked the Russians to stop bombing because the city was in flames, and apparently, the Russians bought it.
Finland does have the distinction of the having not deported any Jews who were Finnish citizens. It also repaid all its war debt.
No idea if they rebuilt the Russian embassy.
Our first stop was to a church built into a rock. It’s called (you guessed it), the Church in the Rock. Part of the roof is made from copper.
And probably worth a fortune today.
We returned to the waterfront and drove along a topless beach. The fog and cold meant the men could stay in their seats. Lesley told us there was a nudist beach under two office buildings.
Apparently, the fight over the corner office with a view is pretty cutthroat.
We drove past the Finnish president’s residence then onto visit the memorial to Sibelius – the Finnish composer who composed Finlandia. The monument was made from 400 stainless steel tubes (look a little like organ pipes) and the artist was asked to put in a bust of Sibelius as well. She hadn’t planned and didn’t want to, but in the end, the bust was put up…and looks a lot like an angry Omar Sharif.
We passed by some park areas where Lesley pointed out one of Finland’s favorite sports – Nordic Walking.
She calls it Dementia Skiing because they walk with two ski poles but forgot the skis.
Yup. Our city tour guide is a hoot.
Helsinki is the smallest city to ever host an Olympic Summer Games. It was originally scheduled to have them during the War but was re-scheduled for 1952. We dropped by to look at the stadium but it was being dug up and the doors were locked. We couldn’t go up in the tower because there was a swarm of kids at the elevator and it would have taken all day.
Lesley was running out of things to show us.
As we drove away she showed us the memorial to the Flying Fin – their famous long distance runner. The sculpture was in the nude and she commented that his “equipment” was quite small. Granted, she said, he had posed for the sculpture in the winter.
Helsinki has a small amusement park that is closed for the winter. When they re-open in the summer, she tells us that they strap a Swedish man to the roller coaster and let him test out the ride.
This is just an example of the playful attitude the Danes, Swedes, Fins and Russians have with each other. Our guide in Sweden was the same and since Diego is Danish, she had a great time picking on the Danes during that tour. With Lesley, it was the Swedes and the Russians.
We returned to the waterfront and she pointed out the ice breakers. The southerners look in awe. I’m wondering why. lol
From there we drove onto Senate Square where a large white Cathedral overlooks the city. It’s an impressive building but we couldn’t go inside because there was a communion ceremony going on.
With a half hour of free time to spare, we crossed the street to what was probably the only souvenir shop in the city.
I knew I should have gotten my t-shirts then.
We picked up a cinnamon roll for lunch and the bus dropped us off at the hotel, the Radisson by the Sea. We had a few hours until dinner, so we took a tram (# 6) to the city centre. It was close enough to walk, but with the drizzle, it was worth the 2 and a half Euro. aWe walked back towrds the lone souvenir shop and started looking around from there. By the time we got to the waterfront, I realized that the shops were few and far between and had enough sense to pick up two shirts and my fridge magnets at the flea market there. We walked back on a different street and still no souvenir shops.
So, if you’re looking for souvenirs in Helsinki, the nice shop is directly across from the white cathedral.
We took the tram back to the hotel and at 5pm, Malcolm met up with all the Moscow people to collect their optional money. At 5:30 we departed for our dinner with our group joining Malcolm’s group. We picked them up at the Crown Plaza and proceeded onto a special treat put together by the two tour guides. We drove back to the waterfront and stopped in front of the wharves where they clean the mats.
But there wasn’t a mat to be seen.
So Diego pops out a bottle of vodka and cloudberry liqueur (I know them as bake apples).They took us down on the wharf and offered the vodka to the men and the liqueur to the women. I hate bake apples, so I snuck a vodka.
Holy cow.
Having so little in my stomach, it hit me like a herd of reindeer. I actually had to make an effort to walk straight. After the toast, we proceeded to the restaurant ( a spinning one from my perspective) and settled in. The dinner was at a restaurant that specialized in Lapland cuisine and had the coolest chandelier.
The Laps (or Sami as they prefer to be called) are akin to Canada’s Inuit, so tonight’s special was reindeer.
Yup. We are eating Rudolph for dinner.
I don’t like wild game, but I gave it a try. It had a texture much like beef, but the taste was just a little off. Not gamey, but off enough that I didn’t want much. I filled up on mushroom soup and potatoes.
No, not vodka. Actual potatoes.
Dessert was frozen cranberries with a hot caramel sauce. I passed.
It was 9 pm by the time we were done and still as bright as mid-afternoon. We went back to the hotel (I could walk straight by then) and settled into my room. The Radisson was not unlike the hotel in Sweden. Hall carpets need to be replaced, but the hotel rooms have hardwood and are not quite as sparse.
It has a flat screen, hair dryer (in a bag), free wifi in the room and free internet at the business centre. There’s an extra blanket in the closet because the bed seems to be missing half a blanket.
Best part is that the curtains are like a brick wall. Very little light gets in. I went to sleep after 11 pm and it was still quite bright. At 1 am, the sun was well down, but it was still bright (I guess because the sun isn’t that far under the horizon). They call it the White Nights. Very cool.
Tomorrow, it’s an early wake up at 5 am to catch the 7:23 train for Russia.
Oh yeah, not a cat to be seen.
Go to Day Six
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