Pretty uneventful flight from the US to Helsinki, Finland. 9 hour flight + 9 hours of time zones means the hours flew by twice as fast as normal, leaving our bodies all discombobulated. We arrived in Finland at 9am their time, midnight our time. Despite being fed "breakfast" around 7am, our "night" didn't involve much sleep. Bridget and I were originally sitting like 15 rows away from each other, but the gentleman next to me offered to move so we could sit next to each other. It was quite nice of him. I actually slept for about 30 minutes at the beginning of the flight, and that was about it. Once Bridget felt like sleeping, she tried every posture imaginable, but nothing was comfortable (as is a common problem in airplanes). So, she just kind of sat still for a few hours until we landed. I think she got some shut-eye, but definitely nothing substantial. Oh well, we're traveling. :)
Once we landed, we asked the gate attendant if we could leave the airport. When we mentioned we had the night flight to Singapore, she was like "Yeah, you should definitely leave the airport and explore the city." So, we caught a bus to downtown Helsinki and headed over to the tourist information office. I looked this place up ahead of time and brought a map that showed how to get here; yeah, I was thinking ahead a little. Unfortunately, it was not helpful - the guy just gave us brochures for expensive tour buses... lame. So, we ended up strategizing over coffee (my third for the morning/night/day) in an overpriced cafe suggested to us by two girls with "information" sandwich boards on. They weren't really helpful either. Oh well. Bridget and I put our heads together and came up with a decent plan.
After using the "WC" on our way out (that is what they call the bathroom - which is not always free to use!), we headed to some of the main tourist attractions; churches and cathedrals. There were two large cathedrals that weren't too far, so we went and checked them out. Despite having seen many cathedrals in Europe, I still enjoy seeing new ones. After that, we wandered over to a market area and got some lunch to share. We got salmon paella. Now, paella is a Spanish dish. When I worked in Spain for a summer during undergrad, I had paella at least three times a week. It is a rice-based dish with aquatic fare (typically prawns, shrimp, etc., but I have seen rabbit, chicken, etc.) and veggies mixed in. The paella off the street in Spain is one of the best foods I have ever eaten. It's that good. So, anyway, we tried the Finnish version of Spanish Paella and it was good. Not nearly up to the level of Spanish paella, but good nonetheless. After lunch, we wandered some more and checked out a garden that was nearby and then went to another church. This church was literally blasted out of the solid rock. All that can be seen from the outside is the roof that was erected over the hole that is the "building." It was quite a unique look and feel. By this point, we were tiring a little, so we sat down by a little park and rested for a bit.
The weather had been great all day - sunny with a light breeze. It was probably in the mid-50s, which was fine since we wore pants and jackets. :) However, mid-afternoon, some clouds started rolling in and the sun started to disappear. By that point we had finished the loop we planned to walk (which wasn't too different from one of the bus routes we were recommended), so we caught a bus back to the airport. And here we sit. :) And wait. And wait. And we'll prolly wait just a little more before boarding our last flight. :)
Here are some pictures from the day.
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| Lunch! (Kind of hard to see... sorry) |
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| Helsinki Cathedral |
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| The other cathedral |
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| The church cut out of the rock |
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| Bridget resting in park in Helsinki |
Shoes
Bridget and I have this tradition of taking a picture of our feet. Mostly just to be different, but there's more to it this time.
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| Foot Shot |
And then there's me. I got a pair of Vibram Five Fingers shoes (KSO model for anyone who cares). Here's a better picture.
| My shoes! |
Anyway, since my shoes are just that cool, people often comment or give me funny looks. In fact, I was checking out at the grocery store the other day when the cashier stopped checking me out to ask me about them. The girl who was bagging then walked over to see them too. And the lady behind me in line chimed in because her son has a pair. So, before I knew it, we had this incredibly random discussion in the middle of the checkout line at the grocery store about my shoes. Needless to say, it happens quite a bit. Which is why I decided to keep track of peoples' reactions. Just for fun. :)
So, the most common reactions and typical verbal statements are
Awe - "Wow! Those are really cool!"
Jealousy - "Those are weird", (implying that I am weird
Curiousity - "How do you like those shoes?" "Don't they feel weird between your toes?"
Envy - "I gotta get me some of them!"
Confused - Just give me a weird look and keep on walkin
And here's the tally so far. I'll keep updating it over the course of the trip...
| Response | Count |
|---|---|
| Awe | 2 |
| Jealousy | 3 (including 2 of my siblings) |
| Curiosity | 2 |
| Envy | 4 |
| Confused | 1 |
Anyway, time to go for today. We made it to Singapore, but we're exhausted and I'll have to write the 2nd travel day post later. By the way, Bridget is feeling great, so we're thinking the mono is over! Thanks for your prayers!
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