From Russia with Love? July 30, 2006
We were picked up at 6AM and dropped at the train station at 6:10. Our train left at 7:30. I now really suspect that the travel agency could not wait to get rid of us. Luckily the station had a café open and we were able to get a cup of coffee while we waited.
We found the train, got settled in and were glad to pull out of the station on time. We didn’t have any problems at either the Russian or Finnish borders with Immigration / Customs and the train pulled into Helsinki on time at around 12:30PM.
Now the work begins. We start a new chapter in our odyssey today. From now on we will not use travel agents and guides. The immediate meaning of this was we had to find our own way to the hotel. You may think to just take a taxi but when your traveling for six months it becomes necessary to economize every chance you can. (You may remember me writing about sink laundry. We’re still doing it and it becomes less fun each time.) We walked the 15 minutes to the hotel carrying our 50 pound packs and constantly making sure we weren’t headed the wrong way. The last thing we wanted was to walk an extra meter. A nice gentleman stopped and gave us directions after asking our destination and we were there and checked in before we knew it. The Sokos Presidinti is in downtown Helsinki and only minutes from the harbor, museums and other points of interest.
After dropping the bags we headed for lunch and some exploring. Lunch was at a local fast food place because even though we knew Finland and Scandinavia in general are expensive, we had sticker shock when we looked at menus in some of the restaurants that we passed. Luckily the fast food was good but at 13.20 Euros (approx US$16) not too cheap by the fast food standards we are use to. I think tomorrow we will start eating out of the grocery store.
Our next stop was the local travel info office to get information about some of the things we want to do here and also find out about the ferries to Estonia and then on to Stockholm. That done we moved on to the public market on the quay. (The quay is the solid ground immediately adjacent to the harbor and can usually be used for docking boats or ships.) The market made us think of a focused flea market. There were the usual souvenirs for sale, although these were actually pretty good, and then there were furs. Reindeer hides with hair still on and artic fox furs. We are not fur experts but these looked to be nice quality hides. It certainly gives the market here a distinct look to see tables of hides stacked next to tables of refrigerator magnets and t-shirts.
We checked into the ferry office and found out we were going to have to look further which I will do on the net when I finish this log. We then took a scenic harbor cruise which is why we do our own laundry and don’t take taxis so we have money to do the fun things. The cruise was great. It’s a sunny day here probably 70 F (20 C) but with the wind coming of the water it can feel like 55 or so.
Helsinki is a beautiful city and seems to be a good blend of old and new. The city has a youthful energetic feel with people in the parks and sidewalk cafes and street musicians and performers scattered here and there. We are told they live for these kinds of days here as the summer is short and the winter can be brutal. Although, even in the winter they are an outdoor people with ice skating, X-country skiing and ice fishing being favorite activities. Helsinki is on the Bay of Finland and the water has a low salinity level which helps it to freeze solid early in the winter. They have a large fleet of ice breakers here, the largest of which can break through ice up to 16 feet thick (5 meters). We passed closely by these moored vessels during our cruise and they are most impressive to see.
It’s a little after 9PM; the laundry is done and now so is the log. As soon as I research the ferries I’m going to bed, Holly is already asleep. The alarm that went off at 5AM this morning seems like a long time ago.
We found the train, got settled in and were glad to pull out of the station on time. We didn’t have any problems at either the Russian or Finnish borders with Immigration / Customs and the train pulled into Helsinki on time at around 12:30PM.
Now the work begins. We start a new chapter in our odyssey today. From now on we will not use travel agents and guides. The immediate meaning of this was we had to find our own way to the hotel. You may think to just take a taxi but when your traveling for six months it becomes necessary to economize every chance you can. (You may remember me writing about sink laundry. We’re still doing it and it becomes less fun each time.) We walked the 15 minutes to the hotel carrying our 50 pound packs and constantly making sure we weren’t headed the wrong way. The last thing we wanted was to walk an extra meter. A nice gentleman stopped and gave us directions after asking our destination and we were there and checked in before we knew it. The Sokos Presidinti is in downtown Helsinki and only minutes from the harbor, museums and other points of interest.
After dropping the bags we headed for lunch and some exploring. Lunch was at a local fast food place because even though we knew Finland and Scandinavia in general are expensive, we had sticker shock when we looked at menus in some of the restaurants that we passed. Luckily the fast food was good but at 13.20 Euros (approx US$16) not too cheap by the fast food standards we are use to. I think tomorrow we will start eating out of the grocery store.
Our next stop was the local travel info office to get information about some of the things we want to do here and also find out about the ferries to Estonia and then on to Stockholm. That done we moved on to the public market on the quay. (The quay is the solid ground immediately adjacent to the harbor and can usually be used for docking boats or ships.) The market made us think of a focused flea market. There were the usual souvenirs for sale, although these were actually pretty good, and then there were furs. Reindeer hides with hair still on and artic fox furs. We are not fur experts but these looked to be nice quality hides. It certainly gives the market here a distinct look to see tables of hides stacked next to tables of refrigerator magnets and t-shirts.
We checked into the ferry office and found out we were going to have to look further which I will do on the net when I finish this log. We then took a scenic harbor cruise which is why we do our own laundry and don’t take taxis so we have money to do the fun things. The cruise was great. It’s a sunny day here probably 70 F (20 C) but with the wind coming of the water it can feel like 55 or so.
Helsinki is a beautiful city and seems to be a good blend of old and new. The city has a youthful energetic feel with people in the parks and sidewalk cafes and street musicians and performers scattered here and there. We are told they live for these kinds of days here as the summer is short and the winter can be brutal. Although, even in the winter they are an outdoor people with ice skating, X-country skiing and ice fishing being favorite activities. Helsinki is on the Bay of Finland and the water has a low salinity level which helps it to freeze solid early in the winter. They have a large fleet of ice breakers here, the largest of which can break through ice up to 16 feet thick (5 meters). We passed closely by these moored vessels during our cruise and they are most impressive to see.
It’s a little after 9PM; the laundry is done and now so is the log. As soon as I research the ferries I’m going to bed, Holly is already asleep. The alarm that went off at 5AM this morning seems like a long time ago.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 11:28 AM
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