Welcome. Here's a list straight off to get you going. What - it's a journal, you say? Ah, but isn't a journal simply a chronological
List of Things Which Have Happened
10 September 2008
More Finland - it must look as if I hop off up there every other week. But this was for the intensive Finnish course I'd been so much looking forward to. More on that here, but to sum up, it was enjoyable, worthwhile and yes I made some progress.
This is the Palace Hotel Linna in Helsinki where I spent a night. I arrived mid/late afternoon and didn't fancy the long slog on to Turku and then to Harjattula. I've liked most of the places I've stayed at in the city, ranging from hostels up to this hotel, which is about as posh as I'm likely to want. But I will still try other places as I get to know Helsinki better. I had a reasonably good price on this occasion. So I thought, for one night, why not try this pretty little hotel near the city centre? It's very much to my taste, inside a well worked mixture of modern and the Jugendstil you see here. A small confusion first, when I was told my room was on the first floor, and yes, I went upstairs to start with. I didn't try out the full dining experience but the cellar restaurant is a nice space as I found at breakfast.
No matter how well you prepare, there always seems to be something else you find you need. This time, what I was lacking was a pair of flip-flops. I realised how good an idea they'd be just before I went. I scouted round locally, thinking it'd be easy, but only found one bargain bin in a women's fashion shop. Sorry, but I wasn't going to flop around in anything pink or flowery. However, they were going for 59p. And that was why I never got any, even though I looked at the airport and in various stores in Finland several times. I did find acceptable pairs in reasonably plain or masculine styles, but they were always fashion items at ridiculous prices like 17 euros. For a pair of rubber sandals!! And why did this matter? Because I was introduced to that great Finnish institution the sauna on this trip. And in a proper sauna session you can do a lot of traipsing around, not just between sauna and shower, but afterwards into a swimming pool or as I managed once, outside into the cold sea. That was great. It didn't really feel like the sea, because being the Baltic it wasn't very salty, and also with the islands of the archipelago all around, it felt like a lake side. I can see why they do the cold dip. It's quite a rush, going from very hot to very cold. The best bit is when you come out and get that fantastic tingle all over your skin. Pity that I hadn't learnt the ropes yet when I was at the Hotel Linna, looks like they have a very nice sauna there.
I met up with some of the other students the evening before, then again when we took the (double decker!) train to Turku. It's a two hour journey. And then a 45 minute bus journey direct to Harajattula, which is a sort of estate with a golf course and forest surroundings, on the edge of the sea. Well, it's an island itself. There are several comfortable accommodation cottages like this one (above), which was mine.
The language course was very good as I say, and if possible I'll go back and do it again, but also for all the 'extras'. The saunas. The forest walks. And I also want to see a bit more of Turku. It's not a huge city, but it is a port, and a university town, so there's a lot to see and do. We had one excursion which was a lot of fun, when we were sent in with a load of tasks which of course were designed to make us talk. It culminated with an excellent meal aboard a ravintolaiva - the Cindy, a floating restaurant. Which finished off with the best cheesecake I've had for a very long while - lakkajuustokakkua - cloudberry cheesecake :) If I do go again, I'll book in somewhere in Turku for a few days beforehand and do some sight seeing.
Back in Helsinki, I spent a few days at the Eurohostel. Which turned out to be good value, although one has to accept having no washbasin in one's room, and that the wash rooms can get a little crowded. One new attraction I tried out was the Open Air Museum on Seurasaari. It's not quite in the centre but still on a tram route and easy to get to. It's an island, very pretty and unspoilt, and it's remarkable that although completely surrounded by the city it's remained undeveloped, except for the Museum, a large collection of mostly 18th Century buildings (below), which as I hope you can see blend in perfectly. It was just after the return to school and so nearly empty when we went. The guides all dress in costume, and are a delight to talk to about the place. Especially I have to say the lovely girl we found tinkling away on the kantele (traditional Finnish stringed instrument); it's great when you find someone who talks with real enthusiasm about what they do.
The other big adventure was by contrast on a very wet Saturday afternoon, to see some bands at a free concert in a public park. Which I've 'reviewed' here. This (below) was the scene when we arrived, with the first band just starting up. No, there aren't many people, and the crowd never got very big later on. It's just how it is in Finland. And it was raining, and these weren't well known bands. If I'm perfectly honest, I really wanted to check out pintandwefall, not especially the greatest band in the universe, but a lot of fun. There was shelter, and food and drink, and necessary facilities, so it was okay. But another time, I'll definitely bring better wet weather clothing.
There's still a lot more of Helsinki I have yet to see, let alone the rest of Finland. I walked around a bit more; the city is endlessly interesting thanks to the harbour and the profusion of islands. I was amused by these signs (below). So efficient and practical. Common sense, I should say. They're dog enclosures. Why two? Well, 'pienitkoirat' means little dogs, and 'isotkoirat' means big dogs. Neatly kept apart. Finns really like their dogs.
Apart from the sauna, the other big discovery from this trip is Turkisk Peber. Or Turkinpippuri. I'm sucking on one now. They are salmiakki boiled sweets with a peppery filling. They're not really as ferociously hot as they would have you believe. But the 'pepper' still gives you a satisfying kick. It's the same stuff they first used to make salmiakki vodka, and which home enthusiasts still use, grinding the sweets down and soaking it in koskenkorva. I don't really care for that, which makes it odd that I find the sweets so incredibly morish. Damn, not many left now. But I'd probably get sick of them if they were easy to get hold of, wouldn't I?