Day 9 - HEL-TXL

We began the day staring out the window, at the blowing snow outside the hotel, wondering if our flight would still take off or be delayed. But we could hear other planes leaving the tarmac and The Husband seemed sure that things would go smoothly – and they did.

By 2:05pm, when our flight was scheduled to leave, there was not a speck of the white stuff to be seen. I managed to find a matcha latte (!!!) at the airport for 6 euro. I think they used a decent powder, judging by the price and taste.

The flight was short, so Business class was non-existent. The turbulence was the only thing that didn’t make me feel like throwing up. It would have been quicker to fly direct to Germany, but we used a booking agent who secured cheaper tickets this way. I think I’d prefer paying the extra to go faster, to be honest.

We stopped over in Sweden’s major airport in Stockholm with only euro in our wallets and no SEK. I was the first to notice the different currency on the price tags. Still, I managed to use my credit card.

Another short flight (80 minutes to the previous 60 minutes), another bout of fighting nausea, then we were on the tarmac in Berlin.

First, two buses had to show up and take us the terminal, then we were smooshed through a narrow entrance so an Inspector Rex-like sniffer dog could check us out…and then the waiting began. It took over 40 minutes for the belt to even start moving. Our bags showed up, allowing us to head off to our hotel. The Husband credits the ease of his conversation with the taxi driver to my meticulous, printed itinerary which has hotel addresses in large text (in the local language as well).

So! It was easily figured out where we needed to go, everything was going great – until we arrived at the hotel. We were first asked to wait – and wait we did, in lobby chairs. Then came the offer of a free drink. Hmm.

The service manager came out (his name is David) and admitted that the hotel had overbooked! It was due to some sort of system error, but that didn’t change the facts. There was no room at the inn.

“This is not okay,” I moaned.

So we sat down for a free dinner while David rang around the nearby hotels. He got us a place at a five-star hotel for one night only. Sigh, okay. We kept eating. Then – miracle of miracles! – someone had checked out early. From a junior suite! We were delighted. David wanted to send something alcoholic to our room as an apology, but we’re not big drinkers. He did agree to our request for Coke Zero.

So up we went, us with suitcases and David with a champagne bucket filled with ice and 4 glass bottles of Coke Zero, surrounded by small lollies!

An acceptable apology

What an evening! We watched Resident Evil on Netflix (through the TV with an HDMI cable) and just generally enjoyed ourselves.

All thanks to David’s tireless efforts.

Day 8 - Nokia & Helsinki

Eight people awaited us at breakfast today, so I was able to have two croissants and two glasses of apple juice. Then, despite my heavy heart, we checked out and headed over to S’s house for the last time. A squirrel greeted us before immediately running away. At least my GoPro recording session yesterday was not a waste – yay!

We drank some tea (white tea with raspberry flavouring) and chatted, stretching out the minutes in a bid to make our final meeting last forever. Then we headed off for an early lunch at Pizza Koti. We bought a pizza burger (with free drinks!), but it tasted…odd. S and I had 2 pieces each. The Husband had 4!

A Moomin mug, naturally

Took S home. Made excuses to keep hanging around. Squirrels were seen. When S went to the bathroom, my eyes filled with tears and I hugged The Husband, saying, “I don’t want to go!”

But we had to. So I hugged S. We took one last photo. Then she waved us off as we set out for Helsinki airport.

On the way it snowed a bit, which was a little nerve-wracking but still manageable. We somehow stopped at the same service centre from our journey in the other direction. The Husband was unable to fill the tank completely lol. Then more driving…and more driving…

Finally, Helsinki airport appeared. Dropped our bags at the nearby hotel, hit the petrol station (we were served by a guy who filled the tank and told us where to take the rental car – when asked by the cashier if the guy should get an extra euro, The Husband said yes), then parked the car in a rental car company’s space. We found the desk, returned the key and took the covered walkway to the hotel (huzzah!).

The room is nice enough for one night and it’s still vaguely light at 9:30pm. We had dinner at the airport to save money – I ended up in Starbucks with couscous and yoghurt stuff, as well as a grande hot chocolate. Watched Blade on Netflix.

Day 3 - Helsinki

I woke up at 2am, extremely disoriented because I had put my head down for “a few minutes” after dinner at about 8pm. The room was dark and my teeth unbrushed. I stumbled into the bathroom, waking The Husband as I did so. He said he had tried to wake me earlier, but I’d grumbled and the only coherent thing he got out of me was the fact that I’d taken all the relevant pills.

I managed to go back to sleep until 6am. We had to wait a bit before breakfast, which was down on level two. It was very sufficient. They had a large pot of chicken and noodles (accompanied by chopsticks) and one of my perennial travel favourites – a pancake machine! While I waited for my pancake, I spotted the Nutella packets near the bread, so of course I grabbed some.

We left at a quarter past nine to mail postcards (there were two boxes, so I guessed and used the priority one as my stamp packaging seemed to match), then went over to the station to meet S!!

Her train was a little late, which allowed us to find platform 10 before it arrived. My phone phantom-dialled my parents just as she walked up to us – whoops! But I suppose S is family, though I’ve never seen her in person before.

We hugged – finally we had met! Re-met?

Then we frantically looked around for a WC (water closet/toilet) for S, who had been travelling for 90 minutes. That done, I led everyone to Kauppatori which had markets – and of course the ferry to Suomenlinna, Helsinki’s sea fortress (it’s spread over some small islands).

The ferry was cold but the sights were fantastic – and there were so many low-lying seagulls for my camera! I was able to retreat to a warm room when necessary.

And just where are your tickets?

Suomenlinna was built in the 18^th century (during the Swedish era) and was previously called Viapori. Cramped conditions and a rough life made it not so fun for workers and soldiers alike. Scurvy and dysentery were rife.

Then Finland was taken from Sweden by Russia in the Finnish War in 1809. Many people lived at Viapori during this time, in wooden buildings which no longer exist. Cholera hit in the fortress in the 1830s, so that is why there is a cholera cemetery on a nearby island.

In 1918, Finland gained its independence and named the island Suomenlinna. Their garrison moved in and a housing shortage followed. A POW camp was established with 800 prisoners, a crowded situation that resulted in starvation and fatal diseases. There was still no electricity or running water in the 1960s, though that’s changed since.

Suomenlinna is now UNESCO world heritage listed. 800 residents and the Naval Academy now make use of the islands. They even have a grocery store!

Ahem, history lesson over.

We disembarked the ferry at the Jetty Barracks, a pink building dating to the 19^th century and designed to house 250 soldiers. Now it has a café and restaurant – we were glad to see these!

You shall...actually pass.

S and I, cameras out and at the ready (and flanked by The Husband), approached the nearby Suomenlinna Church. It used to be in the Russian Orthodox style, but was converted to the Lutheran style at the beginning of the Finnish era, losing its onion-shaped dome. It was quite nice to look at, though the surrounding trees were still bare and a bit sad. We enjoyed taking photos of the geese we found.

The islands and bridges forming Suomenlinna felt deserted and it was so very cold – my hands froze, but my legs, encased in jeans and woollen tights, were fine. The cobblestone roads made my ankles ache, so I preferred being on the grass.

We explored some fortifications which had gaps to allow for cannons. The rooms and corridors inside the vast stone walls were not lit and so cold that icicles hung down everywhere. The floor was covered in a thin layer of ice that I cracked and slipped on – I got out of there fairly fast! S was braver than me.

A commanding view

We continued our way past various cannons, now more aesthetically pleasing than actually useful, that dominated the walls of the islands and the Bastion Zander. We passed many hills that had houses dug into them – this reminded me of the prehistoric houses at Skara Brae; the grassy hills made S think of Hobbiton.

We came across a cat with a thick coat and a querulous meow, so of course we patted it and took photos. Our attention was clearly desired, since it followed us down the hill!

There was a flagpole on the bastion but no flag. I later found out that they hoist the flag on my birthday, May 12, because on that day in 1918 a flag was hoisted over free, independent Finland for the first time in that spot.

We passed a memorial for something that occurred in 1937 (a few people listed seemed to die 1-2 days after the event). No further details were given, according to S who read the sign for us. I guessed that it was an explosion – I was right.

There was a munitions-related accident on Vallisaari island, resulting in the deaths of twelve people. The shockwave caused earthquake-like shakes in Helsinki and explosions that continued for an entire day. A black cloud followed.

We hunted for the King’s Gate (now we were more than 1km from the quay), but kept finding walls with cannon holes – and a closed restaurant. But then we found it!

The King’s Gate was small and had two drawbridge doors, a defensible entrance to the fortress – and the main one when built by the Swedes in 1753/1754. The double drawbridge was added in 1790. The gate is named after King Adolf Frederick of Sweden.

A gate for VIPs, clearly

The gate afforded quite a good view of the sea and the cruise ships passing by, including a large red one belonging to Viking Cruises. The quay here was closed and the waterbus only stops by in summer.

On our way back to the quay, we passed through the shady and pleasant Great Courtyard, finding a tomb in the middle where the courtyard’s designer is buried. Following this, we enjoyed snacks and drinks at the café inside the Jetty Barracks. I had mint ice cream with my small mud cake. Yum!

We took the 1:20pm ferry and I swapped over to the telescopic lens for the seagulls. It was still so cold though – S and I quickly retreated to the warm room, where The Husband had stayed.

We returned to Kuappatori and found the markets open! I bought a fox-fur scarf for 35 euro. Softer ones were very expensive but I was happy with my fluffy grey one. The woman who sold it to me showed me the different ways it could be tied and worn.

We passed by Helsinki Cathedral again so I could get better photos with the DSLR (The Husband and S stayed back as I did this). I had to switch out the telescopic lens for the normal one because I couldn’t fit the massive building into my shots! S says it is called the “Judgement Church”. Apparently many churches have names like that.

We killed time before S’s 4:06pm train by having lunch in the Ravintola Grande Grill, which had tasty food and a pub-like feel. It was not busy and a nice place to hang out and chat. We then returned to the station and walked. S down to carriage 9 of her train, right down the end of platform 8. We waited long enough to wave her off and then walked away, pleased with the day’s events.

The Husband said S and I got along like a house on fire. I think it was more like an adequately heated house – warm and comfortable. We have known each other for years. Today’s meeting was just a physical confirmation of our friendship.

We stopped by the supermarket for dinner food and here we are at the hotel. I’m trying the chocolate S gave me – and some weird, chewy lollies that. Takes like extremely salty liquorice (apparently it’s called “salmiakki”).

Tomorrow – a castle and Nokia!

Day 2 - Helsinki

We hit Helsinki, Finland at 6:15am and the pilot cheerfully announced that the local temperature was –3°C (ahhh!). I was sitting at the window so I saw a marvellous purple/pink sunrise and noted as we came in that Finland has an array of muted brown colours (Russia had looked intensely snowy).

We breezed through customs. Our British passports mean that we’re part of the European Union (…until the UK officially cuts all ties with the EU whoops) and we had nothing to declare. Our bags were actually the first out at the baggage carousel (I think because they were the last on at Singapore). The toilets we encountered were a little different. In Finland, they don’t seem to have bidets but each stall comes with a water hose (I was later informed that these are called “bidet showers”).

The taxi to the city centre cost over 50 euros. I tend to avoid trains if I’ve come in from a long-haul flight. I was worried we might not find the nearby car rental place, but instead laughed when I saw that it was practically next door to our hotel! Our taxi driver was lucky – as soon as he dropped us off, people with suitcases emerged from the hotel!

Unfortunately, it was 7am and our room would not be available until 10am. So we put our suitcases into luggage storage and ventured out into the cold, vastly unprepared and me in one light jacket (the Uggboots did not help there!). Brrr!!

We ambled around, a little lost and a bit unsure and very cold!! We spent a lot of time finding warm buildings to hide inside, including Helsinki Central railway station.

Ridiculously Photogenic Train Station

We attempted to find a place selling hot chocolates, but amidst the menus promising “coffee”, “chai latte” and something called “kaakao”, it seemed no one had them! We eventually found a place in a shopping centre that advertised “hot chocolate”, though what we received was more on par with an Argentinian submarino (a piece of chocolate is dropped into hot milk and allowed to dissolve and flavour the drink – in this instance, it was frothed milk).

The receipt The Husband took proved useful – A) he needed it to get his hot chocolate they’d forgotten to make, and B) it revealed that a hot chocolate is known as “kaakao” in Finnish. Hilariously, the places we had ignored for lacking hot chocolates had been selling them all along! Oh dear.

We returned to the hotel to laze in the sun streaming through a window in the foyer. That was very nice. But then we were allowed into our “executive suite”, which came with free chocolate and water – The Husband is a platinum member of this grouping of hotels. We also get free fast wifi! And a shower, badly needed, restored us for more adventuring.

Armed with a basic map aimed at customers of a tour company, we set out again. We meant to find the Finlandia Hall but instead stumbled across Villa Hakasalmi. It is also known as Villa Karamzin because Aurora Karamzin lived there until her death at 96 years of age. It is a free museum with space for exhibitions, but there is nothing showing there for a while. It is also undergoing a “facelift” so its looks left much to be desired. But it was a lot more charming than Parliament House, which seemed to be a combination of facelift and war zone. Instead of attempting to figure out that mess, I took photos of the National Museum of Finland (and the passing trams for my brother, Cazy).

Villa Hakasalmi - less photogenic, but still pleasant!

In an attempt to find another attraction, we ended up down near the Opera House (used by the Finnish National Opera and Ballet company) and were halfway lost, but we made it in the end. Our destination was Temppelliaukio Church (aka Rock Church – Lutheran). It was completed in 1969 and is built into the natural rock. The structure is round, has a dome and its exterior wall is made from a neat circle of rocks. Certainly a unique building – though it did bring to mind the parking structure near Finlandia, which was also built into an enormous rock. Well, if the natural geology is that large and impressive, you might as well incorporate it into your building! We didn’t go inside the church, but the Internet tells me that an ice-age crevice serves as the altarpiece.

We bought souvenirs nearby, then traipsed back to the station for lunch (we went to a hot dog place and managed to order food without too much embarrassment). Afterwards, we aimlessly wandered (the map wasn’t very helpful) and found ourselves at a rather impressive building that commanded our attention.

This gorgeous white behemoth filled the sky – the very blue sky – and filled my photos with the colours of the Finnish flag. Its identity soon became obvious: Helsinki Cathedral. What an imposing sight. The cathedral is 165 years old – older than the nation state of Finland!

We descended the steps out the front into Senate Square, which was surrounded by lovely buildings. Quite a few of them (Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, part of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland) were designed by the same dude, Carl Ludwig Engel, in the 19^th century.

Ridiculously Photogenic Cathedral

On the way back to the hotel we grabbed some drinks from the station. I reached for a Coke Zero – and found that they all felt too warm! Ugh. Then I realised my fingers were colder than the fridge. Whoops!

Now I am Coked, watered and very, very chocolated (Panda is the first brand I’m trying and I’ve learned that “suklaa” is Finnish for chocolate). A little tired. The Husband is napping – it’s 3pm here but 10pm in Sydney. I slept more than him on the plane.

Meeting S tomorrow!!! My Finnish “sister”!

Well, technically we met for the first time over a decade ago...but was online. This will be our first ever in-person meeting. :D

Day 1 - SYD-SIN-HEL

We hung around in our apartment in Sydney until 11am, then departed for the train, leaving my brother-in-law to enjoy having the place to himself for 23 days.

I was wearing my Uggboots, fearful of the cold in Helsinki, but this made dragging the suitcases to the station somewhat hellish – and the 20°C weather wasn’t doing me any favours. So we decided on a taxi instead.

After visiting the taxi rank at the station, we were taken to the Qantas terminal at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. Our driver helpfully gave us the departure cards we had to fill out for immigration.

We arrived so damn early, but we were unable to choose our seats as apparently everyone else had checked in online. Oh well, we were in the middle of the A330 aircraft and would not need to clamber over anyone. Much to my amusement, our second set of tickets had us flying from SIN to HEL.

We had Thai food before braving security. I was nervous, but glad that The Husband convinced me to eat beforehand – we had hours to kill. And kill them we did. I initially felt bad about wearing the Uggboots there, though it became clear that no one cared because 40% of the Australians I saw were wearing thongs. Okay, most of them were lining up for Bali, but don’t their feet get cold!?

We boarded our flight to Singapore at about 3:05pm and discovered some decent films on the entertainment system to watch. I kept myself awake and did badly at Sudoku, somehow killing 8 hours in the process.

We touched down in Singapore just as our next flight started boarding passengers. We got the gate number and ran, gasping, from one wing of Singapore Changi Airport to the other. Uggboots and a heavy laptop did not make it easy! And the security at the gate made me take off my Uggboots for screening (I’d had to do the same in Sydney) and we managed to board our Finnair flight without drama, despite the 10 minutes we’d had from deplaning to get to the gate.

I had quite a bizarre experience as I entered the plane. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who looked exactly like me. I’ve never even experienced this back in Sydney. It completely threw me for a loop! I'd always suspected I had Scandinavian genes. This pretty much confirmed it.

We were stuck in the window/middle/aisle configuration, but towards the window which is not ideal for people with small bladders. We tried to get the Finn in the aisle to swap with us. He said he preferred where he was. I’m very sure he came to regret that stance, because The Husband and I were up and down a lot (we tried to sync up, to avoid bothering our seatmate) and then…I had been doing so well at jumping over him…but oh, I failed this one attempt in such a bad way. I slipped, I slammed my butt into his face and hit the chair across the aisle. Oh my God.

“Sorry!” I shouted and ran to the toilet without a backwards glance.

I slept for a good chunk of the 12-hour flight. I think I was conscious for less than half of it! As for the other few hours, Finnair has five times the entertainment content as Qantas, the toilets stay cleaner and we were 15 minutes early to Helsinki. Qantas has always been chronically late for me.

Flying over Russia

PS: Watched Your Name on that flight. Quite a good movie.