Finland

Part of Monday and all of Tuesday was spent in Helsinki. I took a 2-hour flight to get there. Helsinki is a beautiful, peaceful city. It is not overly large or with too many attractions, but it is easy to navigate and makes for some good walks.the churches in Helsinki are quite remarkable. I also ventured out by ferry to an island out in the harbor which was perfect for a sunny day.

The Finns are separated from their Scandinavian neighbors by both language and history. It technically is not part of Scandinavia because of this. Their language more closely resembles something closer to the Far East (like Mongolia) and their history includes being a part of Russia's sphere of influence in the past. In fact, Finland has only been independent since 1917. Finns are a bit reserved. They must be very orderly as well. You can't get one to jaywalk. I felt like I could be arrested for crossing the street on a red. The locals sure won't no matter if the closest car is 300 yards away.



I enjoyed the intensely sweet strawberries and blueberries...intense because of the short growing season here but also very long days in summer. Helsinki also has a sizable Nepalese population (go figure) and I love their food, so had to try some of that.