Helsinki, Finland

For some reason, I booked a crazy early ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki.  It was probably the cheapest, knowing myself.  But I got there early anyway and was just generally confused.  Follow the crowd, follow the crowd!!  The crowd managed to get me onto the boat.  

Once aboard I found a corner window bench (padded!) near the slot machines, which, thankfully, were not used until near the end of the trip.  Kind of a boring trip over, no islands to look at, just open water. Which looks like open water everywhere.  I'm not even sure if I took any photos. 

Looks like I took a couple...

It's a really big ferry, cruise ship size

Me, my stuff and a slot machine

Helsinki, first view

I got into Helsinki before 11 am but fortunately I was booked into an actual hotel where I could dump my backpack.  I took a cab, such decadence!  As we were driving to the hotel, I noticed a street market.  Since I had nowhere to go or be, I walked back there from the hotel. 

Ok, people.  Helsinki is a MAJOR thrift city.  I mean, you cannot understand unless you've been here.  I arrived on a Saturday.  There are public markets all over the city on the weekends. And really good thrift stores everywhere all week.  To give you can idea about how into thrift they are, there is a second hand store in the AIRPORT!!   

But my first public market was a revelation.  And, of course, a problem, the best kind of problem.  As always I had brought a packable duffle.  I decided it was time to unpack that second bag.  I only had to get to the airport and then I could store it at the Intrepid hotel while I was on my tour (please keep this sentence in mind for when we get to Reykjavik... the best laid plans of mice and Joanne...)

My very first stall was just a woman selling her designer clothes.  I saw a sweater.  She saw me.  She said 'this sweater would look great on you'.  I agreed.  Wool.  Make in Italy.  8 euro.  I wore that sweater all over Iceland, it was/is so warm!!   And while I was there, she also said 'this vintage leather jacket is a great colour for you.  I agreed.  15 euro.  

Some of the stalls were really expensive but the stalls with normal people selling their stuff was crazy!  I bought another sweater (made in Germany), a linen tank top that Lea may end up with since it literally takes two people to put it on.    So, two bulky sweaters, a bulky jacket and a reasonably small top.  

That first market

My lunch date

After lunch, I figured I could get into my hotel room and get rid of my bulky bag full of bulky sweaters.  But alas, I passed a thrift store, a huge thrift store.  

Before I left Canada, Val, the queen of thrifters, had told me to look out for an Icelandic sweater while in Helsinki.  So, that's what I did. And I found one!!  22 euro!!

Is this not awesome!

Not to get too far ahead of the story but once in Iceland, Icelandic sweaters are VERY expensive.  I found this very brand, not even a cardigan 459000 krona, which is like $550 Canadian.  So, I am very happy with this find. 

I was also looking for a winter coat, or at least a waterproof rain jacket.   I did not find these, at least nothing I liked.  I figured I could make due with my fleece and water-resistant jacket.  (It was fine).  I also bought a blouse there.  

I finally made it back to the hotel and just stayed in for the rest of the evening.  Next day, I had a moose safari booked.  But it was later so I wandered around the city.  Sundays are also public market days!!  A skirt and earrings at a 'pay what you want' booth that was 'on the honour system'.  Love it!  And a cool t-shirt by a local artist.  My second bag was full now. 

Walking through the city on the way to my meeting point for my Finland Moose Safari!  I may have spent some time in yet another cemetery.

While I was wandering around, a woman asked me if I was looking for Tove Jannson's grave.  I had no idea who Tove Jannson was so I said no.  Turns out Tove Jannson is the creator of the Moomins.  I also did not know what a Moomin was but once she told me, I had seen them EVERYWHERE.  They were a series of children's books that had analogies to the various occupations.  I don't think anyone wrote anything anywhere in this area that wasn't related to the some sort of occupation of the country.  

Anyway, now there are entire stores for Moomin products.  Tove's family has really hit the jackpot selling the Moomin image to anyone or anything that wants to slap it on their product.  

This was in the grocery store.  It wasn't even a special 
Moomin shelf. It was just a sale rack.

Tove Jannson's grave.

That woman that I was talking to used to work in the landscaping department at this cemetery so I asked her about all of the flowers.  Turns out people can pay for the flowers to be added to the graves of family, or even random strangers. That is why there are so many flowers everywhere, even on really old graves.  

Across the street from this cemetery was a Russian Orthodox cemetery.

I'm running out of time and power so let's move onto the Moose Safari. 

Another lovely day in a park.  We started with a BBQ.  Finnish parks provide wood and a saw and fire pits so the average citizen can just go to the forest and camp there, for free.  It's nice.  I just thought that saw wouldn't last the day at home but the Finns seem to have forest integrity.   

Dinner

It was blueberry season while I was there so I picked and ate
wild blueberries in four or five countries

The not-stolen saw, for anyone to use on the free wood

Dinner done with, time to find a moose!

Found one!

And his wannabe girlfriend

This is the only picture of both of them. He was a 
very inattentive pursuee

I have so many pictures of these two moose.  We saw several more but after the light got too low to take a decent photo from a distance. So, you just have to live with this dumb bull and this frustrated cow who kept trying to move closer as he moved away.  Men...

Pictures of Helsinki

Hmm, I thought that was the end of Helsinki but my pictures indicate that I went on a couple of walking tours the next day!  

Morning - Taito: Design, Industry & Architecture.  I remember nothing informational.  But here is some photos. 

The guide (notice the 'pre-loved on the window)

Famous architect.  He was also the one
to 'invent' the iconic chair which you 
would recognize if you saw it.

Where Tove Jannson lived after the war. She got that
loft for super cheap because the building 
was full of bomb holes at the time

Our gal, Tove Jannson, creator the the Moomies

There are four buildings in a row on this street that were
built from left to right in the 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s
this photo is missing 1890

This shows the 1890 and 1900

Incorporating the old and the new

The first brewery

The 'mansion' with out buildings.
One of the last wooden building was brewery storage 
back in the day. 

Afternoon:  Varjo: Dark History and True Crime.  (not as good as the one in Poland).  Plus it was raining (at some point?)

If you want to read about the plague?

Tower of the Soviet headquarters

close up of the library, award winning

Distance view of the cool library

After the tour, I decided to walk back to the cool, award winning library that is in all of the guide books as the place to go. So, I went.  In the rain.

Central staircase

Stair case from below

Turns out that, yes, the library is very cool and a great local hangout. But if you don't want to borrow a book or a sewing machine or just hang out at the coffee shop, there isn't much to do there.  Well, there probably is but I was wet and it was getting late, so I walked home, in the rain.  

And then it was the next morning and I was off to Iceland.

Bye Helsinki.  Your thrift stores are legendary!

The famous Architect's furniture, chairs and table with the outward rounded curved legs, you know, the iconic ones.

More, non-iconic chair, chairs