Suomi

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We left Stockholm to travel to Helsinki by boat. Our journey took us overnight around countless Swedish Islands before finally finding some open water, stopping off in Aland, and continuing on to Helsinki. The boat was fairly modern and contained a few different bars and restaurants, a casino, a duty-free store, and an outdoor observation deck. It was by far the largest boat I have ever been on but I guess it is nothing compared to some of the massive cruise liners regularly sailing the Caribbean.

While on the boat we passed the first few hours watching the scenery go by from inside one of the bars or the outdoor observation deck. It was surprising to see how closely we followed the shoreline. We could literally see into some houses from out boat. I guess it doesn't leave too much room for error in piloting the boat but judging by the amount of boat traffic we encountered on our trip I guess it wasn't too much of a concern.

After a few hours and announcement came on that the duty free was now open. In American airports and ship ports (I'm assuming) this never seems to be a very important announcement, but on the boat between Sweden and Finland absolutely everyone moved quickly to the duty free shop. There we lines to buy cigarettes, alcohol, and chocolate were probably about 20 people deep. I guess this is what happens in Scandinavia due to their high excise tax on such items. I can't be too critical though as I took the opportunity to pick up a bottle of Koskenkorva (sans-moms) even though the price on the boat without tax was no better than it is in America with tax.

Before long we had dinner on the boat and moved back to the casino/dance club to listen to some live music. In our case this meant listening to some sweet Miami Sound Machine songs mixed in with some occasional ABBA, much to the delight of the half-drunk Finns and Swedes. Before long the novelty of this scene wore thin and we retired to our cabins to arrive in Helsinki the next morning.

When we arrived in Helsinki we checked into our accommodation and made our way out into the city. The actual city of Helsinki was clean and pretty. There were a few bars full of professional looking people enjoying a drink while offensively loud heavy metal music blared all around them. We visited a few of the typical sights, churches and museums mainly, before calling it a night.

The following day we took a boat out into Helsinki to visit an island that apparently used to be a military installation but now serves mainly as a park and museum. We spent most of the day out there seeing the fortifications and museums. We then headed back to the city where I bought probably the most unique souvenir I have ever purchased... a reindeer pelt. I was a little apprehensive in buying it as I am pretty sure there are customs laws against bringing animal products back into the USA without filling out all kinds of paperwork, etc. but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Wouldn’t you know the customs officials in the USA didn't even question me this time around and I am currently the proud owner of a reindeer pelt... that sits unused in my closet.

After a few days spent in Helsinki we decided to move on to Tallinn, Estonia and we took yet another boat on the 2 hour or so journey due south.

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