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Published: September 6th 2009
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DAY 1 HELSINKI
What a day having to leave the nearest and dearest at the airport was pritty heart wrenching not to mention the fact my gut was being twisted every which way with nervs as it finally hit home i wouldnt see anyone again for almost a year and would be out in the world all alone, the people are very friendly on the most apart, well the ones outside the airport anyway and most speak very good english which is a huge help. the first day the homesickness and strain of being away seemed like it would take its tole very quickly. the bus to the hostel was a tense one as it cost 6€, a sign of things to come, and had blacked out windows so you couldnt see out ( not that would have known where i was going anyway) eventually i make it to the olympic stadium which is pritty impressive and has a huge sports complex surrounding it, the receptionist is one bad ass mofo as he looks like dog the bounty hunter!! being the first day i was feeling adventurous so opted to go to a finish supermarket and get some food, i
came away with some cider and a pastry....it was like a doughnut oin the outside but inside instead of jam there was meat and once you get past the initial shock that its not jam it tasted pritty good. as well as this due to the great location of the hostel i have had football to watch every day starting on the first day with a womens european cup quater finals, which was good even to just watch the swedish team.
DAY 2 Starting to settle
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Another trip to the supermarkett this time yields unknown meats and cheese for a sandwich as a cost saving attempt. a trip up the stadiums tower, effectively finlands version of the wembley arch and london eye combined, was extremely scary for some one who hates hights however the view was brilliant i could see all the way across helsinki in any direction and its surrounded by water and trees. as well as this i met an australian guy who is trying to get some work here who introduced me to a couple english lads called tommy and john from wolves, this was brilliant as they loved football and were ideal to get
along with which gave me alot of hope and reduced some nerves concerning lonelyness. they invited me out to watch the england match at an irish bar which was supposidly cheap. at 7€ a pint that wasnt exactly what was going through my mind! the lads also taught me that the scadinavians were very trusting which meant that we could´hop on and off the trams without paying, saving me a fortune! As well as saving time as early on that day i had walked all the way into town, around a mile away which was made all the more pleasent by the huge lake and parks i had to walk through to get there, once there i stumbled into the ''town centre'' mall which was all pritty much all underground and very busy.
DAY 3 ''Authentic Helsinki''
this was the best of all as i wandered all over helsinki seeing just about everything it has to offer, the best experience i have had so far was the Sauna ARLA one of only 3 left in helsinki open to the public and the only not to attract hoards of tourists which was brilliant as the very old building was
full of finish men and women. its here i met a lovely group of finnish lads 3 of which spoke english and welcomed me straight away teaching me the ropes and about finnish traditions, one of which being a traditional spirit half brandy half vodka...it was awful! luckly i had my own small beer and some cider to wash it down. the sauna itself was so hot it was almost unbearable, i was comended for my staying power considering the heat at some points was too much for many locals. i was then handed the birch branch which was to be used to beat myself with which i met with some trepidation but was pleasantly suprised at how relaxing the whole experience was.
Next was helsinkis famous market, it really did live up to its reputation as the first thing i saw when entering was two big stalls full of raindeer and fox skins. i managed to pick up a raindeer antler made into a bottle opener and in the process was directed to a small stall selling food only to find raindeer on the menu....how could i not try some now, so for 7€ the price of a finish
mc donalds i got a delishous raindeer stew, now i know why santa has so many hanging around!! raindeer kind of tastes like beef but has alot more flavour and is more tender. the walking distance back to the hostel was greatly reduced this time by a combination of metro, used for free. and the trams which again were used unchecked.
DAY 4 relaxing
tommorrow is set to be a much more relaxed affair than today due to the fact i need to be up at 5 the next morning to get a flight to moscow and start the russian leg. its been great in helsinki and i would recomend a stay, the afternoons have been very warm and although its been expensive and i think 3days would deffinitly be the most you would need to spend here its worth trying it for somewhere different.this could deffinitly be a place for couples to spend a long weekend there are so many beautifull scenic spots.
i have a few pictures to upload by they may have to wait as i have no adapter to plug into the computer as of yet.
much love
ASH
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Han
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Sounds amazing my lovely :) we are going here sometime! love you xxxxxxxxxxx