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Published: August 1st 2011
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Finland 01
Helsinki at night After wandering in the streets of Helsinki for the whole day, Shazil came to the Hilton Kalastajaturrpa. He sat in the lobby and ordered a cup of café latte. The restaurant was totally empty except for one old man who was enjoying red wine. He started fiddling unnecessarily with his cell phone as he usually did when he was pretending to be busy before the old man said something to him in a foreign language. A woman who was probably his wife and a young girl who was probably his daughter had joined him on the table.
“I’m sorry, I don't understand Finnish.” He smiled.
“It was Italian.” the old man also smiled. “I thought you were Italian. I was actually asking you about the waiter who has disappeared.”
Shazil also realized that his coffee had not arrived. He got up and went to remind the manager once again. When he came back, the Italian man offered him to join them which he accepted.
“I’m Frost. John Frost. That's my wife and that's my daughter Rebecca. She is studying in Harvard.”
“Hi.”
The girl looked least interested in the conversation and did not even bother
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the view from my room at the hilton to smile.
“Hello.” She removed the blonde hair from her forehead and replied to my greeting for courtesy.
He introduced himself and the old couple sounded very interested in what he was telling them about his work and travel.
‘Traveling alone doesn't get boring? How long are you here? Why don't you go to Italy? Or USA?’
Coffee had arrived and so did their food. He looked at Rebecca. She was running her fork in the salad uninterestedly.
“I wish we also had work like you do.” Said Mrs. Frost. “Our travel agent has prepared this trip for us in which we have to see five European capitals in five days. This is crazy and hectic. But Rebecca is enjoying every bit of it. What do you say, Rebecca?”
“Of course, Mum.” Rebecca replied without even looking up.
“If you don't mind, can I ask you for a favor?” Mrs. Frost requested him.
“Depends on the favor.” He laughed. “Please go ahead.”
“If you are free right now…” she sounded hesitant. “I mean if you are not busy as you said, why don't you two go together to see the city.
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tuomiokirkko (Lutheran Cathedral) I mean you and Rebecca?”
“Mum…” Rebecca reacted immediately.
“Rebecca, I was lying when I said you have enjoyed the whole trip. You haven't smiled even once in the entire trip. So I think it will be good if you can hang out with someone of your age group rather than your old parents.”
It wasn't entirely a pleasant situation for Shazil. He could not say no because he had told them that he had no plans.
“I would not mind much but I think your daughter is least interested.” He said in a serious tone.
“Rebecca, please.” Her father spoke for the first time.
“Okay. I need to dress up for that.” She said as they all got up from the table. “I will be back in fifteen minutes. Please meet me in the lobby.”
Shazil also went to his room to get dressed. He was quite certain that she would not show up and would give her parents a piece of her mind in their room. He took his time and came down after half an hour. She was not there. He shrugged his shoulders and felt a relief.
“You
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Cape East Kemi are fifteen minutes late.” His relief was short-lived. She was right behind him.
The coat she was wearing was exactly the same color as her hair. She looked pretty in her black dress top and black skirt.
“And you haven't apologized as yet.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“Actually, it’s okay. I know you are here only because my mum forced you into it.”
“And you didn't want to come either.”
“My mum is very sweet. She knew that I was getting bored so she set you up. It must have been awkward for you.”
“Let’s say, your mum had not set us up. Would you still want to see me?”
“Haven’t I waited for you for fifteen minutes?”
They came out of the hotel and started walking on the frozen streets of Helsinki. He realized that he was not dressed enough for the negative twenty degrees temperature outside the hotel but it was too late.
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is the birth place of Nokia and the Finnish are very proud of that. Helsinki has beautiful architecture and looks quite unreal at times. Another noticeable thing about the city is
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inside the aleksendria restaurant helsinki,
where we were supposed to have only dinner
but ended up dancing for over 3 hours non-stop that there was not a single house with curtains on the windows. The entire city was visible to everyone. A unique tradition.
They were walking on Mannerheimintie, the high-street of Helsinki fashion capital, and were window shopping.
“Have you been to Marino?” She picked a crystal decoration piece. “It's a small island in Italy known for its glass work. The kind of masterpieces those artists create, you will never see anywhere else. This piece is also made in Marino. Do you think it’s beautiful?”
“Yes, it is. But even the artists of Marino will take centuries to create the beautiful fingers that are running on this piece.”
She withdrew her hand from the piece immediately. Her face glittered.
“You don't just look like Italians. Your words are also like theirs. Fake but beautiful.”
They got coffee from a street vendor and kept walking talking about random things. It looked like they knew each other for a long time. She looked very happy. Totally different from the utterly bored girl Shazil saw in the Hilton Kalastajaturrpa.
“Helsinki looked dry and tasteless thins morning.” She said as they entered Alexandria, a restaurant in the city center. “Even the people looked fat and weird like those Italian guys who run after every girl.”
“You mean every beautiful girl?”
“Fake and beautiful words again.”
The musicians in the restaurant circled their table.
“Which song would Senorita listen to?” A short bald musician asked her.
“Arrivederci Roma!”
And the music started playing.
“But that means Good Bye to Rome. And I believe you are going back to Rome in a day or two.”
“Shazil… why don't you come to Rome with us?” Suddenly she held his arm. “I can show you around in Rome. We will go to Thalasso in the morning and will put coins in the Trevi fountain in the night so that you come back to Rome again.”
“If you say that once again, I might actually go with you but the fact is that eventually I will head back home.”
“You are right.” She turned her face away.
“You know.” He tried changing the subject. “There are almost three hundred thousand lakes in Finland. Two-eighty-seven thousand to be exact.”
It did not work. She kept looking away.
“And probably Marco Polo saw all of them.”
“It’s possible. He was also fond of traveling like you are.” She sounded pissed.
“Correct. What a great man he was.”
“That’s why he died in prison.”
It was Shazil's turn to turn his face away.
“Don’t be angry.” She pushed her chair near his. “I am sorry. I’m so stupid. Let’s go back. It’s late.”
It was a lot colder outside the restaurant. Shazil was shivering. Rebecca was more accustomed to the cold weather than he was and looked quite normal. The snow had become heavier and walking was slow and more difficult.
They crossed a house and saw a coffin being taken out of it. Covered with flowers and snow, it was being taken to the final destination.
“Even death is beautiful in Helsinki.” A couple of tears fell from her eyes. “I will never forget this night of Helsinki.”
Shazil kept quiet.
“And I will put a coin in the Trevi fountain of Rome.” She put her hand on his lips. “And I will pray that you come to Rome and we meet there.”
Shazil softly removed her hand from his lips, turned around and took the stairs to his room.
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