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Published: October 16th 2011
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Day 2 having started a little later than expected, as I was awoken by a constant cough from someone near at 3:30am. Jet lag set in, you know the one it’s the middle of the night and your wide-awake!!!! Finely around 5 I got back to sleep then back up to my alarm at 9 which was short lived as the other jet lag set in and I fell back to sleep till 10:30am. A little annoyed I had missed breakfast I got and got out as soon as possible.
Last night I had done some research as to where things where around me and I’ve found that almost everything is. The Old market, and the rest of down town is only a mere 5-10 min walk. Having rushed with everything ready to go, when I got out side it hit me again and this time a little harder than yesterday. The dam rain!!!! This time hard and cold, it chilled me to the bone but having rushed out to get out it didn’t hit me for some time.
I first went to the old market passed the market square with there awesome looking produce (I’ll have to come back
tomorrow, today’s a site seeing day) I got breakfast, an cheese, lettuce, and tomato bagel for 2 euro did the trick and I was back out into the rain. The rain let up so I started snapping pics. First the market square then Havis Amanda (the a statue which symbolizes the spirit of Finland). I thought I’d then go look for a mobile I could actually use through my trip but the hard rain started again so I jumped into the tourist info on the corner. This changed my day, I had had enough of this cold wind which was now soaking my crappy gortex jacket (yes with terential rain and no fleece every gortex jacket will brake down). Looking into the hop on hop off tour that I noticed in their guide that there’s an retractable roof, so I knew what was next. I found the closest stop and got on, the sound wasn’t working, I talked with the driver at the next stop, he flicked some switches and bada bing there was sound!!! This turned out perfectly as that stop was the first on the tour so I didn’t have to hear it again on the way back.
I got the Helsinki in a nutshell deal with both buss tours and a boat tour so on my way back got off at the harbor to get the next boat.
Turned out I was 45 min early, and now starting to shiver I knew exactly where I was going, a few meters away was the Old Market hall, with a soup stall I eyed earlier. Boulobase!!!!! Upon hesitating where to sit as everyone there wasn’t any available single alone seating (you know when you go somewhere, there’s one place to sit in between a friend here or a couple there, and it’s just awkward but you say hell to this I’m sitting down right NOW cuz this is really what I want ya that happened). Ok back to just sitting down, a women (Anna) asked me if I could take a picture of her Husband and her enjoying their boulobase. YES travelers, who speak English!!! I sat down and stuck up a conversation Marco and Anna, they’re from Belgium, she’s a physiologist and here for a conference, which started tonight and goes for a few days so there both here till Monday (just like me). Marco said he
was going to head to a hockey game, which got my response ‘tonight? I’m in’, meeting random’s on day two complete. After finishing the soup it was time for the Boat so we arrange to meet at the tourist information outlet across the square at 6.
What my luck the 2pm boat was canceled and the next one was at 4:00? getting me back to the square at 6. Perfect!!! I walked back up to Helsinki cathedral (the first stop of both the buss tours) Having to wait 15 min till the north line arrived I went into the cathedral, snapped a few shots and was back to get on the buss. Almost immediately after leaving the stop it started raining harder so I couldn’t take any good pictures, the traffic was supper slow, I was cold, I sat listened to the narrator and took mental notes for tomorrow when I’m going to take it again but this time stop at the Sibeius monument to take some pics, go to Finland’s 1952 Summer Olympic stadium. After the tour was over, I had enough time to walk back to the hostel, have a hot shower change from my wet cloths.
Off back to the boat I noticed that it didn’t leave for another 30 min (good thing as I was there two minutes late and would have missed it. What to do in 30 min in the rain? HA I went back into the covered ‘old market’ got some awesome apples (you know those ones that don’t taste like a generic reproduced ‘organic’ thing. I mean this one you could still taste the farm, not kidding freken awesome!!!). By now I was back to core temp so it was back out into the cold to get on the boat. Hey how about that, blue sky!!!! A little at first then a little more, this is starting to work. Oh wait the boat was traveling back into the storm clouds towards Suomenlinna (a Maritime fortress built in the 18th and 19th centuries, covering 6 islands and is still home to a naval academy). It turns out the recieding clouds where faster than the boat so I could have stood on the observation deck the whole 1.5 hour ride but instead I went up and down as the wind on my wet jacket was making me shiver again. The rest of
the trip was a good time and being 17euro by it’s self made the 35euro package of the two touring buss routs and boat trip quite reasonable.
I then met up with Marco a minute after leaving the boat which was exactly 6, and we where off , caught a tram we where told would get us to the game, got ticket and went into the surprisingly full arena. Turns out the home team HIFK where the champs of the 12 Team league and it was their first home game. The champs showed it in the first period scoring 4 goals on TAPPARA with ease. Being Marco’s first live game, he was amazed the game was to tactical,. Ok so my telling him all the strategies on his first game might have been too much but hey it was fun. The rest of the game was a little closer but HIFK turned it on in the third potting two more before full time.
The tram lines where full of people looking to get back down town so we walked, found a decent place to have a burger and some beers. Next few days we’ll get together for
more adventures. Tomorrow I’m off to meet Mina (and old friend I met in Marlow) who I’m hoping will show me around a little more. The good times continue. Now time for bed.
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