Welcome to Helsinki

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I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know you've all been patiently waiting for yesterday's entry... When you only have a few days in one country, it's hard to wake up and spend halft an hour writing without doing something new!

But I'm settled down for the night now, and here goes.

So my first day in Finland started before Finland, and back in the Arlanda airport in Stockholm, because you first have to get in the right plane to make it to the right destination!

Even before that adventure, I packed my things up at the hostel (and I don't think I've found anything I've forgotten their yet, knock on wood), and scooted a couple doors down in the rain to grab some breakfast pastries from the Bageri at which we hostel members get 10% off... Not bad! I end up with 2 pain de chocolate (icing sugar-dusted croissants with chocolate in the middle, my fave ☺️).

Theeeeen, I went to the train station, booked my reservation to Gothenburg on Thursday, and got on the bus to the airport.

While on the bus, with wifi of course, I am contacted by my Stockholm friend's friend, Berto, who is living and working in Helsinki (not sure if I talked about him yet). We agree to meet up for coffee and he is eager to show me around and talk to me about the city... Alright Nic! Making connections 😉

So I get to the airport in plenty of time, check in, drop my bag and head to the gate to wait, at that point 1 hour until departure. I write my postcard to work to pass the time and after no time at all, the flight attendants show, and the announcement to board the plane is broadcasted.

"We would now like to ask all passengers flying SAS to Helsinki to now board the plane."

SAS, that's weird, I thought it was Norwegian... Maybe they're owned by them.

And I pull out my boarding pass and look at the time... 13:30, and then up at the board, 13:10.

Shit, I'm at the wrong gate.

I quickly but safely make my way towards the nearest departure screen and check my flight number this time to see where I'm going. Believe it or not, there are 2 flights to Helsinki leaving at 13:30 and one more, the one I almost got in at 13:10, all from the same airport. Good thing mine wasn't the 13:30 that passengers had to board the bus at 10c that would take them to the correct gate across the airport!!

I swiftly walk for like 5 minutes and arrive at the correct gate just as they are starting their own boarding call, and walk the last 50m like I know what I'm doing.

After the shortest flight ever, less than 40 minutes, we touchdown in Helsinki and I make my way through the madness to the baggage claim with hundreds of other people... Apparently this airport is quite popular.

I grab my backpacks and head to visitor information where I buy my shuttle ticket and go outside to wait for the bus.

So far so good.

We get to the central railway station, and I'm thrust into a new city with no map and limited gps capabilities on my phone. I roughly looked it up on the bus, free wifi again, no way, and made my way towards the island where my hostel is situated, only by follow the current location bubble on iPhone maps (and thank you to that because it also saved me today!!).

Reaching the hostel which is not real central at all, as it claims, I check in and am nicely surprised with a double room only when I open the door... My only other roommate, a quiet Finn.

I drop my stuff in the locker and head out to meet Berto, and find that place no problem.

And I though Swedes were hospitable! He has been nothing but incredibly helpful since we met, and we ended up chatting for almost an hour in the coffee shop alone. We then walked back towards the city centre where he pointed out some places of interest and things I should do, and then brought me to his favourite Mexican Street vendor where I had the best (sorry Jairus and all you Taco del Mar lovers) burrito for actually pretty cheap!

After showing me a couple more places, we part ways and agree to meet the next day at his second home, a bouldering place near his work.... Sounds like a blast to me!

I walk back to the hostel, the positive vibes of Helsinki already resinsting inside me, it's gonna be a good couple of days, that's for sure!

- NB

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Photos

Biiiig plane
Random plane on the side of the road just outside the airport.

Pardon?
Husqvarna robot grass cutter in the airport...

Nice view
Just a short walk from my hostel, towards the main city centre

Church
Cool lookin church on my island near the hostel... I'll check it out more in the future.