Finland

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We can’t believe our good luck! Another beautiful day with the temperature up around 27 degrees again. We hadn’t made any arrangements for a formal tour and once again decided to do our own thing.

We left the ship wearing hot weather gear and set off for the Centre, as indicated by the map and the road signs. I soon determined a different route and we found ourselves wandering through the outskirts of what is a really attractive city.

We needed a stop for a drink, but as Helsinki doesn’t come to life until 11:00, this proved difficult. We did find a street café however and I went inside to fetch a beer and a coffee. It’s strange that they don’t come outside to serve here. The café did strike me as unusual but it wasn’t until Carole went to the Ladies and found it labelled ‘Lesbian Ladies’ and the Gents as ‘Gay Guys’, that the truth struck us. In my defence I would point out that there were no overt signs or hints outside…

We continued on our walk until we reached the busier parts. Luckily, the City isn’t all that large so we were able to see most of the sights-starting with the Rock Church which, as its name suggests, is a church carved into the solid rock.

The main streets were most appealing-very wide, clean and relatively traffic-free. There appear to be no road signs for ‘give way’ or ‘stop’. The Finnish just seem to be extremely courteous and patient. They stop for each other and for pedestrians who wish to cross the road.

The road leading down to the harbour was particularly wide with a grassy strip running down the centre. We stopped once again for a beer which was really expensive at 10.6 Euros. As we drank it we were suddenly serenaded by a couple who sang a brief snippet of ‘All my loving’ before requesting money. It was a pity for them that I had emptied my pocket of 1 and 2 Euro coins and gave them just a handful of shrapnel.

Just on down from this bar we came to the harbour. I had wanted to find a tour boat to take us around the islands and we arrived with just 3 minutes in hand. The 1½ hour trip was fantastic, helped in no small part by the sunshine. Helsinki has a multitude of islands and enormous numbers of small craft moored up. I hadn’t realised that the Finns here had such a love affair with the sea. We learnt that the Baltic is tideless and very low in salt content. Some sea life such as the mussel is unable to live in it.

On completing our trip, we walked back along the sea front to the Norwegian Jewel. Along the way we passed the small jetties where the locals come to wash their carpets in the sea! They are provided with large tables and large mangles to help with the process, then have large frames over which the carpets may be hung to dry. I have never heard of anything like this before.

As it is now evening we have set sail for Stockholm. Carole and I must be up early for the ‘Rooftop Walk’ tomorrow.

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