Helsinki, Finland

I did not have access to the internet through my computer this weekend so I typed up my blog every night and here are the posts from my trip to Helsinki, Finland. Pictures are coming soon.

Thursday October 1, 2009

So today has been a day of traveling to new places and meeting new faces. It is currently 12:03 Finland time! I woke up late this morning and ended up missing our 10:45 welcoming invitation. My iphone, really my alarm clock, has been going back and forth between time zones and doesn't always stay on Barcelona time. I think I fixed that this morning though, everytime it restarts I think I need to reset the time. I set my alarm for 9:00 and when i woke up my phone said 4:14 and it looked like it was afternoon already! lol So, needless to say, none of us made it to the presentation today. I got up around noon and started getting ready to leave. I've never flown out of Barcelona so I wanted to make sure to allow enough time to figure out where I was going. I researched some transport options to the airport and decided I would take the Aerobus which I also took when I first arrived. It worked out pretty well, I left around 1:00 p.m. for my 3:00 p.m. flight. I got to the airport around 1:45 and my check in was seamless as usual with European airlines. I'm telling you, American airlines need to take a hint or two from these European airlines. There was no line and a guy approached me and said Amsterdam? It was like he knew me! He said, "all i need is your passport." I was allowed to check 2 bags for free (hint hint). I only had a small duffle but I checked it anyways. He spoke great english I was shocked! He gave me my boarding passes and told me what to do and I was on my way! I shopped around for a little bit at the airport and I scoped out a scarf that I think I might buy on my way back through! On the flight to Amsterdam I sat by a very nice guy that was from Barcelona, he talked to about all sorts of things in order to distract me from the flight because we all know how I feel about flying. My seat on the plane was 11B, I always like to sit in the front, I feel safer. He was very helpful and gave me some good advice on places to go. BTW, let me also mention, the flight attendants were wonderful, KLM is a Dutch airline (also a delta/northwest partner) and on their flights they give you a specialty Dutch sandwich (yummy), a Dutch cookie, AND if you want beer, Heineken, or wine, it is FREE OF CHARGE!!! ( you can have other drinks though like soda and such). After they come around and give you a sandwich they give you a drink, then they come around with cookies, then they come around with hot tea or coffee. It is absolutely wonderful. I have taken 3 KLM flights, each about 2 hours and it has been like this on every flight. GET WITH THE PROGRAM AMERICA!!! In America, your lucky to get half a can of coke (that you usually have to pay for) on flights that are 2 hours in the US and you have to pay for luggage, etc. etc. and the tickets are never cheap. On my flight from Pittsburgh to Detroit the flight attendant came over the speaker and said, "On flights less than one hour no beverage service will be offered." My thoughts on this - STUPID and they shouldn't be paying her to just fly around on a plane all day. Dear Northwest - maybe you should cut back on useless jobs so your not bankrupt all the time! Gezzz, there's an idea! (Again, I attribute this lack of commonsense to the level of education in America but that's another story.) So I have decided that I love flying with KLM and if I have my choice I'll probably book with them PLUS they are a delta/northwest parter (which is where most of my frequent flyer miles are) so I can also earn miles when I fly with them. My second fight to Helsinki was pretty much the same, only difference was I had to sit in seat 24D. I got onto the plane and my thoughts were, "there is no way that there are 24 rows on this plane." Low and behold though...there was my seat, very last row in the aisle. It looked like they saw some extra space and thought, "hey would could probably cram another row of people back here even though there is no leg room and they won't be able to tilt their seats back." Cool, real cool. So I was freaking out the entire flight because there was so much turbulence and I was scared plus I was sitting next to 2 screaming kids and the only bathroom on the plane so it was a little hectic to say the least.

As I was getting off the plane in Helsinki I noticed how cold it was!! Alex told me when she was helping me pack that I didn't need to take my winter coat and sweaters that I just needed my tan trench coat and some jeans. Well 50 degrees was the high and not the low! It's freezing here! The first thing I did when I got my bag was find my jacket! Maija was at the airport waiting for me with a cute little sign! She couldn't believe that I was wearing flip-flops! We made it to the car and immediately turned on the heat seaters! We talked the whole way as she pointed out things to me. Her english is very good. She told me about her two daughters whom I met this evening when we arrived. One speaks Finnish, Swedish, English, French, and Russian! WOW! I was impressed she's about my age, 18. Their house is so cute! It's on an island and it's a condo. I walked in and I felt like I was walking through IKEA!! It looks just like it, I love it! It's adorable! Very European. So, we talked for a while and now I'm getting ready to sleep because we have a very busy day tomorrow. She is going to take me to downtown Helsinki tomorrow to walk around and then we are going to meet up with her sister Lisa for lunch and then as for the evening, we aren't sure yet! It's going to be a good day though, I can just feel it!

Friday October 2, 2009

Wow! What a day it has been! I woke up around 10:30 and Maija already had breakfast ready for me! It was similar to a traditional European breakfast. We had rye bread, oat bread, sliced chicken, this wonderful orange marmalade, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, juice, and hot tea. Rye breads or dark bread are very popular here in Finland, everyone eats them. After breakfast we got ready to brave the cold! Maija let me borrow a scarf and gloves for the day! We hurried to the bus stop and got on. They live on a island and it takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the center of Helsinki. The streets in downtown are all cobblestone so the bus ride was very bumpy! We passed many beautiful buildings. I also saw NOKIA headquarters. They also have many American companies here such as Price Water House Coopers and Ernst and Young and Maija works for Tekla and she told me that they also have an office in Atlanta, GA.When we got off of the bus we made our way to the tourist building. We picked up some interesting information on the city and made our way to a famous market. As soon as I opened the door this wonderful smell filled my nose! I got to see a traditional Finnish market with all different types of foods. Most importantly I saw reindeer fur and reindeer meat which is considered a delicacy here. It's very expensive. After the market we went to this beautiful Cathedral. It was gorgeous and I got some pictures. After the cathedral we walked over to the boarding area to catch a ferry to take us over to Suomelina, an old military fortress built in 1748. It has survived the Russian invasion and currently 850 residents live on the island. It's huge! We walked around and I took some excellent pictures, the views were great and combined with the autumn leaves it made them spectacular. We didn't see the entire island because it is very large and we wanted to try to meet up with my cousins for lunch at this soup kitchen that we saw in the market. We arrived and waited for them. Maija ordered me the seafood soup and it was probably the best soup I have ever had, it even topped my favorite, lobster bisque. I couldn't even really tell you what was in it, just that it was delicious. So, we had soup with Wilhelm and Sofia, 19, and 21. They are Lisa's children which is Maija's sister. I really loved them, their english was great and we talked about many different things such as what it is like to live here, how they stand the cold, music, t.v., fashion, etc. We talked about everything and it was great conversation. They are my age so it is very intriguing to hear about what their lives are like. Wilhelm said that he had been to New York when he was 15. Sofia said that she was waiting until she turned 21 to go so that she could go to all the bars.

After the soup we left and walked over to another part of town to meet their mother Lisa who works at the Parliament in International Affairs. Maija said that they had a surprise for me so I was excited to say the least because if you know me you know I love surprises. Sofia showed me examples of Finnish fashion along the way. There is a place called Marimekko that is very famous and internationally known. We went into the store and they showed me around. It's very modern and reminded me of prints that can be found in IKEA but better! After this we met up with Lisa and we went to a small bar/cafe called Memphis and here they ordered a bottle of champagne to "welcome me to Finland." I couldn't believe it! Anyone who knows me knows that my drink of choice is always champagne! lol It was perfect. Here Lisa gave me a gift bag that had lots of information on the parliament of Finland as well as some general information, maps AND a Marimekko laptop bag!! I was very excited! It fits my Mac perfectly! I am still astounded by how warm and welcoming they have been to me, it's just unreal! After champagne we went to a hotel in Finland known for their view of Helsinki, we went to the top and I got some nice photos and then Sofia showed me the bathroom which was made famous from a sex scene in a Finnish movie. After this we went to another modern cafe for a coffee and hot tea, it was very hip and trendy. I got to taste a Finnish chocolate that was chocolate with mint in the center; it was very good. Next we went to a lovely park and here I took some pictures with Sofia and Wilhelm because they might not be able to make it to Grandma's and Grandpa's tomorrow. We said our goodbyes and decided that I must come back in the summer to go to the excellent festival's that they have told me about. BTW, my Sperry's were my best friends today and they were well worth the $70 dollars, so thank you MOM, your wonderful!! lol

We caught the bus home and Maija said that I could get a hot bath and check my email if I wanted. I got oniline and checked my emails and such. I didn't stay on long because I didn't want to be rude and then I took a very relaxing hot bath! It was wonderful! Let me just say, on this trip I have finally discovered where I get my love for hot bubble baths and my need for solitude! Two things that nobody quite understands about me! The Fins enjoy these things and so do I, who knew!? Maija's boyfriend came over and they made dinner. We had this fabulous pasta with chicken and some type of sauce, salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and pine nuts, red wine, and of course my favorite, bread! They introduced me to a wonderful sauce that I now believe can make any food taste great, it's called Sweet Chile Sauce and reminds me a little big of the Mango Chutney at Firebirds where I work. It's excellent! I was stuffed by the time it was over so we watched some television, a Finnish version of America's Funniest Home Videos, Law and Order, the Sopranos, and then Maija showed me a film that Sofia and Wilhelm's father was in! He's an actor! How cool is that? I was very impressed. We had some interesting chocolates for dessert. One was dark chocolate with chile, it was sweet and spicy kinda like the sauce at dinner and the other was dark chocolate with mint. Both were good. All I know at this point is that it has been a very long and fun-filled yet exhausting day and that I must get some sleep because we are continuing the sight seeing and meeting more family tomorrow!

Saturday October 3, 2009

Saturday was a busy day. It was my last full day here in Finland and we still had many people to meet and many things to see. We started the day with another wonderful breakfast, we had pretty much the same stuff as the day before. Lipton makes these tea bags that are fruit flavored and they are great, I'm going to get some when I get back. So after breakfast we got ready to brave the cold again. The temperate actually got up to 10 degrees Celsius today and it wasn't nearly as windy as Friday so it was nice to walk around. We started the day with a walk around Lautasarri, the island where they live. We walked down by the sea where the views were great for taking pictures. After our walk we had to go to a "kiosk" so that Maija could load more Euros onto her bus pass. We caught the bus and headed downtown again. We visited the Templiokko church. The church walls are actually made out of rock dating back to the ice age and it's roof and other features are very modern. The acoustics in the church are supposed to be excellent. There were many tourists so it was hard to get really good pictures without people in them. Maija told me that they get many Russian tourists here in Finland. After the church we went to find postcards, we first looked in a mall and I found some there and then we went to a bookstore where I got a couple more. We grabbed a cappuccino at Robert's Coffee inside of Stockhamm, Finland's largest department store. After coffee we went to a few different shops around the downtown area and she took me to a shoe store because I had mentioned that I wanted a pair of boots. I tried on a couple pairs and I found some that I really liked but they only had size 37 and 38 and of course I needed a 39. Next we met up with Lisa downtown and she took the bus back with us to Maija's house and we got ready to go to their parents house. We drove to Espoo which is about 20 minutes from the center of Helsinki to meet Jaakko and Raili Nuoramo. On the way we stopped to pick up the fish that we were cooking for dinner. Of course I went inside when we got there, I love to see what other grocery stores look like. It was huge, and they had everything there, it was basically like a WalMart in Finland! Jaakko and Raili's house was a great experience and they were so excited to meet me! She made reindeer pie, a shrimp dish, and a rhubarb cake for me! I took a picture of the table and then we sat down to eat. I have never eaten reindeer before so it was a new experience for me! It was surprisingly very good! I was so honored that she cooked all this food for me! After we had eaten we sat down to talk about our family history. In 1991 my great uncle Eddie and Elsie came to Finland and they traveled all around the country over a 2 week period and they had made a video about their trip. Jaakko put the trip onto 2 DVD's for me to have as well as the map that they used during their trip outlining their journey. The video's were 4 hours long altogether but we watched a few bits and pieces. After that they asked about different family members and showed me the invitations that they had received from Jack and Marion, two of my relatives, as well as pictures and emails from other family members. I'm not going to lie I was a little emotional to see these things and it was great to hear about their lives here in Finland and why my great grandpa came to America. It was an entire history that I never knew existed! They gave me a collage of their family and a picture of themselves to take back with me. I also got pictures with them and everyone else. They were very thrilled that I had come this far to see them! As I was leaving they handed me a bag with something in it and said that it was for me to take back to Barcelona with me. I thought that maybe it was food or something but I didn't realize until I was packing to go home what was in the bag. It was a beautiful silver reindeer with a candle, carefully wrapped! It's absolutely gorgeous and probably the nicest thing that they could have given me! In the airport I saw this same collection of reindeer in a finnish store called Pentik, so they must be made here in Finland. I was sad to leave but I promised to try my best to come back next summer.

Next we went to Leena's house, Maija and Lisa's other sister. She has a very nice flat with a sauna! After we got settled in we had some white wine and juice and then Maija and I used the sauna. It was definitely a new experience and it was very hot! We sat in the sauna for a while and then sat outdoors to cool off and then we did it again!! It was cool and afterwards I felt very relaxed and refreshed like I had been to the spa. Lena has two daughters and one of them came over to eat last night but had to leave to go to work so I only met her briefly. For dinner we had smoked salmon and baked salmon in some type of sauce, salad, a different kind of dark bread from one of the islands between Finland and Sweden, and some special pastries that we picked up at the store. The best way to describe it is thin pie crust with rice in the middle. It was very filling. Dinner was very good and then afterwards we had moot cake which is basically the same thing as American brownies! Everyone was pretty tired so we didn't stay long. I said goodbye to Lena and Lisa and then we all went home. It was very windy as if it was about to storm. We got home just in time and ended up missing the downpour. After getting inside I got onto the computer to check to see if my flight had been confirmed, the weather for Sunday was not going to be good so we wanted to make sure that my flight hadn't been delayed yet. Paula came into the computer room and we started talking about all sorts of different things, we planned her trip to America to come see me and I told her what it was like there, she showed me her license and her passport and I showed her mine. She asked me if I had any American money but I only had a quarter and a dime, I gave them to her and promised to mail her a dollar and some other change. We had a great conversation and before we knew it, it was past midnight! We decided to go to bed!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Today I woke up around 10. Maija and I had breakfast together. I checked online and my flight was still confirmed for 2:50 p.m. Laura had a basketball scrimmage at noon and we decided to go to that before going to the airport. It was very interesting to watch a basketball game in a different language! lol I also got to try this freshly baked raspberry/blueberry pie/cake from the concession stand! It was really good. We stayed for the first half and on our way to the airport Maija took me a different way to drive me past the Olympic stadium and the opera house. Once we got to the airport we parked, it was still raining but the sun was out so there was a rainbow in the sky!! I took this as a sign of good luck for my flight! She helped me get checked in and it was really sad when we said our goodbyes. I didn't know how to thank her for everything (even though I said "thank you" 200 times) and I promised to come back as soon as I could, next time in the summer preferably! I told her that she could also come stay with us in America anytime that she wanted and she said that I could consider her my 3rd mom that lives in Finland!! lol I'm sad to leave Finland because I had an excellent time but I'm also excited to get back to the warm weather! It's been a great weekend, one that i'll definitely remember.

As for my thoughts on my flights today, the flight from Helsinki to Amsterdam was ok, it was raining and I was nervous so when I first boarded the plane I said, "so is it safe to fly in a storm like this?" The first guy said, "why don't you ask the captain," the captain said, "it's actually best to fly when it is raining because the plane is very clean." Now, I'm not sure if he made this up to make me feel better or what but it brought some relief to me during take-off. I had a almost a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam, which I have decided is a very nice airport. The passport control office employs strapping young men that are just plain sexy. They also have a casino, a small art display, tons of shopping, and great places to eat. My only complaint is the internet access, there is no free wifi, it actually costs 3 Euro to use the internet for 15 minutes! I tried my best to entertain myself during the layover. When I arrived at my gate for boarding I was shocked by the amount of Asian people flying to Barcelona. Now, I know that Barca is a very diverse city but not all of these Asians really live there. The Asians are always on the move, traveling everywhere. Can someone please explain to me how they afford this? I know that China is a powerhouse and I know that they have millions of people but come on!! And the guy sitting next to me at the gate was hacking up who knows what from his throat. It was really disgusting and he did it at least 6 times. Everytime he did it people looked over at him, you'd think he'd get the idea but obviously not, I'm surprised he didn't hack up an entire lung. On my flight to Barcelona I had to sit behind 3 large African women that spelled like shit, and I mean literally shit, poop, whatever you want to call it. Nasty. I also took it upon myself to order some complimentary white wine on this flight!! I haven't drank it yet though because I've had a pretty bad headache all day so I'm saving it for another day this week. Who knows, maybe I'll take it to school in my lunch tomorrow!! lol