Suomenlinna Sea Fortress... Sort Of

So I've lived here for nearly two months and as of yesterday had yet to visit Suomenlinna, the sea fortress off the coast of Helsinki. The fortress, built by the Swedes in 1748, is quite historic and serves as one of the biggest tourist attractions is Southern Finland. Hence, why its ridiculous that I had not visited it my entire summer here. Yesterday I remedied that problem and took a ferry to the island with Aino, my long lost friend whose been inter-railing for what has felt like forever.

While on the ferry it was raining, but on the island the weather was perfect for jaunting about. Our jaunt turned into a strenuous hike and left us exhausted at the end of the day. Alright, so it really wasn't much of a hike, but Aino was still exhausted from her trip and I'm just always lazy when it comes to walking, so we became quite tired early on. We didn't explore as much as we should have, but I'm planning on going back quite soon! Mostly because I really enjoyed the island and would love to have a picnic there and also because my camera died halfway through the trip, leaving me with no pictures of the actual fortress.

You might be wondering what the heck did I take pictures of then.. Well, mostly Aino and I just took pictures of one another. Oh, and she took several of me trying to catch some field mouse-gerbil-thing. It's funny, you'd think I'd be acting pretty mature and adult-like these days, but I still can't help myself when it comes to trying to catch animals. Ever since I was a kid I've been obsessed with capturing animals, naming them, and then setting them free, whether it be mice, lizards, snakes, or snails. Why, just the other day I saw a massive hare while I was walking home from the train. I desperately wanted to catch it and followed it for quite sometime, but eventually it got away.. Damn.





























Though you can't tell as much from the pictures, Suomenlinna is a very cool and beautiful place. I loved how the fortress occupied the entire island, yet was blended with cafes, museums, beaches, and people's homes. Yeah, people actually live there! And now, I wish I did too. Really only because all the little buildings covered in grassy hills reminded me of Middle Earth, but thats neither here nor there. I loved it and I'm going back.

Linnanmäki: I Was Amused!

Yet again, my Sunday was the perfect end to the week. I went to Linnanmäki, the main amusement park here in Helsinki, with a few friends and had an unexpected (yet welcomed) blast.

Originally, I was hesitant to go. I thought it was way too much money for so few thrills. I mean, I'm a girl who had the opportunity to hop on over to Six Flags whenever her heart desired. I considered myself well-experienced in the area of roller-coasters and thrill rides.

Well, it turns out that I'm a regular ol' scared-y cat and an easily nauseated person to boot. I prayed for my life before getting on any of the roller coasters (no matter how small they were) and skipped the rides I knew would send me to the bathroom with my head in the toilet. I suppose I had forgotten about those unpleasant times on The Zipper at the fair back home... Which, speaking of, I believe I'm missing this week or the next. I had a little hole in my heart about it, but going to Linnanmäki definitely filled it.

So yes, I had a great time. I even took part in my usual Sunday activities including eating ice cream and taking pictures. A total success in my book. We then had a great, big dinner and I saw my first Finnish Film. It was about some guy living in Lapland on a quest to buy a digibox (like a DVR, I suppose) and I actually found it funny, so yet another success!

Anyway, it was a good day with good company, completed with good food. Goooood.

Porvoo and Potholes

Yesterday I made a quick trip over to Porvoo, the second oldest town in Finland and a pretty big tourist attraction. Unfortunately, I arrived pretty late in the day so I wasn't able to play tourist as much as I would have liked. I did see all the key points though and I liked what I saw so I'm sure I'll be back to go in the shops and eat in a restaurant-boat on the river.

Nevertheless, it was a good, quick trip and I had a lovely "tour guide".  I saw not only quaint Porvoo, but also the Potholes, major craters created by glaciers in the granite hills. Pretty cool I suppose. For the most part I just enjoyed being out of the city and having the opportunity to clear my head a bit. I loved the bus ride through the countryside and taking a walk through a meadow by the river. Sometimes it's the simple things that do us the most good. Finland, I think we're back on track with one another.

In a Finnish Funk

To be honest, I'm a bit annoyed with Finland at the moment. It's better than it was earlier this week, but when I first got home from my weekend trip I was thoroughly aggravated with this country. The moment I stepped off the ferry in Helsinki I just wanted to get right back on. Maybe its because Estonia was so cool and in comparison Finland is just no longer doing it for me. Here are a couple reasons that might be contributing to my annoyance:

1) Everything is cheap in Estonia and Finland is so unnecessarily expensive. For example, a beer at a bar in Helsinki will cost you around 6 whopping euros, whereas the same beer will cost you 2-3 euros in Estonia. It's easy to see why the Finns love their booze in Tallinn so much- it's basically free! Seriously though, alcohol is the number one reason Finnish people visit Tallinn. Everyone knows it. You step off the ferry and theres a sign that says "you are fifty steps away from the first bar." When you're leaving and return to the ferry there is a bar in the terminal called "The Last Bar." A bit ridiculous, no? Oh, and if you buy enough booze in Estonia you get a free trolley to take strap all your boxes of Karhu and Long Drinks on to take home. Brilliant.

Now, I don't necessarily care about the cheap alcohol. What's important to me is the food. In Tallinn we went to the infamous "pancake place" where I received a giant, authentic Estonian pancake for a mere 3.5 euros. I think the only thing I've bought for 3.5 euros in Finland is a parking stub.

And finally, I also noticed an extreme difference in the cost of transportation. When we took our morning train back from the countryside to Tallinn it was 1 euro. Yup. Count em'- one. If I want to go from Espoo to Helsinki here in Finland it costs me 4 euros each way... And it's a ten minute train ride. Seriously?

2) It's a strange phenomena, but I was more more efficient in Tallinn than I ever have been in Helsinki. Though I was there for only a weekend, I always managed to get everywhere I needed to be without much trouble. For example, I needed to find a Stockmanns. So I went to the city center (where naturally it would be) and asked someone if they could point me in the right direction. The reply I got-  "Umm yeah it's about 300 meters away. You go left and then right." First of all, I have no concept of the metric system. Secondly, thats not super vague or anything. But using my finely-tuned instincts, I managed to find the Stockmanns and all was well. I also was able to roam the city for hours on end and always found my way back to Virge's apartment. Unfortunately, all sense of sufficiency was stripped from me the moment I arrived back in Helsinki and couldn't manage to get on the correct bus home. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with Finland and am still bitter about the ordeal.

Those are just a couple things that annoy me, but I could certainly think of more. Although I think this is just home-sickness talking and I'd rather not risk offending any of my Finnish friends in the process. Finland I love you! Sometimes it's just a bit of a strained relationship.

Estonian Style

So basically, my trip to Estonia was just about the coolest thing ever. What began as a weekend stint to the capital Tallinn, became a spontaneous hitchhike into the Estonian countryside.

I left on Friday morning, and took a ferry across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn. Infamously dubbed the "Booze Cruise" it was jam-packed with Finns already getting their drink on. Mind you, this is 10am. Anyway, two hours later and I was in Estonia!

Though I've been a member for while, I finally decided to couch surf through this awesome website. Virge, who lives in the center of Tallinn, was my first host! We met up on Friday afternoon and she showed me some cool places in the Old Town and then I explored a bit on my own, meeting some interesting people along the way. I was particularly excited about a group of British guys I met, all in matching shirts and ties. We talked, they bought me drinks, they sang songs, and thinking it was all such a novelty, I was pretty thrilled... Until later that night when Virge and I went out and there were far too many talkative British guys and their singing got kind of annoying.

Nonetheless, it was a fun night. We went to the popular bars, A Pub Without A Name and Shooters, the latter being my favorite of the two. (Nine euros for five shots of Tequila, say what!?) And there I met Greg, the Scottish Bradley Cooper look-a-like. Sadly, I lost track of him at some point in the night. Definitely the biggest regret of the trip.

The next day I explored a bit more, then accepted Virge's invite to the countryside where her family lives. I almost declined, considering going back to Helsinki on Saturday night, but am so so glad I decided not to. It was a fantastic experience! Apparently the train is a slow method of getting there, so we opted to hitch-hike, which I found to be the most hilarious thing in the world. I kept thinking to myself, "what would my mother say?!" But apparently its no-big-deal kind of thing in Estonia. Virge had done it countless times herself and there were several other people on the same road as us trying to catch rides a well. Naturally, we were picked up first.

In the "countryside" (as I insist on calling it), we went to a wood festival- a festival, literally celebrating wood. There were wood carvings, wood goods, and even wood burning. It was all quite authentic and one of Estonia's most popular singers performed. I wasn't fully informed, but as I understood it the festival had something to do with Estonia's pre-religion times and was even held in a historical venue. I think it was some sort of fortress, but again, I'm not sure. I don't seem very educated on things, do I? I suppose I was too busy enjoying the food and good company.

Speaking of good company, Virge's family, who we stayed with that night, was amazing. Her mother was just about the nicest person I've met while living abroad. Though there was a language barrier, we still managed to ask one another questions and she nearly made me cry with all her kindness and hospitality.

That night, we partied in the sauna (sounds strange, I know) and I met a great group of people who made me genuinely very sad to be leaving Estonia. They were so friendly and encouraging as I struggled trying to say the Estonian phrases they taught me (Minu nimi on Heather!) Though I'm basically a pro now and have them to thank for it. But of course, I greatly regretted the late night when we hoped on a train to the city at six in the morning. I tried to sleep on the ride, but was too occupied by the idea of riding a train through the Estonian countryside as the sun came up and painted everything gold. It was such a beautiful moment and I couldn't help but think, I love my new life. Kind of silly and sentimental, but totally what I was thinking. I then hoped back on a ferry and headed home, wishing the weekend wouldn't had gone by so quickly.

Anyway, thats just a rundown of the trip. I loved Estonia and will definitely be giving some more insight soon. In the meantime.. Pictures!













From the city to the country...