We arrived in Helsinki, Finland last night around 7pm, to bright blue skies. The sun doesnt go down until close to midnight here, the same as in St Petersburg.
Our hostel is a new theme, where there is no reception. You book your room over the internet, and are provided with a pin number that allows you into the building, then your room. Its a small, Ikea designed room, only one month old but the concept works. It wouldnt work in a non-english speaking country, but seeing most people seem to speak at least 3 or 4 languages in Finland, finding our way around isnt a problem.
Helsinki seems to be a lovely city, extremely clean, uncluttered and ordered. Unfortunately its a university city, and apart from shopping, there isnt a great deal to do. We found this out in our research before leaving home, so decided to take a ferry across to Tallin (capital of Estonia). It took 1.5 hours each way, and we spent a lovely sunny day getting lost in the Old Town, on cobbled streets and back alley ways, stumbling across some great cafes and bars. There were a lot of touristy areas full of Brits on Brigade or Stag weekends, so we steered clear of them. The town was old and the architecture reminiscent of many mediterraen village towns.
We had a relaxing afternoon, took the ferry back to Helsinki, and are having a celebratory dinner of reindeer tonight for our last night together. Tomorrow we split up and go our own ways - me to Italy.
Monday, May 21, 2007
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