Well the layers went on this morning when we hit Rovaniemi at 9 am - mid-sleeve tee, long sleeve button down, pullover sweater, & jacket. It was a bit of an overkill, but I was cold. Temperatures were 50°, our lowest daytime temperature yet. Later it warmed up in the sun and I was able to go to my tee alone.
But first about Helsinki...
Walked to the "church in the rock", which was literally built into the rock...there was a presentation from various ministers going on, so we were limited to the balcony. I had to laugh when one ministers referenced a proper name, then SWOT. It is funny how often we find them integrating a few English words or phrases into their language.
Walked around the city some. There was a plaza area with several restaurants filled with lots of what appeared to be college kids, otherwise there weren't many people, unlike Copenhagen which was packed at night.
Ate at Zetor, a "traktor restaurant" which the book says, "lampoons Finnish rural culture & cuisine, while really celebrating it." The tables in the bar were tractors with a bar around it. The hanging lights were made with cheese graters & tin pails.. The food was excellent.. I ate Rudolph. Oh, better not read that to the kids. But I did have sliced reindeer meat with boiled potatoes and an excellent red wine sauce. I expected the meat to be gamey, but the texture was a lot like a beef roast with only a slightly different flavor.
After dinner, we walked around the city. Saw pretty much everything on our list - Senate Square, with the Lutheran Cathedral, Senate House, and Helsinki University; the Russian Orthodox Cathedral; and the harbor. It helped that it was broad daylight even at 10 pm. The only thing we missed was going inside the buildings. We also didn't get to see the bustle of the harbor during the day, but we will get a chance for that in one of the other cities.
Walked by a park on the way home which I noticed had gravestones in it. Cathy said she read somewhere that the graves are from a plague in the 1800's. At some point, people just started hanging out there, so the city made it a park.
Went to bed at midnight because we had an early flight to Rovaniemi. It was dusk when we went to bed and very light when the alarm went off at 4:30 - makes it easier to fool ourselves regarding the time.
We really did leave Helsinki fast, but we visited everywhere Rick Steve's (our travel guru) & a consumer rated website recommended. I would have liked to have gotten settled a little earlier in the day, but otherwise was ready to leave. I would prefer to get to the Lapland area of Finland (land above the arctic circle) and the fjord region of Norway, anyway.
My impression of Finland is an American college town with much older buildings. Cars are similar to home, except I did not see any SUVs (but lots of crossovers, station wagons, and vans). College age girls passed us going out all decked out in jeans or leggings and high heels at 10:30 at night, just as we were heading home (which is also just like home). Met some nice people along the way who helped us out, but people were not overly friendly.
Landed in Rovaniemi this morning. Started taking pictures of the Santa-themed displays (yes, we are tourists), and within minutes, they started closing the airport. I guess there are only a few flights a day, and they open the airport 1 hour before each flight, and close it after everyone has departed the plane. Some of you may remember we had a similar experience in Pula, Croatia. So at least this time we knew what was happening.
Found a guesthouse and got settled - it's basically a bed and breakfast. A nice lady owns the place - she agreed to do our laundry, so she got extra points. I had washed clothes out in Copenhagen, so I didn't have much to give her, but what I had not done was the heavier stuff that is harder to hand wash and takes longer to dry.
Went up to the arctic circle - stood on the line and crossed over. Tried to see Santa Claus, but he was busy. Then we came back to Rovaniemi and visited the Arctic Museum. There was a lot of information about the Sami (Finland arctic indigenous), as well as about arctic dwellers around the world (i.e. US, Canada, Russia). The best part was a recreation of the aurora borealis. Sort of a cheaper version of a planetarium, but since we are getting the midnight sun, we are not going to be able to see it, so I was glad to get the recreation.
Also visited the northern-most McDonald's and then walked the town. Had dinner at a tex-mex restaurant, Amarillo's. Or at least, Rovaniemi's version of tex-mex. I got a chicken quesadilla. It was made with chicken, hard boiled eggs, ricotta cheese (at least that's what I think it was) and red salsa. It was topped with a mango salsa (which was good, but I ate it separate). Cathy got a burrito, which, among other items, had lima beans and white pinto beans, and was topped with mozzarella melted over yams.
Having an early night both because of the 4:30 am wake up this morning and because we need to be up about 6 am tomorrow to catch a bus. We are going hiking at a ski area about three hours north. The snow is supposed to be melted...
You'll here from me again tomorrow night (there is an Internet at the bed & breakfast).
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