So, my wish for nice weather was granted — Estonia is turning out to be beautifully cooperative with sun, and nice temperatures. My folly was to not really schedule enough time to do Tallinn justice. The ferry across from Helsinki (which also had great weather on my last day there) takes two hours, so I had an early morning to make my 7:30 am ferry, and then a day in Tallinn’s old town. Estonia still has not switched to the Euro, which is coming in January, so I had to switch yet more currency to the EEK. I either burn through that here, or switch it back to Euro for Germany on my way home. Fun!

The ferry service has been amazing. Finland is one of the world’s largest ship builders, and the Tallink line’s ferries that I have now been on (The Serenade, the M/S Superstar, and the M/S Star) are state of the art. Just a few years old each. And the food. Oh my sweet Jebus. Not so much a fan of the night time buffet spreads since I’m vegan, but I’ve probably eaten my body weight in fresh fruit and delicious Scandinavian rye bread while on board. And the coffee! So tasty.

On the subject of food. Yes, to those who have asked, I did indeed score a Vegemesta shirt.

Oh. A mini rant. Right now, the Buddy Bear exhibit is travelling around the world. It is a collection of 146 bears (for the United Nations countries), each about 6 feet tall. It is in Helsinki right now, in the Square. I have photos. My complaint is to the Canadian artist who created our bear. What the hell does that colour scheme and design have to do with Canada? Blue and brown checker pattern? No maple leaf? No red? At least the US bear was styled to look like the Statue of Liberty, complete with crown and torch. The name plate indicates that Bombardier sponsored the bear. I wonder if there is something to this.

Okay. Off to pack again.

Yeap. After spending some time here, I am definitely starting to relate and see things their way. This is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. Spared from bomb destruction during the War, Stockholm was able to put the resources that other cities and nations put towards rebuilding towards reconstruction instead. They repaired and replaced infrastructure that needed fixing, and yet maintained all of the magnificent buildings that bring so much history to Gamla Stan, the old town.

From a personality point of view, I think I prefer Helsinki. To be honest, I find Finns more laid back, more open, and more approachable. Maybe it is just me, but I’ve noticed that Swedes tend to clam up when you start speaking English. I was in a few cafes today and when I said “Hello!” I was given a strange stare at first, and the first few sentences of conversation were pretty guarded. I was in this great coffee shop on Sturegaten called Casa Del Caffe. Run by (I think) two Lebanese guys. Anyway both the coffee and the food were excellent. Really, truly great. The guy working the espresso machine was really happy to find a coffee nerd like myself to talk to. He was quick to express his displeasure with Stockholm natives’ propensity to buy shitty coffee from a 7-11 instead of really enjoying something good. It’s like, he was reading my mind. I ranted about Tim Horton’s for a while, he nodded sagely, and then pulled me a ristretto and sent me on my way.

Just when I thought my day wasn’t going to be able to get any better, I stumbled onto a shop called the “Heavy Sound Rock Shop”, on Malmskillnadsgatan. Awesome. Did I pick up a CD or three? Why yes, yes I did. The owner and I discussed metal, specifically the Gothenburg-style so popular with death metal bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and Sonic Syndicate, and also the fact that vintage Canadian rock bands from the 80s are still very popular in Sweden these days, like Rush, Triumph, and Fist, who most people don’t know about.

Anyway, since I will be heading back to Helsinki shortly, and I’m talking about music, it’s worth mentioning Sibelius, the Finnish composer who of course wrote Finlandia. Epic stuff. The Academy which bears his name has been responsible for influencing not only classical musicians, but also metal ones, like the band members of Apocalyptica, who play metal on cello. Finlandia is pretty dark, probably one of the main reasons why I like it so much, being written as a covert protest when Finland was still under the control of Russia.

A few folks have asked about photos, and I am going to wait until I am home before digging through them. It takes hours to look at them and decide what’s worth posting and what isn’t, so I will defer until then. The weather in Stockholm was magnificent so I think I ended up with decent shots of the inner city. I hope I get a really nice day in Helsinki before I head to Estonia — I’d love a great photo of the Cathedral from the waterfront.

So, today I took the ferry to Suomenlinna. It was either today or probably not at all, because tomorrow I head to Stockholm and today was the last day I could use my Helsinki Card to travel and get into museums for free. I will explain. A Helsinki Card is a card sold by Helsinki Expert, good for one, two or three days, and is a really great idea for visitors to Helsinki. With it, all modes of public transportation are free. No fumbling for change or trying to figure out how to buy a ticket. Entrance fees to all city museums is free with the card. As is entrance to the Fortress, and the ferry across to it. They even include a 2 hour city tour by bus that normally costs 26 Euros. Free with the card. My three day card cost me 52 Euro, but I think I more than made up for that. I didn’t bother with public transit because I see more when I walk around, and it is hard to take photos from a bus or when you are underground on a subway, but the entrance fees to things and the city tour more than pay for the card. Many restaurants will also give you 10-20% off your meal if you have a valid card while there. I recommend, if you visit.

Anyway, the Fortress. I spent 6 hours on the island, and my feet are telling me that they noticed. The whole island is done in round cobble stone, not the flat paving stones in a lot of places, but the round softball-sized stones embedded in packed earth. It’s hard walking, and hard kneeling when you take photos from the ground, as I do. Still. The weather worked very well. Brief flickers of sun, mostly cloudy, with steel-grey clouds that really worked, given that I was on a 200 year old Maritime fortress originally built by the Swedes to protect themselves against an attack from Russia or Denmark. Back then, Sweden governed Finland, you see.

Lots of photos. I think most of the photos that I took on day one are probably throwaways, given that I retook a lot of them yesterday, and today definitely made up for it.

Speaking of photos. I need to ask a question. Why do tourists feel the need to automatically stand in front of something and have their photo taken when they see it? Do they not realize that they are basically in the way for everyone who wants a photo with no one in it? I am glad that you are having a good time, but can you please remove yourself quickly, once the photo is taken? I may want to put my photo on my wall and I don’t need to see you, or your “I love NY” tshirt, or your baby stroller in it. Thanks. I appreciate it.

Last night was interesting. The Metal was loud, and excellent. So much so that I went next door and picked up the new Noumena album. You know, so I can inflict it on myself over and over again. There is an excellent music shop specializing in metal right next to Tavastia called Keltainen jäänsärkijä that certainly filled the need. They had a ton of vinyl, and not just old stuff. It’s refreshing to know that places like that still exist in the world.

If the weather cooperates tomorrow, I might walk through the Botanical Garden. It’s supposed to be pretty cool. There is also a shop down town that sells *nothing* but Star Wars memorabilia. No. I couldn’t. Not gonna happen. Next to it, though, is an outdoor shop with a ton of great gear. Aside from the Garden, tomorrow is essentially a free day since I’ve hit just about all I wanted to do. There is a huge market down on the water front that was closed today (the building, anyway — the vendors were still outside selling all sorts of stuff), so I will probably head down there and have a coffee.

On the subject of coffee. This could be a post all in its own, but Finland is the world’s largest consumer of coffee, per capita. Two weeks ago, I was in one of the world’s largest exporters of coffee. The two coffee styles are very different. More European, obviously, compared to Vietnam’s table side use of a Phin, and distinctly different, as far as roasts go. If I had to describe it, I’d say “grassy”, almost under roasted. It’s good, but definitely on the light side of light roast for me. This means, of course, that is absolutely laden with caffeine and it goooooes down eaaasssy. I think I had 10 cups at breakfast. With, naturally, rye bread, home made preserves, and peanut butter. Sweet.

There is no debate about this. Finland is an expensive country to live in. Goods and services cost more than they do back in Canada.

But.

There is a lot to be said for paying for stuff. This appears to be a country where people knowingly pay, whether it be through high sticker prices for goods, or high taxes off of salaries, because they know that it is worth it. The country appears to possess a magnificent public infrastructure. The roads are immaculate. Cobblestone and pavement, and nary a pothole in sight. I’m pretty sure the winters here are just as harsh as ours, with lots of salt and copious freeze/thaw cycles in the Spring, so they are obviously doing something we are not. Health care? Sure, it’s free. No insurance necessary for the fundamentals, which is like ours, except the standards and services and wait times seem far better.

Education is another case. Compulsory education is free, students start at roughly age 7, and go for nine years. Students are provided with a free hot meal every day. Finland ranks among the top countries in the world for the quality of its educational system. Finnish and Swedish are mandatory (Finland has two official languages), and many students also learn German, French, or Russian. Sure, this system costs money, but I’m pretty sure graduating and being able to speak 5 languages is worth it. Literacy? One in two Finns possess a library card. Helsinki has 20 public libraries, all of which offer free access to the Internet. The National Library of Finland doubles as the University of Finland’s library.

Let’s not forget about public transportation. Sure, you need to pay for a fare. But there are monthly passes. Other cities like Toronto and Fredericton also have public transportation, but it’s slipshod compared to this. There are roughly one thousand people living permanently on the island of Suomenlinna. The solution is to provide a year round ferry to the island that runs every 15 minutes. Bear in mind that Finland’s winter freezes the harbour solid. On top of that, you’ve got trams, the metro, and other ferry services to other areas. Pretty sweet.

I think the gist of this post is that if you want these awesome things, and you don’t want your government to go bankrupt trying to pay for it through other means, you need to accept the fact that you will have a high cost of living. I think it is completely relative, though. If you don’t pay for it with taxes, you’ll end up paying for it in other ways, whether they be financial (health insurance premiums, repairs to your car because a pothole ate it, etc), or social (higher unemployment, long term health problems, poor literacy rates, etc).

I’d do it. In a New York Minute. Or a Finnish one.

On to other things. I spent today hitting a few of the places I missed out on yesterday, and I also took advantage of a brief period of sun to retake some of the photos I took in haste yesterday. It’s cloudy again, but it didn’t rain, which is an improvement. If the forecast is correct, tomorrow will be Fortress day. I’ve decided to pass on the Zoo. I was hoping that there was a reptile or bird or insect section, which is more along the lines of what I’m interested in, but alas, no.

Metal tonight. Noumena is playing at Dante’s Highlight.

Hehehe. Sorry.

Well, it is, for the most part. I might run out for a snack, but my camera battery is charging and since I don’t really go anywhere without it, I’m at least a few hours before venturing out again. It is still raining and the temperature has dropped a bit since this morning, and I did manage to get a ton of stuff done today, so the incentive to head out again right now is a bit low.

So, the round up. I was up mega early and I probably could have started my day a bit later, but that’s okay. Tomorrow. I managed to get to the site of the Helsinki Olympics (1952), went up to the top of the Olympic Tower, visited the Finnish Museum of Sport, and took some city photos from the top of the tower. Incredibly high winds, slashing rain, completely open top of the tower (and it’s tall!), and I was up there with a tripod and my camera. Ask me if anyone else was dumb enough to go up. (No.)

After that I mostly walked around Töölönlahti lake, near the Opera House and Finlandia. Visited the Church of the Rock (very cool — there was a high end video company setting up shot for a filmed concert later that day, in high def), went to the National Museum, the City Museum, the Helsinki Cathedral, Stockmann’s, the Helsinki Railway Station, the Kallio Cathedral, and the University of Helsinki bookstore. So, most of what I wanted to see in the city proper, I have seen. Because most of those things were indoor, the weather wasn’t really a factor.

I had a late lunch at Silvoplee, a fantastic vegan/vegetarian buffet restaurant. I really gorged, and I’m still pretty full now, almost 5 hours later. I did hit up a grocery store and picked up peanut butter (hi Katheryn!), because the breakfast I had this morning was a little light on protein, I think. Peanut Butter is a staple for me when I travel. Mmmm…

A few observations on the trip so far.

• Helsinki is incredibly clean for a city with roughly 600 thousand people in it. Very little graffiti, almost no trash, and not many cigarette butts on the street despite a high number of smokers. I’m not sure if those smokers are Finns, or Russian visitors.
• The streets are paved with a mixture of asphalt and cobblestone. Most of the streets have two divided lanes, with a dedicated tram lane in the middle. Sidewalks are split down the middle with marked bike and pedestrian lanes. Yes, that is correct. Cyclists don’t ride on the street, nor do they ride on the sidewalk. They have their own path, separate from both.
• This isn’t about Finland, but the Frankfurt airport has the dumbest way ever of boarding planes. Most airports board by row now, with the people on the back getting on first. In Frankfurt, they bused us out to the plane, and everyone got off and went into the plane at either the front steps or the back. A few people knew enough to get on at the end closest to their seat, but a lot of people got on at the absolute wrong end which meant that a lot of folks had to haul their carry on luggage past people coming the other way. Utter chaos.
• This should be obvious, but electronics are insanely expensive here. Not that I am shopping for it, but when I was in Stockmann’s I priced out some camera gear. A “kit” Nikon lens that would have cost $150 CDN in Canada was almost twice that, in Euro. Nuts. Blu-Ray movies are about 25 Euro here, and a CD in a music shop is about 12-15 Euro. Even if you forget the conversion and just deal 1 to 1, that’s much more than what those things cost home.

If the weather breaks at all, tomorrow is either Helsinki Zoo or Suomenlinna fortress day. I really want nice weather for the Fortress so I am going to put that one off until I know that I’ll have nice weather.

It is Friday morning now, and I’ve just crammed myself full of breakfast. It’s not really late enough for many things to be open, and it is raining outside, so I am taking the opportunity to do a bit of research, plan some routes, and I think today will be an indoor museum day because the sky is grey and any outdoor photos will probably be rather uninspired. This is fine. Oh, and the University bookstore, as well.

Helsinki is colder than I thought it would be. It’s only 8 degrees right now, with a high of 11 today in the forecast. Not worried — I have layers and a wind/rainshell, and if all else falls, there is always Stockmann, the largest gourmet/artisan department store in Finland. Ten floors? Yes please. I haven’t been there yet but I can only assume that they probably sell a sweater or two.

Last night I did make it to Vegemesta. It was a fast trip. I had arrived at my hotel, dumped my stuff on the floor and felt the need to explore and at least say I did something. I am north of the city centre, in the Kallio district of Helsinki. Bohemian, densely populated, and absolutely chock full of night clubs (many of them metal), small shops, and little cafes. Vegemesta is far smaller (ie, standing room only) than I thought. It was full when I got there, with maybe ten people standing in a space that was probably half the size of my office at work, for those that read this. The burger was excellent. Hemp and oats, on dark Scandinavian rye bread, with roasted red onions, chili sauce, and a huge slice of fresh pineapple. I am going back, probably on my way back to my hotel today. The plan is to hit up some of the bigger churches and museums, make my way down to the centre of town just to see if I can touch it (is it possible to count coup on a city?, why yes, yes it is) and then make my way back up the Eastern side of the city, along the Market Square.

I believe the rain has stopped. It’s still grey and blustery, but no worries.

Okay, first, this is a new thing for me. Blogging while travelling. I picked up a new Macbook Pro, a 13″ model, which fits nicely inside of my camera slingbag, which made it a no brainer to pack. So, as much as I love the iPod touch when I travel, this will make posting and researching easier while on the road.

Anyway, the title of the post refers to a vegan restaurant in Helsinki called Vegemesta. Why is it awesome? Because they sell t-shirts and key chains, dammit. So, I am going here for the incredible vegan burger, and a shirt. Oh yes I am.

I have most of my time here mapped out. There’s way too much to see, if you count the museums (which are mostly free, like in London and other forward-thinking cities), the University of Helsinki (must get shirt at bookstore!), the Palaces, the Esplanade park, Suomenlinna, the Helsinki Zoo, Finlandia (a concert hall famous for its architecture), a few days in Stockholm, and a crossing over to Estonia. Busy busy.