Travels with Kathryn

I landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule yesterday (Saturday), and it was a quick walk to baggage collection. As I am still in the EU (which came as something of a surprise to me earlier with my useless geography) no border, so no passport stamp which saddened me as I was hoping for something Santa/reindeer based.

In exciting news. I am in my first snow of the trip. Hurrah!

That evening, I met my Intrepid group for the next week, we have:

• 5 Americans – Diane and Amy (friends from Arizona, USA), Larry (a Texan) and a couple Suzanne and Glenn.
• 3 Australians – a couple (Greg and Nicolle) and Jess.
• 2 Brits – Katy and me.

So, far a good mixture and excitingly more of the age range I am used to on Intrepid trips (20s to 60s) as opposed to touring with the geriatrics… It also turns out that I am the beneficiary of the fact that other single female travellers have paid single supplements, so I will be getting my own room, which is a nice surprise and one I am most grateful for.

After our “welcome meeting” with our guide Kati and an introduction to the ways of Finnish people, a group of us went out for dinner and a run-through of some popular drink options including what translates to “long drink” which is a fizzy grapefruit and gin concoction. Apparently, they were created for the 1952 Olympics as cocktails were not really a thing, and they wanted a drink that was effectively a cocktail but required no mixing. Delicious and practical!

It was lucky that I had my own room as it means I could stream Strictly Come Dancing in bed without bothering a roommate. Yes, I have managed to watch it whilst travelling – it is about prioritising.

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast (with piles of smoked salmon), we set off on our orientation tour.

Excitingly today we did actually see the sunshine which is unusual for Helskini, but unfortunately this does mean that much of the snow is melting and in places turning to ice so we were walking very, very carefully. I am very relieved I brought my boots otherwise I would have been screwed! Anyway, we did some orientating, e.g., where the supermarket, ATM, etc, and a pointing out of some of the key sites.

We made a stop at Helsinki Central Library Oodi which may sound like an odd tourist attraction, but as we were not the only group here I can see why. It is a beautiful building and also impressively is far more than just a library, its middle floor has creative spaces where you can hire musical instruments and record on modern equipment, fancy computers and 3D printers, games rooms, and VERY excitingly, rooms fitted out with sewing machines, cutting tables and manequins. You can tell that the Finnish (much like the Scandinavians, as Finnish are not Scandinavian) may pay high taxes, but even in just 1 day I am seeing what their money gets them if this is their idea of a city library service…

We also saw one of many shops dedicated to the Moomins. For the uninitiated, Moomins are a group of characters created by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson. Now, as far as I am concerned, having watched the cartoon as a child, Moonins are terrifying. I know some people enjoy their wierdness (and they were very ahead of their time being first created in 1945), but frankly I still find them a wee bit creepy and shall have no problem in resisting Moomin memorabilia.

After being orientated, I and another member of my group decided to join a free walking tour (had to be done right?). This gives me an opportunity to regurgitate the brief history of Finland for everyone’s (and my own!) understanding: Finland has been inhabited since the ice age, initially in the south, but as the ice receded people also moved into the northern areas. The Finnish were not vikings (although some Finnish did become vikings, but they were the exception rather than the rule), so they did suffer raids, and they also traded with the vikings. Due to the Northern Crusades (Catholic Christians against pagans and/or Orthdox Christians) and Swedish colonisation of the Finnish coast, Finland became part of the Kingdom of Sweden from 1350 and it stayed so all the way until 1809 (even today Swedish is 1 of the 2 national languages along with Finish) when it was ceded to the Russian Empire who moved the capital from Turku (which I shall be visiting later in this trip) to Helsinki which until this point had been a very small city. In the 19th century, Finnish nationalism began to emerge and, in particular, the (very distinctive) language and music. Finland declared independence in 1917, and since then, Finland has had a somewhat challenging relationship with Russia. During WW2 Finland fought twice against Russia, semi-successfully during the Winter War of 1939-40 and less, successfully in the Continuation War of 1941-1944 which was settled by the Moscow Armistice which resulted in Finland seeding large parts of territory to Russia, having to pay reperations to Russia (which they did), conduct trials and allow the Communist Party in Finland – however, they remained an independent democratic country in Europe and were not forced to become part of the USSR. Finland has walked the line of being part of the EU whilst also maintaining a border and relatively average relations with Russia. This is no longer the case, and Finland’s joining of NATO was one of the many issues that Putin has listed as to why the invasion of Ukraine is justified. I know…

We started our tour in Senate Square. On first impressions, it looks a lot like St Petersburg, which is not surprising as both cities used the same architect! Currectly this square is taken up by the Chistmas markets (where I had a rather interesting rissotto-y rice puddingy bowl with plum sauce as a snack), but usually your eye would be drawn straight away to the huge Helsinki cathedral built in 1830. This is a Lutheran cathedral, so the inside was plain and feels more church-like for my protestant sensibilities…

A few other sites from the tour are shown below. I usually make notes during tours (which sometimes worries the guides), which meant not wearing my gloves, which was not appropriate behaviour given the cold – and it is only going to get colder… I am also returning to Helsinki after my trip to Lapland, so I intend to visit many sites again, and I don’t want to give too much away now.

After the tour and to warm up, we visited the Central Market Hall, which contains a number of food options. This is obviously geared towards the tourist market (of which the vast majority are Japanese – huge Moomin fans apparently), but does make it an easy place to try Lohikeitto which is a creamy soup containing leeks, dills and big chunks of salmon. We also managed to buy the last Karjalanpiirakka, which is a small open pie filled with butter and eggs. You are probably getting the sense that Finnish food is not the lightest in calories, it is not, but it is both filling and delicious:

I then returned to the hotel (via the supermarket for snacks and a rather snazzy unicorn reflector to, hopefully, stop vehicles running me over in the darkness of Lapland!) to collect luggage and we headed to the station to board our 6.35pm train. I am actually not travelling on the Santa Express to Rovaniemi (never fear – I’ll be on this back to Helskini), but on a slightly older Aurora Borealis Express to Kolari and then a drive to the tiny village of Äkäslompolo which is even further north of the Arctic Circle and more isolated. The train is somewhat retro and I have again lucked out and have my own cabin which means the pjs are onm the window is open and I am hoping for a good’s nights sleep before heading into the unknown! The next post will be from above the Arctic Circle!