Flight to Helsinki went really smoothly. I slept most of the way... and it was a pretty long flight. It seemed shorter than Hobart to Sydney. Who needs first class? There they'd just be waking me up all the time for the free champagne. Helsinki from the air looked just like the cover of my Finnish grammar book...

Before I continue to tell what is happening on this trip, I'd like to take some time to talk about one of this blog's characters. I'm not even trying to do her justice, as I don't think I am capable of properly presenting anybody I know, but I hope this short introduction to my thoughts about her will be taken as a humble compliment. When we met...

Now I've done my fair share of daytrips across this trip, but I think this is the first one where I actually daytripped across a body of water to a whole other country! Ok, going across the Dniester to Tiraspol doesn't really count. Anyhow, I had never been to Finland before, and since Helsinki's but a stone's throw away from Tallinn, it seemed ...

Again, this visit with Klo Gay and Margaret Doh has been most encouraging and much more relaxed as we have more time to talk. As we converse more questions are asked and matters discussed. All of us really enjoy the time together. The Doh's continue to live in isolation after we leave with neither fellow Karen or brethren to fellowship with. Klo...

What great place, arrived Saturday morning & Finnair bus takes you straight to town - central railway station - in less than 30mins for eur5.20 (they have Euro hurray). Was staying in Radisson Plaza Hotel which was incredibly near the station (which unusually is not a seedy area) but unfortunately my orientation was a bit skewed so lets just say...

We went again into Helsinki (there is so much to see) on an extremely hot day, walked around Toolonlahtki, a body of water near where the Finnish National Opera and Finlandia Hall are. I believe the Finnish Opera House is faced with marble which has not survived the Finnish weather terribly well and is curving outwards and has had to be replaced...

Takaisin kotona. Taksissa mietin, että onko mitään mitä olen kaivannut täältä Suomesta kuukauden aikana. Ajatus lähti yllätys yllätys ruuasta. Tulin siihen tulokseen, että ei muuta kun perhettä ja ystäviä, kyllä se niin kotoisalta paikalta tuntui tuo Ghana. Tietysti siellä oli monta asiaa jotka oli eri tavalla, mutta tavallaan se ihmisten mental...

We set the alarm early so we could enjoy a sauna before checking out Helsinki and found the separate male and female saunas to be very, well ....intimate. Nudity all round as Megs had flash backs of Luang Prabang. These Nordic people definitely aren't shy. After sweating away we set out to the main square to catch a ferry, which cut its way thro...

Helsinki is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic sea. Since 450 years, Helsinki exists in the crossroads of East and West. The city was founded by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden in 1550 and as Finland became part of Russia in 1809, Helsinki became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812. Finland gained its independenc...