There's nothing like a good friend....

Hello!!

I everyone is doing well and enjoying the fantastic weather in Calgary!! I am quite jealous to hear about 20 degree weather when here I am freezing!! Okay, not entirely freezing yet but it is significantly cooler and there is a wind that cuts right in!! People are starting to question whether I really come from Canada!!

This last little while has been quite busy. I am very fortunate to have Jacqueline in my life...she came for a visit for about 4 days. These have been the best 4 days I have experienced since arriving in Finland. I am still in awe that she came but I guess that is what friends do. So, Jacqueline landed in Helsinki and then took the train to Tampere. From here we spent Friday October 19 checking out the local sites. We managed to walk around the centre for a bit and then headed to the Lenin Museum. It is apparently the only Lenin museum in the world. I have been informed that it is supported by some Russian association and let's just say it is interesting to see what "facts" are deleted. Jacqueline and I then enjoyed dinner at Harolds (the Viking restaurant). We ordered beef stew...why the vegetables and potatoes are not in the stew, we don't know!! We then took in a fireworks show over keskustori (the central square) to commemorate autumn. It was short and sweet but I managed to get at least one good shot.


Jaqueline pretending to be Lenin.


Interesting picture of Lenin speaking to workers.


Jacqueline digging in to dinner.


Me trying to fake drinking...it was diet Pepsi.


Fireworks.

On Saturday we headed to Helsinki and spent the day seeing the sites. We took in the Museum of Contemporary Art and we saw much of the city via tram. Yes, we hoped on the wrong tram and ended up seeing many sites...we pretended that we were on a guided tour!! So, I apologize but since we weren't on a guided tour (we were quite lost for a bit!!) I have many pictures but no idea of what the buildings/statues/fountains are. I hope to learn more when I return with Geoff. Saturday night was spent at Fenno Apartments. It is a hotel but there is the option of renting on a monthly basis. The room was okay but they didn't provide any bedsheets (the website said they did) and we were put on a smoking floor (apparently we clicked that on the website but neither one of us has any memory of even having the option to do so). After a long day wandering and sightseeing, we returned to our room only to find it filling with smoke. As the night progressed it reached a point that I could barely see Jacqueline standing a few feet away. Seeing as this was the last room in the hotel, we found a solution quickly. We stuffed the bottom of the door with grocery bags and books to keep the smoke from leaking in!! After this, Jacqueline and I decided to call it a night...we slept on top of the comforter, in our pjs and sweaters (we didn't want our skin touching the questionable stains) and used our towels as a cover!! For anyone that has heard of our traveling adventures, we are happy to report that we continued with our tradition of staying in questionable hotels where one of us ends up with some sort of rash. This time it was Jacqueline.


Railway station in Helsinki.


The tram in Helsinki. Tip #1: Before sitting down, ensure that the seat is dry. The smell of urine is very strong on these trams! Thanks for the tip Ben!!


Random shot from the tram #1.


Random shot from the tram #2.


Random shot from the tram #3.


Statue near the market square. I thought the bird on his head was funny!!


Jacqueline taking in some art at the museum. Tip #2: Not all art is good!


Our smoke barrier!! Tip #3: Grocery bags are a must when traveling in Europe. They save you money (yup, grocery bags cost an average of 70 Euro cents) and they are quite effective at blocking smoke.

Sunday morning consisted of switching hotels and getting on the ferry to Tallinn...we could not find a single hotel or hostel that had both nights available. This took a grand total of close to one hour. Why? Our new beds were on the other side of the city. Once we switched we then had to head to another side of the city to catch the ferry. This took over one hour and we reached a point where we were risking missing the ferry. On with the taxi!! Ten Euro later we made it to the port only to find long line ups. But we managed to make it on the ferry, which turned out to be more like a cruise ship. It came equiped with rooms, several cafeteria-style shops, a pub with slot machines, a restaurant and a supermarket. To entertain ourselves we ended up going through the supermarket taking pictures of odd things we found. This kept us busy for an incredibly long time!! Once we grew tired of this we headed back to a window seat and waited for Tallinn, Estonia to approach. I never imagined I could someday through out the following statement at a cocktail party "Why yes, when I was in Estonia..." As the ferry approached it felt like we were going to walk into a storybook...it was incredible!!


The supermarket on the ferry.


Dynamite energy drink...Geoff, there will be no dynamite coming back to Canada with us!!


Mini kegs are so cute!!


Approaching Tallinn...incredible!!

The Old Town of Tallinn is breath-taking!! The pictures do not do it justice!! I cannot wait to show it to Geoff. Jacqueline and I walked around taking pictures of every building we walked by...usually with our jaws hitting the floor!! We had coffee at a very cute cafe where we spent a grand total of about 3 Euro for one coffee, one slice of cake, and a giant cookie. It felt like we were in financial heaven after spending time in Finland!! We then took in several churches and museums. Our 8 hours were not enough to see everything, however, it was all incredibly beautiful and I am very happy that I shared this experience with Jacqueline.


Best free museum I have visited!!


Fat Margaret...entrance to the Old Town of Tallinn.


Building in the Old Town.


Cool buidling in Tallinn.


Hanging out with Vana Toomas (Old Thomas).


Jacqueline and I posing pretty.


Dancing in the rain with no rain!!

At around 7PM we decided to head back to the port in order to make sure we didn't miss the ferry. We found a hotel and had tea in the lounge. I remember one of us saying "We should leave by 7:30PM to make sure we get there for 8:00PM"...of course, as usual, 8PM rolls around and we realize what time it is. We take off running only to find out that we were not as close to the port as we thought. We ended up running through some semi-truck parking lot and some trucker started flashing his lights at us. I had visions of us missing the ferry and wandering through the dark streets looking for a place to sleep. We ran and ran but we made it...again with the long line ups. Once on the ferry, we felt the tiredness sink in and all we wanted was to find a seat and chill. Unfortunately, I managed to run into some Finnish guy who then proceeded to follow us around. He didn't speak any English and he was trying to get his friend to interpret...quite odd. He was persistent and Jacqueline and I ended up wandering through the cabins to loose him...only to find him at the bus stop once we got off the ferry!! Thankfully, he didn't take our bus and we made it back to the hostel. What a day!!


Back in Helsinki...the longest escalator I have ever seen!!

Monday was spent seeing a few more sites. We visited the Lutheran Rock Church, the Sibelius Monument, and the giant white Lutheran church. I was quite sad that our day went by quickly because that only meant that our time together was ending. Jacqueline and I headed back to the hostel and hung out for a bit before I had to leave to return to Tampere. The train ride back to my room was alright but the long walk home with three bags was not fun!! However, I felt quite good after having spent such a fabulous weekend with one of my favorite people.


Sibelius Monument.


I could not resist standing under part of the monument!!


The big white Lutheran church....it was huge!!


Carving on the side of the church....it reminded me of Matthew.


Are there "Thai Sweet Chilli & Lemongrass Flavour" Pringles in Canada?? We also found "steak and blue-cheese" pringles!!

Sorry to not post too many shots of Tallinn but I don't want to spoil it for Geoff. However, if you are my "friend" on facebook, feel free to check them out there. I will post them during the weekend.

Well, I must get going. Tomorrow is my last day at Immigrant Mental Health Services and then tomorrow night I am off to Nokia (yes, for anyone who does not know, Nokia cell phones come from Finland!!) to help "patrol" the streets with some volunteer organization of the Red Cross. Not too sure what is meant by patrol but I hope it doesn't involve speaking Finnish!! It will be a long, cold night!!

Much love to you all!! I look forward to returning home!!

P.S.-- Some words of wisdom we found on a sign in a park in Helsinki: