Travel in Finland - part 23

14th September 2009

I woke up in the morning, and packed my luggage.
When I was eating breakfast, the receptionist told me that because she was going to be out in the afternoon, leave my luggage in the room while you were out in the morning.

I did as she said, and went to Santa Claus Village. The bus for the village left from the train station once an hour. The bus arrived at the village in 20 minutes.

Santa Claus Village is the place where Official Santa Claus are there. And it is the place where there is a border line of the Arctic Circle. That is, this is the entrance of Arctic Circle.

Maybe because it was Sunday and cloudy, not so many visitors were there. First, I went to the central post office to send cards. When you send cards from this post office, you get a special postmark. Also, you can see postcards that were send to the Santa Claus from all over the world.

Next, I went to the Santa Claus Office to see Santa Claus. Entrance fee was free. After entering the office and walking for a while, I reached the place where Santa Claus was greeting. I wait for my turn.

When I met Santa Claus, he asked me where I was from. I said, 'From Japan.' Then, he asked in JAPANESE, 'Where in Japan?'
I was really surprised because he spoke very fluent Japanese. Anyway, I said, 'Tokyo.' He asked again, 'Are you from Setagaya(this is a famous town in Tokyo)? I replied, 'You know well, but no.' He continued speaking Japanese, 'I'll go to Japan in three month. If you have any wish, send me a letter.'

Santa Claus was amazing. He spoke Japanese. But honestly, I don't want him to speak Japanese. I was a little disappointed. I took a photo with him, and said good-bye.

I received the photo at the exit, and bought some souvenirs.
After eating lunch, I went back to the train station. When I reached the guest house, there was nobody as she had said. I hadn't paid money. I stayed this inn for fee as a result. After a while, the airport taxi came to pick me up.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 22

Where I headed was Guesthouse Borealis. I already booked this guesthouse from Japan.

When I finished check-in, a receptionist gave me a map of Rovaniemi, and told me how to go to Santa Claus Village. At the same time, I asked her to book a airport taxi for the next day.

The room was cozy. The fee was 45 euro. It's cheap. I didn't pay at that time, because she said, 'You can pay it when you leave.'

I went to the center of Rovaniemi. Guesthouse was a bit far away from the center. Only 1.5 km, though. I was about to lost my way a few times, but managed to arrived at the center. But it was Saturday. As I mentioned before, few shops were open on Saturday and Sunday in Finland. Rovaniemi was not the exception.

I looked for the shop to eat dinner. At first, I went to McDonald, which is the northernmost one in the world. However, the shop didn't have a good atmosphere. A lot of rogues gathered there. So, I gave up eating here and went another fast food shop. That was Hesburger. It was already 6:30 when I entered the shop, and the shop would close at 7:00. I was afraid if I was refused, but the shop clerk was so kind. When she found that I was confused reading a Finnish menu, she handed me an English menu, and explained it in English. I ordered Double Burger Combo. It was not bad, and big enough.

It was 7:00 when I left the shop, but the sun hadn't set yet.

I returned to the guesthouse, and checked e-mails for the fist time in Finland. In this guesthouse, guests could use the Internet with no charge!!! There were plenty of spam mails...

After checking e-mails, I went to the room and read the novel.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 21

9th September 2009

When I woke up in the morning, almost nothing can be seen outside. I thought I was half asleep, but I was not. Actually, that's' because of fog. I was astonished because before I went to bed the previous night, it was so clear.



Despite this thick fog, I went to the restaurant to eat breakfast. This was the last meal I ate in this restaurant. I enjoyed every meal hear. I love delicious food, and restaurants that serve delicious food.

After dropping by my room, I walked around the hotel. Walking in a heavy fog was somewhat interesting. It was visionary.

The bus to Rovaniemi was to depart at 11:10. Until then, I was reading a novel. By the time the bus departed, a heavy fog almost disappeared. The moment when the fog dispersed was worth a look.

The bus to Rovaniemi was different from that from Rovaniemi. This time, the bus was operated by Lapin Linjet. The bus came almost on time. The driver seemed to unable to speak English. And he even didn't try to speak English. On the way to Rovaniemi, we had to move another bus. If some kind lady who spoke English hadn't teached me, I would have left alone.

A Lapin Linjet's bus was faster because this bus didn't deliver newspapers or mails. But that means I didn't have chance to meat local people. I wanted to see local people.

When we passed Levi, some running event was held. Our bus was caught up in this event, so we arrived at Rovaniemi later. I walked to an inn where I was going to stay.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 20-3

After stopping by the toilet, I started going down at 12:15.
Scenery was quite different from that I saw on the way to the top.
Although it was not mysterious, it was beyond words.

Because I took a lot of photos while going down, it took more time to go down.
I arrived at the starting point at 14:00.



Before going back to the hotel, I went to the Visitor Centre.
I saw exhibits about the culture and the nature of Kilpisjarvi.
According to the exhibits, the average yearly temperature in Kilpisjarvi is -3 degrees.
And only 90 days in a year, Kilpisjarvi doesn't have snow.
The nature of northern latitude of 69 degrees is very harsh.

At the hotel, I took a shower and went for a walk.
The dinner was as delicious as that of yesterday.
I love this restaurant!



After dinner, I went to the lake to see the beautiful sunset.
It was really beautiful sunset.
(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 20-2

I met several people, climbing by stages. These steps were really challenging.

Since I didn't take a break, there was no one in front of me.
Sight was getting worse.
I relied on the marks when climbing, but it was getting more difficult to find them.
Only sometime I could see the blue sky.

The path was gradually getting flat. Maybe I was approaching the peak.
Also, the light of the sun was getting stronger, although I couldn't still see anything below my steps.



Around 10:30, I maybe reached the top.
However, I was not sure, because I couldn't find the mark of the peak. So I was strolling for a while.
Later I realized that I was walking around a tip of the cliff.
Due to the heavy fog, I was not able to realize where I was walking.
If I had known where I was walking, I surely felt frightened.

Finally, I found the mark of the peak.
The fog gradually dispersed.
When I finish talking with the men who came from Oulu, the fog completely dispersed and a superb view was spread in front of me.
I was so impressed that I took a lot of photos.







(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 20-1

12th September 2009

I woke up at 6 in the morning. But I was careless to fall asleep again until 7:20. When I went to the restaurant, a lot of people were waiting in a queue. Anyway, I had scrambled egg, Vienna sausage, coffee, milk, and so on. They were all delicious!

The weather was not so good, though the weather report said that it would be fine. However, I could see some sunshine a mile off.

I went to the reception to rent a bike. The woman in the reception said, 'It will become fine. The view is very beautiful even if you climb only a little.' At that time, I couldn't see the top of Saana Fell because of heavy fog. I left for Saana Fell at 8.

I arrived at the start point around 9 and began climbing at 9:05. I could possibly see surroundings in spite of fog. After 15 minutes walk, I found a very long steps. It was really long. I wonder how long I walked these steps.

As the woman said, the view from here was magnificent. I met a few climbers. They were all climbing by easy stages. But I climbed so fast that I left other climbers behind. The sight was getting worse. I relied on the marks when climbing, but it was very difficult to find marks. Sometimes I could see a fraction of blue sky. But not a long time.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 19

I rode a bike for 5 km again. It was a tough way, because I was really tired. But I wanted to go to the supermarket which closed 5 o'clock.

I was exhausted when I reached the supermarket. I bought some sweets, pieces of muffin for lunch next day, 2-liter water, and Red Bull(total 8.37 euro). Someone asked me, 'Did you went to three countries border on foot?' I replied, 'Yes. It was fun.' Maybe I met somewhere on the trail. Was he the man I met at the 2k point? Unfortunately, I didn't remember at all.

When I drank Red Bull, I felt better! Red Bull gave me energy.

I went back to the hotel, and took a shower. After organizing my belongings, I headed for the restaurant for dinner. I chose Grilled Beef Steak(18.90 euro) and a glass of wine(6 euro), because this menu included the name 'Saana.' I planned to go to Saana Fell next day. The steak was delicious. The food this restaurant serve is really something.



I asked the way to Sanna Fell at the reception. I was told that there is only one way to get there. This was good information.

By the way, this is the map I used in Kilpisjarvi.



(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 18

I met that three girls when I started to go back.
I asked them, 'Aren't you cold?'
One of three replied, 'No. Why don't you?'
It must be a lie. I ran away, because I thought they might make me try.

The way to Kilpisjarvi was quite different from the way from Kilpisjarvi. Because of the weather, the scenery changed absolutely. I like both. The mysterious one and this blue sky.



Sometimes I was anxious about whether I was on the right way, since the scenery was awesomely different. Walking the trail and taking a lot of photos, I thought of various things - especially, my way of life, my goal, and ...... Compared with immense nature, I was nothing, just a small one. So, I might be much more supple than usual. It was a really precious time.

Wind was getting to blow strongly after 2 o'clock, and I felt a bit cold. When I walked along wide spread land, feeling temperature got chilly because there was nothing that blocked wind. I arrived at the start point at 4 o'clock. Although it was a long way, I felt better because I spent a precious time.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 17

I ate Soy Joy and Amino Vital Jelly, which are popular energy food in Japan, near the hut. Since I kept walking three hours, energy sank into my body. The landscape from here was marvelous. I was really happy. This is a picture I took when I took rest near the hut.



After I stopped by a rest room, I looked for the three country border. I couldn't return until I found it. I asked someone who was eating sausage for the way to the border. According to him, it was only 300m to the border.

I found a place where barbed wires were opened. I met husband and wife who stayed next to my room. I confirmed them that I was on the right way. Moreover, I met three girl's party. One of them was soaking wet. As I was surprised and wondering why she was all wet, she said to me, 'It wasn't so cold.' I couldn't say anything. She jumped in the water? It must be cold, because the temperature is only 10 degree C. She was crazy!

By the way, I enjoyed the lovely view at the three country border. It was much more beautiful than I expected. This beauty was brought by this strict nature, I guess. I was very impressed this fragile but majestic nature! It was a long way from Kilpisjarvi. I walked more than 3 hours. However, if I could see this nature, it's nothing.



(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 16

11th September 2009

I woke up at 6 in the morning. After I packed what I needed for trekking in my backpack, I went to the restaurant to eat breakfast at 7. A lot of elderly people were in line at the restaurant. Maybe they were in same group. I drank two cups of coffee and ate a lot.

When I passed the reception, a lady asked the receptionist for something with her bottle. So, I brought my bottle from my room and did same thing. Then, the receptionist poured hot water into my bottle.

At 8:50, I rented a bike and left the hotel.



It was cloudy and very cold. After 30 minutes ride, I reached the start point, which was 5 km away from the hotel. It was getting much colder, so I put on rain wear pants. I thought I should have bring more clothe. Actually, I wore warm ski wears, though. When I saw cameras in my backpack, I couldn't help think that clothes were more important than cameras.

Anyway, I started trekking. The beginning of the trail was a little bit difficult. After a few minutes from the start point, there were several ways, and all the paths looked safe. However, I chose the driest path. After a while, I felt a little relieved when I found the sign.

But I still felt uneasy. I met only one person until I reached the sign of '2km.' This trail was mysterious. I could see a soft sunlight in the far distance. Though this scenery made me restless, I also felt holy. Come to think of it, the brochures in Kilpisjarvi used pictures in the cloud weather. They don't use those in the sunny weather. Maybe they try to put an emphasis on this holy atmosphere.

After 2km walk, there was a sign and I met husband and wife. I confirmed that the route was right. 45 minutes passed.

The trail after that sign of '2km' was quite different. The fair view continued for a while. Vegetation in red and yellow was spread both sides of the trail. Although sometimes I saw trees, they were very short because the climate around here is very severe.

I met a group of two Finnish at the highest point of this trail. I tried to speak Finnish using Finnish words book. This time I could!

When I saw the sign of '5.8km', it passed 1 hour and half. Here I found two people smoking. I hurried forward. The numbers of people I met was increasing from here. Every time I happened to see a person, I said, 'Hei, Hei.' After a while, I noticed that the weather was getting better. I could even see blue sky! Blue sky was really beautiful. Though the holy weather was good, blue sky was much better for me. That's why I walked with light steps.

The sky was completely blue when I walked along the border line. No clouds any more. The contrast between the blue sky and the yellow vegetation were really something. I had walked 3 hours since I started walking when I arrived at the hut near the three countries border.



(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 15

When I got off the bus, the driver showed me announcement of the bus to Rovaniemi. According to him, if I show the stub, I can ride on the bus in discount fare.

I said good-bye to the driver, and checked-in at the reception of Hotel Kilpis. Then, I went to the room, and set down my backpack. My room was a part of the hostel, not a part of the hotel. That's why I didn't have my private toilet and shower. But my room was a private room with 2 beds. The room was bigger than I expected.





I went back to the reception to have a talk about plans in Kilpisjarvi. I was most interested in 3 countries' border trekking. I asked a receptionist, and she explained the root with maps. The start point of that trekking is 5 km away from Hotel Kilpis. It was a bit long way, but I could rent a bike. It was a good help for me. She told me a lot of information about Kilpisjarvi. Those were very useful because some of the information on the Lonely Planet were old.

I felt relieved and went back to my room. On the way to the room, I met two elderly women. I didn't have a Finnish words book by chance, but talking was fun, anyway.

I went to the restaurant in the hotel with a Finnish words book. I ordered Reindeer meat + potato(19 euro), and wine(6 euro). The dish was delicious!!! I used the words book and told 'delicious', since it was really delicious.

I went out around 8 o'clock. It was a beautiful sunset moment. I took photos at the lake shore. 'jarvi' part of Kilpisjarvi means lake in Finnish. And, Hotel Kilpis is by a lake. It was a really glorious place.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 14

I found out the bus stop relatively easily, since there was a sign which said 'Kilpisjarvi' or 'Levi.' The bus came soon.

When I had my baggage checked, I said to the bus driver, 'To Kilpisjarive.' But his reply was in Finnish, so I couldn't understand. In Helsinki, they spoke English well, but it seemed different here.

I bought a ticket in the bus. It cost 63.70 euro. Because I was not sure whether I could use credit card or not, I got one way ticket this time.

The bus left Rovaniemi Station on time at 8:20. Lapland has numerous nature. If I get off the bus and enter some of paths, I could start hiking. I became excited, though the weather was getting worse.

After 2 hours from departure, the bus stopped at Kittila. It was very cold. Temperature was not changed, but no sunlight. Next stop was Levi. According to the temperature gauge, it said 5 degree C, I felt much colder.

We arrived at Muonio at 12 o'clock, and had a lunch rest for an hour. The thermometer showed 10 degree C. I felt much colder than 4 degree C at Rovaniemi. I had sandwich and coffee. After lunch, I tried to go for a walk. But it was really cold!!! Kilpisjarvi is located 200km north from Muonio. I became worried. How cold would it be in Kilpisjarvi?

However, the weather was getting better since then. At 16:30, we reached Hotel Kilpisjarvi. It took 8 hours 10 minutes from Rovaniemi, in other words, 424km from departure.

Maybe you think strange because it took very long time compared with the distance. It's not because roads in Lapland are punishing ones like Costa Rica, where I visit 2 years ago, but because the bus driver has a special task. That is to deliver newspapers and mails. It seems a very important task for the people living in Lapland. Perhaps this is why the driver is get along with everybody. Thanks to him, we could see the expressions of people in Lapland. This is very valuable for me, for seeing expression of local people is one of my goal when traveling.

By the way, he started delivering newspaper from very early in the morning. But when do people in Kilpisjarvi receive newspaper? The answer is ... in the evening. It is a really long way.

This is a photo of a mail box. These kind of boxes are dotting the road. Are you anxious that there is no key? There is no need to worry. And the driver passes mails by hand. ...This mail is not real mail. Real mails are delivered by Postal Service. Maybe this is a personal one.



(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 13

My room in the train was '212', which was a room for double occupancy. At this moment, only I was in the room. This room had a toilet and a shower. All equipments are nice and clean.

It was raining hard outside the train, so I couldn't enjoy the scenary through the window at all. After a while, I went to the buffet car to buy some food for supper. I had Finnish Sandwich(4.20 euro) and coffee(2 euro). The sandwich was very tasty. There were a lot of people in the car, and many of them drank beer. I couldn't drink beer because I was train sickness.

The conductor came to check my ticket when I went back to the room. He said, 'Another passenger will board from Tampere.' I made up my mind to take a shower, since it might be better to take a shower before another person come. However, I couldn't get any hot water! Water is too cold to take a shower. So, I gave up.

I started reading a novel as I lay down on the bed, but I fell in sleep soon. At 21:30, I was waken up when the train stopped at Tampere. The man who had a ticket of the room '212' was unfriendly. There was no conversation between us after all. I fell in sleep again. The man got down somewhere at 6:30 in the morning.

After a little, I woke up and went to the buffet car. I bought a sweet bun and coffee(total 3.50 euro). I packed my luggage and waited for the arrival.

By the way, the train was in Lapland when I woke up in the morning. The scenary through the window was magnificent! The weather was quite difference from yesterday. I found water vapor from ponds and lakes. Maybe the surface of ponds and lakes were warmer than outdoor air. It was really visional!



The train arrived at Rovaniemi station promptly on time at 7:53. Although the temparature was only 4, I didn't feel so cold.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 12

It rained quite steadily.

I dropped by the convenience store in the central station, but I couldn't find any umbrella. Instead, I bought an energy drink. There were many kinds of energy drinks in Finland. What I had was named 'Battery+.' The name was funny, though it tasted nothing special.

It was not a short way to the hostel, so I asked a woman passing by where I could buy a umbrella around there. She told me that I would find one at a department store named Halonen. I went there, and bought 7 euro one.

I picked up my luggage at the hostel, then I headed to the central station by tram. I said to the driver, 'To the central station.' But he said, 'Airport?.' Maybe he thought I was going to the central station to transfer to the bus for the airport.

After arriving at the station, I waited at one of cafes for the departure time, having croissant and coffee. The cafe was in front of the platform, so it was a best spot to take photos. I took a lot of pictures there.

At 19:10, the Santa Claus Express, which was the train I was going to get on, came in the platform. It has so many cars! My compartment was Car 31. I had to use umbrella to get there, because there was no roof at the part of platform.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 11

After eating lunch, I went to the central post office, because there was a museum. But I found more interesting things there. There were a lot of post cards and stamps, including Moomin's ones. The central post office had so many cards and stamps that I could hardly make up my mind what to buy. Finally, I bought several Moomin's cards and stamps to send to my friends. When I paid for those, the cashier woman gave me something. She said, 'It's a sweet.' However, she added, 'Strong.' Yes, the taste was like 'Frisk', very sharp peppermint. She tricked me. (You can buy this sweet 1 euro at convenience stores.)

Then, I went to Kiasm, Museum of Contemporary Art. The entrance fee was 7 euro. I went there because I wanted to see up-front arts. In other words, I wanted to know what was up-front. As I saw those arts, they were really up-front. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand some of them. There were some Post-it prepared. Those Post-it were like this,



'I don't quite get it.' According to the explanation of some of the exhibit, it was an expression of meaningless. Um, it's confusing. But, in a sense, our world is something like that, full of chaos. If I can understand all of the arts in Kiasm, I could understand whole world! Anyway, some of the works were really excellent, and more importantly, the design of the building was inspiring.

At last, I got some souvenirs. I bought post cards again, because I found unique cards. One of them was a photo card describing two men who wore Santa Claus costumes and spent Christmas without girls. Another one was also a photo card of a man who was about to drop from the ladder. I wonder how many times the picture was reshooted. Moreover, I bought this Post-it!



I wanted to visit a cafe introduced in the guide book. But unfortunately, it was already closed.

I went to the central post office again to buy more Moomin's cards and stamps, since I thought I wouldn't buy Moomin's postal goods in other places. In fact, it was true.

When I finished shopping, it was raining hard. I couldn't find anything to kill time, I went back to the hostel.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 10

I asked the receptionist to keep my luggage, and went out to the city center.

Actually, I went to the convenience store while I was waiting for the dryer. I wanted to buy an umbrella, but they didn't have any.

It rained off and on this time, so I put on my rain wear and headed for the central station. On the way to the station, I stopped by a camera shop. The strap of my camera, KLASSE, was broken in Tallinn the day before. I couldn't find any replacement strap, but the owner was so kind that he made it for me with Olympus's strap and rings! Though it cost 3 euro, it was much better than without a strap.

It stopped raining when I got out of the store. I went to the central station, then I bought a ticket of the overnight train. The destination was Rovaniemi, the capital city of Lapland. The ticket was the one for upper deck of a sleeping car. This train is famous for the newest sleeping cars, so I wanted to ride on one of them. I paid 101.50 euro for the ticket.

After booking the ticket, I went to the food court in the Forum to eat lunch. I had 'kebab with garlic potato and tomato juice.' The reason I ate kebab is that I like kebab very much. If you visit Helsinki, you'll be surprised to find a lot of kebab shops in that town. But the kebab in Helsinki is a little bit different from that in other cities, such as London, Melbourne, Tokyo, and so on.

Then I went to the pharmacy, since I hurt my ankle when I was walking in Old Tallinn. I'm not accustomed to stone pavements. A pharmacy is called 'Apteeke' in Finland. As I told my symptom to one of the pharmacist, she recommended me some backrub. It was 7.70 euro. How expensive it was!

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 9

9th September 2008

It was raining when I got up at 6:30 in the morning. It rained hard, unfortunately.

First of all, I needed to do the laundry, because I didn't have any extra clothe. I went to the basement floor, where there were washing machines. But the machines were occupied.

After quick breakfast, I tried to check whether either of the machines was available. Luckily, at that moment, one machine wasn't used. Yes, I started washing. Since I selected 'quick' mode, it took 40 minutes to complete washing.

But dryers were occupied this time. Occupied by a cleaner of the hostel. He used two machines concurrently. Moreover, he used them repeatedly. I couldn't find any chance to use a dryer. Then, I complained to a receptionist about the situation. He said, 'Get out of the laundry, and use it.'

Although I was told so, I hesitated to do it at once. I checked the dryers several times whether they were still occupied or not. But occupied all the time. Fortunately, I ran into the cleaner, so I told him in English that I had to leave that day and I wanted to use it right away. He seemed like he didn't understand me, though he said, 'in 15 minutes.' That is to say, he was not good at English.

I came up with another solution. I waited in front of the washing machines! I met the cleaner again, and told him the situation with body language. He seemed to understand this time, thanks to body language. I quickly started drying clothes, but it was already 11 o'clock, and the check-out time was 12. Even though the receptionist told me that I could use it after check-out, that was troublesome because the entrance card, which I had to use it to enter the laundry room, became invalid after check-out. I gave up drying at 11:50. Socks were still wet. And I checked-out.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 8

When I arrived at Tallinn, I was a little bit surprised, because there was no passport check. Is crossing border is so easy? It seems as if Tallinn is in Finland.

But once I stepped out into the road, I realized that Tallinn was not in Finland. For example, the condition of roads in Tallinn is worse than that in Finland. No passport control, only 1 hour and half voyage, but Tallinn is different from cities in Finland.

Anyway, I got to Linnahallsadam, in English 'City hall.' Where I wanted to go was Old town. However, I didn't know how to go there, so I followed other people, since I assumed that everybody head for Old town.

I entered the Old town, and I found it was quite different from the outer world. This was what I had expected as an European old town: Stone-paved road, historical buildings, and labyrinth of streets. Without a map, I couldn't find where I was. Although the weather was not good, I could enjoy myself in old Tallinn.

In the center of old Tallinn, prices were a little higher. But in other parts of old Tallinn, I found prices were much lower. When it started raining, I entered some bakery to get under cover. What I ate in the bakery was really cheap and tasty. This was another part that was different from Helsinki. And I need to mention the Almond I ate there. I couldn't help myself from buying that Almond because of an appetizing smell, though it was expensive a little bit.

However, Old Tallinn is not wide enough for me to spend a lot of time. After four-hour stay, I had nothing to do any more. But my boat was expected to depart at 8, so I had waited for the departure time at the ferry port, reading a novel.

The voyage to Helsinki was terrible. The boat was tossing on the waves. I closed my eyes and fell asleep before getting seasickness. When the boat arrived in Helsinki, someone woke me up.

Streets of Helsinki were wet, and it was cold. I went back to the hostel.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 7

8th September 2008

I got up at 6 in the morning, and taking a shower. Then I packed what I needed, such as cameras, films, and so on, though I didn't have enough time to prepare.

I had to leave the Youth Hostel for the ferry port at 7, because I was told to arrive there by 7:30, and it was expected to take 30 minutes walk from the hostel to the port.

When I passed the market, which is located in front of the ferry port, people were already preparing for opening stores. The weather was pretty fine. The sun was rising from the sea, and shining bright.

When I arrived at the ferry port, I ate breakfast, an apple pie, and a cup of coffee. Yes, coffee again! I drank coffee every day in Finland!

After eating breakfast, I checked in. Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia. It was a very easy check-in, though I was about to pass across the border. Anyway, I waited the boarding time.

At 7:45 the boarding started. A large amount of people was in the ferry. I wonder they were all traveler. When I sat on the seat, I found that it was getting cloud.

After a 1 hour and 30 minutes voyage, I arrived at Tallinn. The way to Tallinn was not bad.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 6

Arriving at Helsinki, I walked to the hostel from the Bus terminal.
It was just 5 o'clock when I passed by the market.
I was hungry and it smelled very good.

Some shops started to close their shops, but hot dog shop were still open.
The smell of hot dog was really something.
So I took it!
It was tasty!!!(2.5Euro)

I felt better and went back to the hostel.
I went to the reception and they changed my room as I had asked for.
New room was on the third floor. It was a non-smoking room!!
It smelled perfect.

I went to the reception again and booked the ferry ticket for Tallinn next day.
Linda Line, the ferry company I booked was most cheaper and faster among them, though the terminal in Tallinn was a little bit far from city center.
It was cheaper when you booked the ferry ticket at the reception.
Before I left, I asked the weather of next day.
The answer was 'It won't rain tomorrow.'

The moment I finished the booking, a Japanese asked me something.
I was asked to lend him the mobile phone charger.
I lent him while I was away for dinner.

Though I ate hot dog, I was still hungry.
So I went out.
Walking along the town, I found that there were a lot of Kebab shops in Helsinki.
Kebab is my favorite food. So I entered one of the kebab shop.
Kebab in Helsinki was different from that in other places.
It was more like saute.

I also drank beer and left the shop.
It was the time for sunset. Very beautiful sunset!
The sky was painted in red, it was like burning.
The contrast of red sky and the white building was really something.

It was 20:30. The day time was very long in Helsinki!
After I received my charger, I went to the room.
The room mate was an Indian business man.
It was Sunday, but he worked. Hard worked he was!
(to be continued)