Helsinki

I got up at 6:30 and made it to the ferry by 7:15. While they said I should be there by 7:30 we didn't board until 7:50. I could have stayed in bed for longer. The ferry was very nice, and much better than the BC ferries which I am so used to. It only took an hour and a half to get to Helsinki. Since I didn't have a book that covered Helsinki, I immediately went to the tourist office to get a map and ask about what to do. Thankfully, the ferry port was just a few minutes from the office, and I found it without difficulty. At the office, I got a map, a transit pass, and some ideas on what to do. The lady there suggested a take a tram that went on circle around the city, and gave me a guide as to what I was seeing. I took the tram and got off after a few minutes after I saw a shop selling maps. I went in and looked at their selection, but they really only had Nordic maps, which I am uninterested in. After this short stop, I hopped back on the tram and continued my tour of Helsinki. I wasn't sure what to expect in Helsinki, but it is actually a very nice city full of lots of neo-classical buildings, islands and bodies of water. I next stopped at the Olympic stadium where I went to the top of the tower. I only knew about this from the Amazing Race, where the contestants did the same thing, except had to rappel down from the top. I hopped back on the tram and returned where I started. While food in Helsinki is expensive, the lunch specials at various restaurants are not. I had a very nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant for six euros. When I had finished, I looked at the ferry schedule to Suomenlina, the island fort. Since I had nearly an hour before it went, I decided to look around the stores. I ended up in department store that had a big sale on and bought some pants and a shirt there. The ferry to Suomenlina took about fifteen minutes and was very picturesque. The island fort's nickname is the 'Gibraltar of the North,' and it was hotly disputed in its history between the Russians, Swedes, British and others. Apparently its building was what spurred the development of Helsinki itself, which had just been a fishing village prior to the fort's construction. The fort is located on a four islands linked by bridges. I spent a couple of hours there and especially enjoyed a movie that discussed the fort's history. I was quite tired by this time, and relaxed on the ferry ride back. I stopped for coffee in a cafe, and managed to check the internet while there. Since first seeing a Hesburger restaurant in Riga, it had been my goal to eat at Finland's answer to McDonald's. I searched for quite a while in the downtown area and could not find a single location! This is despite having seen a lot of them on the tram ride. Not wanting to get back on the tram, I settled for a Chinese restaurant in the mall. It's great that in Finland, everyone speaks English. I had no communication issues at all. I got back to Tallinn at around 9:00, and packed up all my stuff in anticipation of leaving the next day.