Being Finnish (Week One)

Well, it has been quite a long time since I've written on my blog.  However, after returning from Africa, I haven't been on many adventures, at least nothing to blog about on here.

All that changed a few weeks ago when I traveled to Europe for three glorious weeks.  This trip was a celebration of finishing school once and for all as well as a time to relax and explore after finishing my bar examination.

My first stop was to Helsinki, Finland, to visit my one Finnish friend, Katariina.  Katariina was one of my fabulous housemates in Tanzania.  I was so glad to be able to visit her on her home turf.  We got to do a lot of things in Finland that definitely weren't possible in Africa. 

Here are some snapshots from my week in Finland.  Enjoy :) 



Here is a picture of the street and tram track.  I was obsessed with riding and taking pictures of the trams.  They were really old and unique, unlike anything I'd seen in any other countries.  Great public transportation!




And here's a tram, love them.




Preparing to head out on the slopes.  Finnish skiing is no "Perfect North" slopes.  I could only go down two hills.  I also was being passed the entire day by children because, as Katariina told me, children learn to ski generally at around 3-4 years old.  This being my third time skiing, I was not very good.  I tried though and had a lot of fun.  At the end of our day, I somehow managed to get myself stuck in my ski.  Afraid we would break it, Katariina ran inside to get someone to come out and help me.  Instead of one person, the entire staff came out to see what kind of person manages to get themselves stuck in a ski.  When we went inside, I heard the staff laughing and talking in Finnish, I asked Katariina if they were talking about me, and she said yes.  Apparently, I was the comic relief of the day, and possibly the season.




Looking out at the water.  Please notice the large amount of bundling layers I'm sporting :)




Outdoor ice skating rink.  These people were really good.  I stood and watched for a really long time. 




Katariina and I standing outside of her apartment building.  She lives alongside a bay close to the city center of Helsinki.  The ground we are standing on is actually frozen water!  We decided I needed to walk across the ice before leaving Finland.  This was my last day there!




Despite the fact that it was zero degrees and there was tons of snow on the ground, when the sun comes out in Finland, it's appropriate to sit outside on the patio, in your winter coats and eat a meal.  I thought these people were absolutely crazy.  It was freezing.  I had to take a picture to show how nuts these people were.  Apparently, it wasn't THAT cold on this particular day. Yea right!




The bus station.  Just thought it was pretty.




The Helsinki Cathedral.  Finally snapped a picture on a pretty, clear blue day!




These birds were chilling on the bay.  There were so many of them.  This is a random picture, but I liked them :)