BEING FINNISH

Thursday was a rest day for this intrepid traveler, so I stayed close to Helsinki and experienced life as a Finn.
It started with a lazy morning drinking coffee, and then I went into the city to meet Serena and her NZ colleagues for lunch. We headed to a food hall on the water front where it was a gastronomic delight. Lunch was salmon soup, a true Finnish dish. I'm still licking my lips on this one. Then Serena and I went and looked at Finnish jewelry to buy something special for her to remember her time. After this, we promenaded along the Helsinki esplanade, an area of luxury shops and restaurants ( OMG, the wealth)
In the late afternoon, I went with Serena to the area of Helsinki where she lives, Kontula. This district is as far out of Helsinki Central as Raumati is to Welington or Browns Bay is to Auckland Central, hence another comparison to Auckland in the vast area of Helsinki. It was clearly a lower socio- economic area, but the housing and street layout was very nice, and the streets felt safe. There were more immigrants in this area. Once at Serenas apartment, I met her flatmates from Quebec and Taiwan, and we sat around eating NZ lollies. Then Serena and I took a sauna. Nearly every apartment block has its own sauna. The smell of pine and the steam and the heat, approx 70c, was amazing. This was my first experience of a sauna and a luxury it was. I felt so refreshed afterward. Also, nearly apartment blocks have their own nuclear fallout shelters, which Serena showed me the large steel door entrance. It's a very real threat here with Mr P building up on the border, something we fail to appreciate in remote NZ.
After a dinner at a local cafe with Serenas friends, I hopped on the metro train back to my apartment in the luxury area of Toolo. Now my trip back to Toolo was the first time I felt unsafe. After the metro ride, I had to wait for a tram and around the area were more drunks and prostitutes than I would see in Courtney Pl. Alcoholism in Finland is a major issue. The Govt controls all liquor outlets and prices but fails to control when it can be sold. You can get beer and wines and spirits at a bar at 8am or 8pm.
I got home safely and then watched a tribute on Finnish TV to dear Tina Turner, one of the world's greatest singers, so sad her loss.Read more