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The Motherland & Beyond

May - June 2023
I off to see Serena in Finland and then off to the Motherland. Read more
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  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    1
    Day 5

    Churches and Buildings of Helsinki

    May 22, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    There are many churches in Helsinki and Serena also took me to the Helsinki University Library, another architectural feat of the Finns.

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    1
    Day 5

    Helsinki & suburbs

    May 22, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    My jet lag is wearing off and I managed to sleep from 9.30pm to 4am. Serena came by at 9.20am and we decided to have a traditional Finnish breakfast(photograph attached) and then head for the Underground church, which was built in approx 1964 by carving out a huge rock face. The church is magnificent and a feat of engineering. Serena and I lit a candle at the church and sat quietly in the pews. This afternoon we met up with her NZ colleagues, had lunch and headed out to the suburbs to a park.
    What am I noticing g the difference between NZ and Finland?
    Finland does not have any litter in the streets. All plastic can be cashed in and recycling is big business.
    The Finns smoke like crazy and they do smoke inside buildings.
    The public transport is run on an honesty system. There is no tag on / tag off but heaven help you if you don't have a ticket, the fine is enormous (random inspections are done).
    Public transport is exceptional.
    Almost a totally cashless society.
    Food prices in supermarkets is less than NZ. Even at a convience store (eg: 4 Square equivalent), the prices are reasonable. We are being ripped off in NZ, and we cannot blame the wages as the Finns get paid far more.
    Alcohol is very expensive.
    Fat people are few and far between.
    Everything is taxed highly. GST is 14% on food and 24% on everything else.
    NZ and Finland have almost equivalent population size.
    Crime is very low.
    Lots of graffiti, which is surprising as they are an orderly nation.
    Greetings are short and sharp, with no small talk.
    By the way, Mr Boofle wouldn't get out bed this morning, too much good food and late nights!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    Day 6

    Island Hopping - Suomenlinna

    May 23, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Helsinki Harbour has many islands and today Serena and I ferried out to Suomenlinna Island. It is an island that was heavily fortified by the Swedes fighting the against the Russians and a retreat for the King of Sweden. It also came under Russian control up to 1918 and after the Finnish Civil War returned to Finnish Control. Today the Island is a UNESCO world heritage site, a residential island to a select few, a minimum security prison and a Naval base.

    After our trip to the island we headed to see another church, St John's and the Helsinki Central fire station which are both magnificent.

    Tomorrow we are off to Tampere ( Spy museum visit) & Turku ( the old capital) all by train. It's going to be a full day with and early train and late home.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    1
    Day 7

    Tampere & Turku

    May 24, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today, Serena had me up very early(6.00am) to catch my tram to the Central railway statio to catch a attain to Tampere, a city north of Helsinki in the country. I duly met Serena at the Station, and we headed for our train, a comfortable commuter train. On the way, it gave me a chance to see the countryside and housing outside of the capital. Finland is very flat and the lots ( and lots) of trees, mainly birch trees. The housing is a mix of American barn style houses and the classic Russian dacha. Quite unusual.
    Tampere is renowned for the centre of ice hockey, something the Finns are very proud of with their biggest rival, Sweden. It's just like Rugby between Australia and NZ. Tampere is also the centre for a Spy museum , which was closed, sadly, as this was the main reason for the visit. However, we also went to a Museum devoted to the national cartoon character called "Moomin." Moomin is equivalent to our Dog in Footrot flats, but Moomin is a Hippo and has existed since 1945. The Finns go crazy over Moomin, and he is a great inspiration to children.
    Tampere had an unusual centre to its city with a hydro power dam running through it and a lake the size of Taupo on its border. Serena said , " This lake completely freezes over in Winter, and she and her friends walked on it out to a small island."

    So after a pleasant visit to Tampere, it was on the next train to Turku, a coastal city with a river port. Turku (west of Helsinki) is the old capital of Finland. It is an absolutely beautiful city with a busy river port and a large castle.
    Here, we walked along the river and caught the bus to the castle. A magnificent and nearly complete castle that has survived many wars. The buildings of Turku had a strong g Russian influence while the locals speak Swedish due to their strong connection with Sweden.
    Today, the heat has been at least 25c, and this was noticeable with the number of people sunbathing in the park around the castle. Also interesting was the lack of bikinis and swimwear while sunbathing. Obviously, the local tax puts such items out of the range of the locals to afford😉 ( camera shake prevented photos).
    Turku's river port was home to some amazing old sailing ships and modern craft. I was surprised as to what had survived the Civil war and the WW2 as Turku was the centre of both wars. Also, Turku, having existed for hundreds of years, had several fires and many of the oldest wooden buildings burnt to the ground. Overall, it was a beautiful city which I could have spent longer in.
    At the end of the day, we grabbed a burger from " Hesbuger," Finland's answer to Macca's, and so superior! Then we headed for our train back to Helsinki riding 1st class, and well deserved after 15km of walking.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    1
    Day 8

    BEING FINNISH

    May 25, 2023 ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    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

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    Day 9

    TALLINN - ESTONIA

    May 26, 2023 in Estonia ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Four intrepid NZers, along with half the population of Helsinki, boarded the local inter islander ferry ( the size of a cruise ship) and headed to Tallinn, Estonia. We were one of at least 3 ships heading to Estonia for the day, Imagine Cooks Strait having 3 "cruise ship" size ferries heading each day Wellington to Picton.
    While us Kiwis headed for the sights of Tallinn, the Finns headed for the bars, got rolling drunk, and smoked endless weed then rolled back onto the ship at the end of the day loaded down (and I mean loaded as in trolley loads) with cheap Estonian booze (and I thought the Finns had some class about them.......sigh......).

    Tallinn is a city of two parts, and we headed for the old city preserved under a UNESCO world heritage order. Tallinn is simply magical and breathtaking. I was surprised that the Russians left it so intact.
    After dis-embarking, we started our day with an early lunch in a medieval cafe having Elk soup, wild game pie, and old world beer. The service was equally medieval with " busty wenches" serving us, oh arh, oh arh! It was so well done.
    We then headed for a Russian Orthodox church, which I couldn't take photos inside, but again, Serena and I lit a candle each to our past cats & the people of Ukraine.
    We then explored a number of shops selling Amber (Tallinn is the Baltic centre for Amber) and other lovely gifts.
    Later in the day, we went to a KGB Museum, a sobering experience. The building had been a KGB prison up until the 1980s. It had many artifacts and video interviews of dissidents that had survived the atrocities. I didn't take photos there,it was too upsetting. Sadly, all of this is happening again in Crimea and back in Russia.
    The cobbled streets, quaint buildings, and magnificent churches made for a day to remember. Estonia, stand strong against the Russian aggression. You have so much to offer the world.
    Now on board our ship with 90% drunk Finns and their trolley loads of booze....oh dear........every country has them..........    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    22
    Day 10

    Helsinki Life

    May 27, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Today was another day to experience Helsinki after a day in Estonia. Serena and I met up with a NZ neighbours relation, Nick, who is also a NZer married to a Finn. To top it off, we met at a Kiwi owned cafe not far from Serenas apartment. The cafe is named "Stay Kind", and guess what? They made flat whites, yummy. I presented Nick with 2kg of NZ lollies sent by his sister. I also gave him two NZ calendars of Taranaki.
    After this, Serena and I had lunch at her apartment and then headed into the city to buy her special Finnish made jewelery for her graduation. I also took the opportunity to buy a bracelet for a good friend. We then promenaded by the waterfront and had dinner at one of many food stalls. I had traditional Finnish fish and veges and Serena a hot dog. After dinner, we headed for an ethnic festival where we drank a juice made of hibiscus flowers and realised how ethnically diverse Helsinki is. Again, you wouldn't believe it, a Finn who has been in NZ, now selling local Kombucha called Ohakune! At the festival, we met up with Serenas friends from Uni, also a mini UN of nationalities.
    PS: I've included photos of Serenas area and things local for interest of the readers like roads, trams, the underground, etc.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    1123
    Day 11

    Helsinki Surprise

    May 28, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today, my last full day in Helsinki was a surprise birthday present by Serena. Although my birthday was in March, Serena wanted to celebrate it in Helsinki so she took me to the Fazer Cocolste Co, a very large company in Finland producing a range of chocolate and food products on a grand scale. The company, still privately owned is 126 yrs old. We did a tour of the factory and were given a sample of their products. Like Whittakers in NZ, they are a cut above in the chocolate and food world.

    After the tour , we headed back to Serenas' apartment for a walk through the forest . Finns are big on Frizbee Golf, a new sport in the world. We watched a game and then continued on home for dinner. I fly out to London tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    Day 12

    Goodbye( Hey hey) Finland

    May 29, 2023 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Here I am leaving on another big iron bird for another country, Security at yhis airport is something else, but we are close to Russia, and that has an influence. I have now been through 3 sets of security, which two were after initial entry checks. This airport is enormous with a marathon walk to my gate, 60 gates, and still counting.

    Have I enjoyed Finland? , oh yes, I have.
    Finland is different. It's remote like NZ a d has a unique culture. I had a tour guide who immersed herself in that culture.
    Is it expensive? Well, yes, but no different to NZ, Is it unique? Very! I only touched the surface, but I had fun.

    Now to the Motherland!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Motherland & Beyond
    1
    1
    Day 12

    You know when you are in London......

    May 29, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    You know when you're in London when you see...........( photos)........

    Hey Arfer, you seen anything of Graeme?

    I haven't Terrance, I haven't! Thought he might have called at the Safari club for a pint of Ruddles and to off-load some expired Immigration permits he had from 1986.

    Reason asking Arfer is that Delboy said Graeme wanted to rent the Reliant Robin.

    I hope Delboy charged him a pretty quid Terrance. He never can trust those Colonials to deliver it back in one piece.    Read more

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