I had visits booked to 8 schools, and managed to complete 7 of them, so it was a pretty good strike rate.
The visit to the 8th school was always a precarious one because it was so hard to get replies to emails from them, and often when they did come it was so late that I could not act upon them. It was a shame because any opportunity to learn more is always a welcome experience.
That means that I have had today (Saturday) and tomorrow to be completely free to do as I please. It has been so relaxing not having to worry about the next day of travel to a school, and finding out which bus route and rail link to take.
I have been crashing early at night as there are only two English channels here and so many shows are on repeat. That means I am waking up again at around midnight, refreshed as if I have had my night of sleep, and being frustrated at having to try and go back to sleep again.
It probably doesn't help that I leave the curtains open on my massive windows in order to appreciate the magnificent view I have, meaning the room is fairly bright all night.
So it's usually up early and out the door, and today was easy as it was the most glorious morning, not a cloud in the sky all day.
As I stepped outside, it felt like one of those first warm days we get in September, when everyone ditches their jumpers and start to wear shorts again. There was just a different atmosphere and people were everywhere. Imagine my surprise when I saw the temperature, I was sure it would have been more than that.
It may have only been 5 degrees, but it felt like 20.
The next few hours were spent just wandering the streets and looking for pressies to buy for my loved ones back home. There was no plan at all, I just looked at streets and just decided to go down them. Some were just opportunities for photos, others just looked so appealing and I just soaked up the atmosphere all morning.
Perhaps the most liberating thing was that I deliberately left my maps back at my digs, and forced myself not to look at the apps on my phone or ipad. And it worked!
I found myself down on the wharf, at a big cathedral, at a market (pressies done - Bingo!!) and just loving not being pressured by time or place. If anything, time didn't exist today as I had nothing binding me (except being out of my room so the cleaners can do their job).
Food found me again. I am an absolute sucker for one pastry in particular that is filled with what looks like gravy, but is a sweet fruit paste of some sort. If they ever find their way to Australia that will be the end of me. One of those this morning, then it was straight to the gym when I got back this afternoon!
There are quite a few nice pastries, but this one is the sick puppy that I am hooked on.
Might just squeeze one more in on Sunday!!
I also had a moose sausage at the market, as well as a reindeer meatball. Magnificent!
When they noticed my accent and discovered I was Australian, they acted shocked when they were telling me that they had heard that we actually eat kangaroos. I pointed to the reindeer meatballs and raised my eyebrows back at them, and they understood perfectly where I was coming from.
Later on in the day I also tried a raw fish dish that also had spicy tomatoes in it. Not sure what it was, but I loved it!! I have just about sampled most of the Finnish delights, but I seriously have to give their pastries a wider berth, they are sensational!!
I'll let the photos speak for themselves. The beautiful thing I really noticed this morning was the shape and colour of the buildings, and also how clean the streets here are.
I have noticed this loose gravel on the roads and paths everywhere, and after asking someone about it, I discovered that they spread it around during winter to provide extra grip on the road and footpaths when it gets slippery due to ice. When the snow melts they just clean it all up. It just means that when one is walking around there is a constant 'crunch' sound all the time, it's quite nice to hear.
As I write this I am once again in the foyer of my digs drinking a beautiful coffee and looking out over the frozen bay. A workplace couldn't get much better than this.
Speaking of coffee, I asked a person at a school what are the things that Finns just have to have.
The pastries were one thing they just love, so I feel like a native on that score! The other was good coffee, with lots of sugar. I'll do the coffee, but as for the sugar...not me! That's rich coming from someone who was once a two teaspoons of sugar per cup person until I got married, and was encouraged to go cold turkey on the sugar, which I did, and am thankful for. Now if there is any trace of sugar it just tastes foul to me.
The view from my 'desk'!
The sun rises over Helsinki.
View from the gym.
From the gym again.
A beautiful morning.
Note where the people have been walking and fishing.
My digs on a glorious morning.
Senate Square
The place where everyone does a selfie...except me.
Senate Square
Helsinki Harbour
A cathedral overlooking the harbour
Another part of the harbour where the fishing boats are.
Some beautiful buildings overlooking the harbour.
That's a massive factory in the background, contrasting the lovely buildings in the foreground.
Some keen swimmers.
I had a chat with this lady, she was delightful. She more or less called the other lady a bit of a wimp as she only really dipped her toes in. I felt even wimpier as I was in a coat, beanie and gloves while talking to her!!
Random street shot, beautiful buildings and colours.
Love the shapes here.
Two of the huge ferries. Cars and trucks were feeding into them like ants.
Random park shot.
This cathedral overlooks the harbour, the gold peaks stood out in the sun today.
Looking back towards the market.
Looking towards Senate Square.
Overlooking the fishing boats.
Helsinki Harbour
The Harbour Market
Senate Square
Senate Square
Picking a winner!!
And when it is 5 degrees in Helsinki and the sun is shining, what do you do with your friends?
Meet in the Market Square for coffee!
Looking towards the Church that dominates the Helsinki skyline.
Tomorrow is my last day here, so I will be somewhat sad to leave as I have grown to love this amazing city. The people are so friendly too. As I leave very early on Monday morning to fly back to London, I'll be spending a bit of time packing my bags so that some of my fragile items will travel safely.
I have just moved on from the coffee to sampling their local beers that the staff are recommending. They are more than capable at their job so I'll have to complete this post here and now!
Until my next post,
Cheers!
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