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Helsinki, Finland
He ran, hitched rides, traveled light, left his bags behind, said he lost them
After an great overnight flight on Northwest (I had a window seat next to an empty middle seat), an easy transfer at Schipol, a second flight on LM, a Finnair transfer bus and a stop Eliel Saarinen's wonderful train station (not pictured) to check my backpack, I am finally here, really tired but ready to go. We’re starting this two week long trip here in Finland, specifically at the top of the steps at Helsinki's Senate Square.
If I could defy the laws of physics (I can’t) and be two places at once, then you might just see me still at the top of the steps in this picture, taking the first picture from the slideshow you just saw.
Next door to Eliel Saarinen's wonderful train station (not pictured) and just a block or so away from Aalto's legendary Finlandia Hall is Steven Holl's fun Kiasma Museum. A great building with a (mostly) horrible collection of contemporary art.
One of the best things about Helsinki is leaving, specifically the scenic overnight cruise to Stockholm.
Sure the scenery is beautiful, but I was probably more excited about the prospect of sleeping after that overnight flight the first day in Europe which, as always, can be especially tough. I paid for an inside single cabin with no view, so deep in the ship that I might have been below the water line. Normally this might have been depressing, but for me it was awesome and a great way to finally catch up on some sleep and adjust to Central European Time.
The Silja Symphony ferry brought me to Stockholm where I met some family. I have no Swedish heritage whatsoever, but I have an American cousin that moved to a small town there some years back. She took me to some places that I’d otherwise never see including here. Uppsala is a small college town a half hour north of Stockholm, home to dead kings and vikings and, for a few hours, me.
A half hour south of Uppsala, Stockholm is at times terribly scenic and home to the Gamla Stan (old city), which was built atop an even older city whose Swedish name I never learned.
