Finland 2016 – Part 3

Finland 2016 Part 3
August 3, 2016
We are taking an Onnibus again. This time to Turku. Based on distance to go we opted
to take the bags to the bus station. They will store them for four euro. We were
expecting four euro each but they only charged the four. It is difficult to temporarily store
bags at any transport hub in the US.
Then we headed for the old town which turned out to be not all that far. The shops aren’t
open yet and things are pretty quiet. Before long we reached the city square. Several
food stands are already set up. The peas are another item that really looks good here.
They measure them in metal containers. Soon the tourist office opens so we go in. Both
ladies working there speak great English. They have lots of wonderful things for sale.
Most have been made locally. We noticed a sign in the entry way advertising coffee and
a chat with someone living in one of the old houses. The cost is 5 euros each and lasts
90 minutes. The office called to make sure of the date and time. We are on for 13:00.
Down the street we found a lace shop. They had one lady making lace and another
selling all the items needed to make lace. Making lace by hand is very labor intensive.
They had numerous books of patterns. They also had linen to put in the middle of some
pieces. Naturally they had lots of thread and bobbins.
Down the next street we found a craft and souvenir store. They had yarn, needles,
hooks, jewelry and glass souvenirs. We bought a few things here. Then we stopped in
at the Church of the Holy Cross which was inaugurated in 1512. The lower portion of
the huge building is built of rock. The pulpit is one of the more decorated ones.
We decided to have a light lunch before going for the local coffee and tea visit. A nearby
restaurant looks very busy so we decided to try it. The most popular item was salad.
They placed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers in a bowl. Then you could choose three
or four items from a cooler. They had meats, vegetables and pasta. Then you choose
your salad dressing.
Now off to find the locals address. Luckily this one was not too difficult to find. Pocket
Earth Pro is a very handy app to install on your phone. The doors to homes all face the
inside of their property unless you have a shop. Those doors open onto the street. Soon
a gentleman came to a gate and let us in. He has a small telephone museum in his
courtyard which he gladly showed us. He had all ages and sizes of phones. Quite a
sight to see. He had an old phone booth outside. We eventually went inside and met his
wife and labrador dog. His wife did not speak English. Nor did his dog. The rooms in the
house were all in a line. Office, living room, kitchen and bedroom. She had the table
set with various kinds of sweets. She also made coffee and hot water for tea. We
learned about the history of the house, taxes, gambling, politicians and their family. By
the way cars are licensed by the amount of pollution they give off. With great difficulty
we finally got on our way to the bus. It was a good event that could have lasted for
many more hours. We just ran out of time.
The ride to Turku is only 1.5 hours at the most. Now the hotel showed two locations on
the web. We went to the one with the biggest sign. Turns out the company has three
hotels on the square. Registration for all three are in the one location. We have a no
frills room that looks out on the city square. It did have a bigger fridge that actually felt
cold.
August 4, 2016
The skies are very cloudy today and the weather report indicates showers. We went to
breakfast in the other hotel. Then we headed for the tourist office to get information to
help decide what to do for the day. We bought a 48 hour bus pass for 10 euro each.
One bus ride costs 3 euro. The recommendations were to take a bus through to the
archipelago and to walk a short distance to the cathedral.
Off we went to the cathedral. By now however it was raining. Not really hard but steady.
Their idea of a short walk to the cathedral and our idea are not close. By the time we got
to the cathedral the rain gear was soaking wet. The cathedral is the starting point for the
Lutheran faith in Finland. The original church was inaugurated in 1512. The structure is
much larger than anything else we have seen. It is made of brick and stone. Side rooms
contain remains of famous people in Finnish history. A choir is rehearsing near the front.
There are about 25 members but it sounds much bigger. An organ concert must be
quite impressive. The pulpit is much more ornate. It was up high with a commanding
view of the congregation. No sleepers allowed.
The Sibelius music museum is supposed to be nearby so we headed for that. It’s still
raining. Luckily the museum is only about a block away. They weren’t open yet but
soon. We waited about 5 minutes just outside the doors. They had a place to hang our
wet things before going through the museum. They have quite the collection of musical
instruments from all over the world. Over 1800 total. Some of the forerunners of the
piano were quite old. Then one room is devoted to Jean Sibelius, Finland’s most famous
composer. The museum was most interesting even if you aren’t a musician. It was an
especially good place on a rainy day. During the spring and fall the museum hosts
concerts in a small auditorium in the center of the building.
We took a bus back to the city square to have lunch. Much as we hate to admit it we ate
at a Burger King. That was a quick solution. Next stop is the castle. It comes highly
recommended by the tourist office but not so much by the Lonely Planet guidebook.
The castle is located near the harbor and the number 1 bus goes there. So off we go.
We were able to get senior rates again so we also paid for an English tour. As it turns
out we were the only two. The kids tour ahead of us had about 30. The tour was for the
medieval portion of the castle and would take about an hour. Our guide was a college
student working on her Ph.D. She knew lots about the history of the building and history
in general. At the end we were left to tour the rest on our own or leave. She was off to
play queen for the kids. Well we continued with the Renaissance portion which is
equally as big. The whole thing has been well restored structurally but not many
furnishings. Once you have completed that then there is another nature area with newer
furnishings and rooms actually done as they might have been in the 1800s. This part
seemed to go on and on and on. Good thing we didn’t need a restroom. We are
convinced we went up and down at least twenty staircases and walked 2 miles. All and
all it was worth the trip.
That night we worked on plans for the next few days. We decided to stay here one more
day so we went to the receptionist to extend our stay. Well they couldn’t do that and the
price for a smaller room was more even if you booked online. But the online price was
cheaper than the hotel price. Then we tried finding a room at the end of the bus line in
the archipelago, but no luck. On to plan B. We could book a ferry to Åland Islands, stay
one night and then take the ferry to Helsinki. So that is what we did. What a lot of work.
Maybe there is a reason for the cost of “all included” tours?
August 5, 2016
Yea today it’s not raining. We are planning to go to the Luostarinmaki Handicraft
Museum and that is mostly outside. We arrived there shortly after they opened. Tours
will start at 10:30. This time there are three of us in the group. Still not bad. Once again
the tour lasted about an hour with lots of information and things to see. These buildings
are in their original location with period furnishings. Craft people are scattered around
the area. They do different crafts every day. All and all most interesting. The other
gentleman on the tour thought this was one of the best such places he had seen. The
buildings are approximately 200 years old with the last one being vacated around 1960.
That one had indoor plumbing. A small round washing machine is in the corner of the
bathroom. All the employees of the museum wear period style clothing. Most of the
fabric is woven and sewn there at the museum.
After lunch we headed to Naantali. This is a town about 15 kilometers away. It’s claim to
fame is Moomin World. That is a well known theme park in Findland. The town is home
to the moomins which are funny looking hippos. Several books were written about them
in the 1940s. The old part of town looks a lot like the other old towns with painted
wooden houses. The theme park is on an island in the harbor. We looked around some
and made a purchase. Then we took the tour train to the big resort hotel which
happened to be located near a bus stop. A visiting Rwanda family did the same thing.
They are living in Sweden and don’t speak much English. They are all tired. She almost
left a back pack at the bus stop but the driver and another passenger saw it in time. It
was nice to experience nice people. The bus was very full. According to one passenger
that wasn’t normal.
After the 30 minute ride we got to the square. There we managed to catch the bus to
the harbor. As it turns out the last stop for that route is the ferry terminal we want to take
tomorrow. We went inside to verify the place and time. Then back on the bus and back
to the square.
If you ever go to Turku, a hotel on the square and a bus pass are a good thing.
August 6, 2016
We grabbed breakfast before they were open in order to make the bus to the ferry. We
got there in plenty of time which was good. We don’t know how many vehicles get on
but quite a few people do. The ferry is more like a cruise ship. One floor is almost
entirely restaurants. At least two floors are cabins. We found a comfy spot on the sun
deck and got ready to enjoy the ride. There are thousands of islands between Finland
and Aland. At first they had houses on some of them. Just like the lake area some are
small and others are large. Five and a half hours latter we arrived in Mariahamn.
We splurged on a taxi to the hotel. On the way we saw two old cars and a street fair. We
took a quick trip up and down the main shopping street. Lots of people are out enjoying
the nice weather. Many are eating on terraces in front of the restaurants. There are
numerous ice cream locations. We returned to the street fair. It is a fund raiser for the
Red Cross. Unfortunately it is going to quit in 30 minutes. We bought two hot dogs less
the buns and two sweets. Now mind you they aren’t very sweet. One was some kind of
custard with some kind of fruit sauce and whip cream. The other was something
between a crepe and a waffle topped with strawberry jam and whip cream. Then the
church bells rang and rang. Looked like the end of a wedding. We had pizza for supper.
Connie’s had salmon and dill. Rob’s was ham and pineapple.
August 7, 2016
The Aland what’s happening guide book indicated that there was an old car show in a
park today. We found out where the park was and headed out. We found the park but
never the cars. The receptionist at another hotel said she saw them yesterday but not
today. Oh well the maritime museum is in the area.
The museum is well done with lots of English. It’s mostly about big sailing ships. One of
them is moored beside the museum. You can tour that too. Connie checked out the
handicap bathroom. Boy do they do that well. So much better than the ones at home.
More space, better railings and a sink that could be raised or lowered.
We ate lunch at a seaside restaurant called Ass. Rob had a beef sandwich with Dijon
cream and salad. It was an open faced steak sandwich. Connie had smoked trout
Caesar with fresh potato. The smoked trout looked and tasted a lot like salmon. The
beef sandwich tasted a lot like a beef sandwich. The nearby marina is full of sailboats of
all sizes.
We spent some relax time in the tree lined park that runs through town. We learned the
trees are linden trees. They form a canopy over much of the path. We then went to an
ice cream shop and got double scoops. Note to remember: A double scoop cone here
melts too fast to eat easily. The waiting time allowed us to get caught up on the writing.
Eventually it was time to head for the ferry. We could see some backpackers headed
there also. This time we are going on the Viking line which departs at about 11:00 pm.
We have a cabin for the overnight travel. We found our cabin which was bigger than
expected. We had our own bathroom similar in size to a big motor home bathroom. We
had a small table and bunk beds.the ride was smooth and mostly quiet. It is easier to
sleep on a moving boat if you are tired.
August 8, 2016
We got up about 7:30 after a decent night’s sleep. Only one group came through
making a lot of noise. We had traditional sandwiches and eggs for breakfast plus tea
and coffee. We arrived about 9:15. Evidently you can ride all the way from Stockholm,
leave your bags on board, tour Helsinki for the day and return that night for the boat.
We caught tram 5 from just outside the terminal and took it to the Central Railway
station. There we bought tickets to the airport. Trains leave about every ten minutes.
The ride took close to thirty minutes. We checked with SAS as to when we should be
there tomorrow. Now to catch the bus to the Holiday Inn. All said rather easy. You’d think
that we might have done this once or twice before.
We got to the hotel with no problems. We just chilled that afternoon and then ate dinner
in the hotel. Certainly not the cheapest alternative but it was convenient.
August 9, 2016
We ate breakfast which is very good here, grabbed the bags and got ready for the
shuttle. Easy trip to the airport. We checked into SAS flight by using their kiosk. That
prints boarding passes and bag tags. You take those to the counter and check them in
yourself. Talk about automated. Other airlines are sure to follow.
Just as a note, coffee, tea and water are the only complimentary drinks on the flight. A
soda is 3 euros which is more than $3. Cheap seats = expensive drinks. Expensive
seats = free drinks.
We learned the Delta flight was greatly delayed so we should have time. We found the
check in counters over in terminal two. Oh but the line was long. If you printed your
boarding pass at the kiosk the process was supposedly quicker. We spent at least 45
minutes in line just to drop bags. Before you reach the counter a security person asks
you about where you are from, where you have been, how long you were gone, and
who has been in control of your luggage. Then they check your passport on some kind
of system. All in the interest of security. Speaking of security, there were also about a
dozen “non-conspicuous” security people working just the Delta area. Nothing
happened but it was like they were expecting something to happen. Only two people are
doing bag drops at the counter and they seemed to go through the whole process of
checking you in as well. After seeing the ease and speed of the SAS system this is
really antiquated.
We headed for the security check line only be told to go back to terminal three because
the line was shorter. We probably could have waited in line for the same time required
to return to terminal three. Oh well it is what it is. Oh, more automation, the airport has
self check in for boarding which means you put your boarding pass on a scanner which
reads the bar code and opens the gate. That is unless you are on standby with Delta.
We had to go to a special agent who checked it out, stamped it and signed. The good
side to this is we got to go through the speed line. So all in all not too bad.
Off to the gate. First through duty free. Then into a large mall shopping area that must
be at least a quarter mile long. Finally you get to border control (another name for
immigration). That is easy enough. One more small shopping area and then the gates.
At least another quarter mile and we reach the gate. Another flight is before ours so we
hunt for seats. This airport has very few seats. They want you to shop.
We talked with another couple on Delta standby. She worked for Delta and really helped
us to understand the information on the different screens. This flight doesn’t look good
to get on.
After a long wait we didn’t get on. Now we must change our flight request. We tried to
do that and the response came back that all buddy passes were suspended for the next
two days. Well that is a new wrinkle. We got caught in the Delta’s computer melt down.
A quick call to Ron Warner proved fruitful since he was able to change the flight dates
from the US.
We were told that there were lots of hotels around the central railway station. Just go
and pick one. Well that is not always such a good idea. Checking various hotel sites
revealed those hotels to be quite expensive. Well at least by out standards. Somewhere
in the $300-$500 range. Then we got some advice to go to Malmö, Sweden which is a
twenty minute train ride away. Much better. These hotels are in the $100-$200 range.
We picked one near the Malmö central station.
Since it was getting late we ate hamburgers, fries and a coke at the airport. Just a mere
thirty dollars. Next up buy train tickets. Round trip tickets for the two of us $44. The train
leaves from the lower level of the airport. Trains run every twenty minutes or so. We just
missed one train but it looked quite full. The next one was not any better. The car was
full of people and strollers. One of the babies was eleven days old.
Three stops later we got off. The bag drag to the hotel was about 0.4 mile over
cobblestone streets. There were very few cars and no taxis in sight. The architecture
here is incredible. A mixture of old and new.
August 10, 2016
We took a different route to the train station that involved fewer cobblestones. Much
easier. In the daylight this is a beautiful city. We did everything in reverse and arrived at
the airport four hours ahead of flight time. Delta isn’t open yet. Luckily we found two
chairs to wait. In 45 minutes they began to open. Some of the same security folks were
there so that part was easy. Eventually the counter opened. We were number four in
line so the wait wasn’t bad. Bags checked, boarding passes in hand and off to security.
Same results with check in. We got a couple of chili dogs which means the skinny hot
dogs have jalapeño peppers in them. The bun is a tube with one end closed. This gets
toasted in a panini griddle before being filled with the sauce(s) of your choosing. They
were spicy. Our mouths were burning. Oh darn, had to have ice cream to cool the taste
buds down.
Well what a difference a day makes. Not only did we get on, we got in business class.
In New York we learned the Minneapolis flight was greatly delayed. The system outage
Delta had yesterday has had a big impact. We waited several hours and missed the
flight by one seat.
Online to find a hotel. Booked a Days Inn and went to the hotel shuttle pick up. The
shuttle was there already. We boarded and off we went. Got to the hotel and found out
there are now three Days Inns in the area and this isn’t where our reservation is. They
called the other one to see if their shuttle would pick us up. Eventually they showed up.
We got to bed about midnight with a morning wake up of 5:15.
August 11, 2016
Up early and off to the airport. Security wasn’t too bad especially for New York. We
didn’t make the first flight to Minneapolis but we did make the second. We arrived at one
end of the Minneapolis airport and the Boise flight left from the other end. We couldn’t
make it in time. Now we have the majority of the day to wait. The airport is going
through major changes to increase the traveler’s shopping experience. Luckily the quiet
area is still reasonably quiet. You can rest there. We did make the last flight. A former
coworker of Connie’s was on the flight too. Nice chance to catch up.
After two equipment delays we are off. Landed in Boise about 2:00 am. A cab ride home
to a familiar bed.
Things in general

1. Finns are very friendly but a little shy. You have to start a conversation.
2. Most people speak English very well.
3. Wifi is almost everywhere to include busses and trains with VERY fast Internet
   speeds.
4. Trains are more comfortable but they don’t run as often and are more expensive.
5. Everything is clean.
6. They love ice cream.
7. Most if not all hotels include breakfast and it is a big buffet.
8. Chip credit cards are used for almost everything including vending machines.
9. The land is flat with lots of trees and lakes.
10. Lots of people walk and bike here.
11. The days were long this time of year. (Sleeping masks came in handy.)
    So this is the finishing touches to our Finish trip.
    Enjoy,
    Rob & Connie…