Today was the day for activity. I was nervous about securing a spot on the Panorama bus, which only runs once per day at 11am and is the only tour available in the off-season/winter months. So I was up early and after stopping off at the breakfast buffet on my way to get a ticket for the bus.
The sky was a bit overcast and dreary again which I was disappointed about since it would affect the pictures I was taking. After grabbing my ticket for the bus tour I did a bit of wandering and stumbled upon a "My Helsinki" sign that stood in Esplanadi park. At the time there was no one around but as soon as I took out my selfie stick (embarrassing but necessary for solo travel) suddenly a throng of tourists appeared out of nowhere. I eventually got my photo and spent the rest of my waiting time sitting on a bench in the park. I was pleasantly surprised when I moved to the line for the bus tour to find the sun out, bright, shining, and sorely missed.
Unfortunately my jaunt in the park put me dead last in line for the bus. By the time I got on there were only a few seats left on the upper deck and as I sat in the second to last row there was the distinct smell of old urine that only a true New Yorker could identify. I got up and realized it was the seat I was in!! By this time there was no where else to go but across the row which still put me in smelling distance. Thankfully a family came even later then me and took the piss seat and the last row of the bus. Unfortunately they were loud and obnoxious and had a kid that wouldn't quit kicking my seat for the full one hour and forty-five minute tour.
The tour itself, otherwise, was uneventful. The bus brought us all around the city center, showing me parts that were just a bit to far to walk to including an amazing beach where you can go swimming - even with the ice! They cut a hole in the iced over ocean for people to take a dip after using the sauna. The bus only made one stop, at the Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukion kirkko) and it was only for 20 minutes. I wondered why the stop was so short for something that costs money (if you don't have the Helsinki Card that is) to enter. When we got there I saw why. I had my Helsinki Card scanned and walked into what is literally a church inside a rock. It was a cool church but not worth 3€.
The bus kept going around but after the Rock Church there wasn't much else of interest. Once the bus reached its final stop I high tailed it to the port to catch a boat to the fortress castle island of Suomenlinna. I made it there with 20 minutes to spare before the next boat. Suddenly I felt my phone vibrate and when I looked down I noticed that it was restarting and much to my dismay upon loading back up was asking for the PIN number to unlock the SIM card I purchased for the trip. The pin was back safely in my hostel room. I thought about it for a moment and did, what my brother calls, the corgi run back to my room. Unfortunately the detour put me on the next boat but I was at least back up and running with my cellphone again.
I strolled onto the boat, no one even bothered checking if I had a ticket or not, and took a spot on the bow of the boat. The wind was as cold as the ice surrounding the boat so I went inside to wait until we set off to go back out. Unfortunately by that time everyone else was already crowding around the front. I did a Facebook Live video for fun, cause what else do you do while freezing on a boat with unlimited internet, and then almost fell over when we landed.
I wasn't quite sure what to do when I got off the boat or where to go so I simply followed the crowd. I ended up at the military museum which was fascinating with the history of Finland and how it fought for independence. After that I started to go to the prison for another museum tour but when I started going that way I looked around and saw I was the only person within eyesight so I thought better of it and turned back to go to the main museum. There I learned that the prison was basically a death camp for most people sent there. It was basically more of the same thing I had already read about in the military museum.
After that I started the hike to the King's Gate (Kungsporten). I had read it was worth it but when I got there I could only imagine what the view was since a heavy layer of fog had descended on the area. I decided to climb to the top of one of the rocks there for some photos, which seemed easy at the time, only to regret it as I suddenly forgot the safe way I got up and couldn't figure out a safe one back down. After a lot of pacing in small circles deciding how I would get down I finally just sat on the rock and scooted my way back down.
It was a long hike back to the ferry and I got there just in time to watch the boat depart without me. The next one wasn't for 40 minutes so I walked to the supermarket. I was pretty tired and a bit hungry so I picked up a chocolate milk, mini pizza, and a donut. The donut was a treat - they had a few different kinds but I chose the one with the black speckles which I found intriguing. Unfortunately I found out when I took a bite while waiting for the ferry that it was licorice flavor (blech).
I was exhausted by the time I got back to the city. Originally I had planned on doing the tram around the city but I realized that I wouldn't really get anything new out of it so I trekked back to the island where my hostel was, then went to the edge of the island to get some water from the supermarket before finally getting back to the hostel. It felt good to finally be off my feet and not walking anymore. I quickly fell asleep.
When I woke up it was already 9:30pm. I wasn't hungry and I was still tired. Nothing felt better then the bed at that moment but you don't see the world from your pillow. I pulled myself out of bed and headed off to dinner. When I got to the restaurant, which said they close at 11, they told me the kitchen was already closed. I wasn't sure what to do. The bar upstairs was cute but more of a lounge with big groups. I stood outside in the misty cold rain and thought of what I could do next. I could turn around, stop in the pub on the way back to the hostel, write my post and then go back to bed. But no, I said to myself, keep going. I started walking towards the downtown area.
I passed a few camps in the square of protestors, tried to go to the Casino (but didn't have my passport), skipped on going to the first club which didn't even look open, wandered to a second club which was open but empty, found a crowded sports bar with a rugby game, and finally ended up at a bar that felt right. It was Ravintola Teerenpeli, a brewery and lounge, with plenty of seating and Finland's only single malt scotch.
I tried the scotch, it was quite good, and their pilsner. The review online said to get the blueberry cider which was amazing! I ended up sitting outside on the porch under a heat lamp and watched all the other groups there. Around 12:30am the place, which was packed to the gills, started to empty out and by 1 there was almost no one there. I realized that everyone must have gone to one of the local clubs and sure enough the one across the street, which was empty earlier, was now packed.
I wasn't much for dancing so I started to head back. I wound up at one of the food trucks near the train station. I got a beef schwarma which was perfect. They had a bottle of ketchup by an unknown brand and next to it a bottle of Heinz hot sauce. I thought it was interesting and tried the hot sauce. It was so good that I walked to the nearby 24hr supermarket and bought a bottle to take home with me.
Instead of doing the 35 minute walk back to the hostel I decided to take a cab. Little did I know how expensive it was! Just entering the cab is 9.40€. It ended up being 15.50€ to get back but it was worth it - especially with the favorable exchange rate going on right now.
Back in the room I packed up for my ferry to Tallinn, Estonia tomorrow. I'll get to see Tõnis, my former boss, and finally the city that he would tell me about when we worked together.
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