Trains, planes and and autombiles......and a ferry

 

The title of our blog Trains Planes and Automobiles...and a Ferry was inspired by the movie and by the fact we knew this trip would involve many different modes of transport. In the end the count was:

 

 

 

 

 

7 planes

13 trains

8 buses

5 ferries

2 hybrid hire cars (RQ is still a sceptic)

 

Plus countless local trains, buses, trams, metros, tubes and 2 taxis.

 

Helsinki, our final destination, is a very accessible city. Accommodation is expensive so our best option is an automatic check-in hotel where the seamless digital check-in is more complicated than promised. It looks a little unloved but once we get to know her, the room is large, with a fridge and microwave, basic but comfortable and centrally located to allow wonderful access to the city.

 

The public transport allows us to move around with freedom and convenience. The trams are fabulous. Finland prides itself on style and design and its famous Design Museum is a must see. Glorious cathedrals, impressive architecture, modern shopping malls and plenty of greenspace provide an insight into a land now ruled independently, but also by Sweden and Russia in recent history.

 

Helsinki’s large ferris wheel reveals one of Finland’s national obsessions. Apart from one, all the pods are blue, only one is brown. Did you guess? Yes, the ferris wheel has a sauna in one of the pods. There are almost as many saunas in Finland as people. No experience of Helsinki would be complete without a trip to the public sauna, followed by a very short dip in the Gulf of Finland. Invigorating, refreshing, bracing and slightly mad are all relevant adjectives.

 

Helsinki’s architecture is charming and reflects different influences including Arabic, German, Swedish and Soviet. The population is young and multi-cultural. The locals seem to enjoy Asian food and pizza as much (if not more) than salmon soup and reindeer.

Our final activity on a wet afternoon is to visit the local cinema to watch a movie in English, with Finnish subtitles. The food experience is a little overwhelming. A self-serve candy bar is 2 metres high and about 20 metres long with hundreds of candy choices. This is mirrored on the other side by a huge self-serve popcorn hot box and a dozen filling stations for soft drink. The lady in front of us with 6 teenagers paid 75 € ($120) for junk food. The cinema is housed in the 1952 Olympic Tennis Centre The movie was good. The experience was even better!

We write these blogs to remember and reflect on our experiences and to share our love of independent travel. Richard writes the drafts, but Wendy’s editing, additions, subtractions and photos transform a caterpillar into a butterfly.

 

We are very blessed to be able to travel and we hope you too have enjoyed a little blessing as well. We end with words from Mark Twain

 

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men, women and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”