Today's stop was Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
But instead of going for a tour of the capital city itself, our excursion took off straight to Porvoo, a very quaint little village about 45 minutes away from Helsinki. Apparently Helsinki doesn't have much of their old buildings left unlike the other European cities because many of them have been repeatedly burned down. So to show us what Finland used to look like, we were taken to Porvoo which has managed to preserve most of the old, wooden buildings.
And I loved Porvoo. It has a small river, a row of beautiful red store houses along it, small paths, quaint cafes and shops, and when we were there, beautiful weather as well.
After walking around for a bit, we relaxed at a cafe, treating ourselves to Finnish coffee and pastries. Apparently the Finnish people drink the largest amount of coffee in the world - upto 10kg of coffee per person is consumed! Phew! When we heard that data point, we had to, of course, drink coffee in Finland.
Post walking around the Porvoo village, we had lunch at a lovely little cottage in the beautiful Finnish countryside. It was fascinating to see their over-used charcoal-covered fireplaces, huge furnaces and fur covered chairs that were signs of cruel winters. The food was, once again, yummy and we stuffed ourselves with the breads, cheese, salad, chop and dessert.
After lunch we were given a tour of Helsinki, with the main stop at the marvelous Senate square. I must say I really like this idea of squares in these cities. A wide space where people sit, chat, sunbathe, play, walk and eat. The Helsinki one was spectacular, especially with the backdrop of the majestic cathedral, the speckless, vividly blue skies beyond, and the beautiful gulls enjoying the square as much as us humans.
We also visited the Rock Church which was carved out of a rock, as the name indicated. That was lovely too... it was like walking into a cave and every little sound there boomed and echoed gently, giving it a beautiful atmosphere.
After a little bit of shopping again, we were back in the ship for another evening of tea, snacks and resting, followed by a huge dinner that went along with a glass of port wine, my new favourite drink.
Before I wrap up, here are a few of the fascinating things I learnt about Finland.
1) The Finnish education system has apparently been declared to be the best in the world. And it is free for its residents.
2) Their healthcare is almost free too. You need to pay 20 euros for the first two trips to the doctor, after which healthcare is free for the rest of the year.
3) There are more saunas than cars in Finland. The population of Finland is about 5 million and the number of saunas in their country is about 3 million.
4) They even have competitions to see who can stay in a sauna for the longest time. Apparently people from even Japan and Korea fly down to participate.
5) One favourite passtime of the Finnish during winter, when they have like a metre of snow and when temperature dips to even -40 degrees, is to alternately sit in the sauna and then take a dip in ice cold water. They make a hole in a frozen lake and then run from their sauna room to dip in that water and back. Freeze, stew, freeze, stew, freeze, stew. Apparently they believe it is good for the heart.
6) Our guide spoke authoritatively about Santa Claus who is said to be staying in the north of Finland, near the Arctic circle. It was as if he was like the President or something, very much alive and hearty, with his clear agenda, his way of life and his herd of reindeer.
Yup, I love Finland too.
Tomorrow we touch our final port of call - Stockholm, Sweden.
But instead of going for a tour of the capital city itself, our excursion took off straight to Porvoo, a very quaint little village about 45 minutes away from Helsinki. Apparently Helsinki doesn't have much of their old buildings left unlike the other European cities because many of them have been repeatedly burned down. So to show us what Finland used to look like, we were taken to Porvoo which has managed to preserve most of the old, wooden buildings.
And I loved Porvoo. It has a small river, a row of beautiful red store houses along it, small paths, quaint cafes and shops, and when we were there, beautiful weather as well.
After walking around for a bit, we relaxed at a cafe, treating ourselves to Finnish coffee and pastries. Apparently the Finnish people drink the largest amount of coffee in the world - upto 10kg of coffee per person is consumed! Phew! When we heard that data point, we had to, of course, drink coffee in Finland.
Post walking around the Porvoo village, we had lunch at a lovely little cottage in the beautiful Finnish countryside. It was fascinating to see their over-used charcoal-covered fireplaces, huge furnaces and fur covered chairs that were signs of cruel winters. The food was, once again, yummy and we stuffed ourselves with the breads, cheese, salad, chop and dessert.
After lunch we were given a tour of Helsinki, with the main stop at the marvelous Senate square. I must say I really like this idea of squares in these cities. A wide space where people sit, chat, sunbathe, play, walk and eat. The Helsinki one was spectacular, especially with the backdrop of the majestic cathedral, the speckless, vividly blue skies beyond, and the beautiful gulls enjoying the square as much as us humans.
We also visited the Rock Church which was carved out of a rock, as the name indicated. That was lovely too... it was like walking into a cave and every little sound there boomed and echoed gently, giving it a beautiful atmosphere.
After a little bit of shopping again, we were back in the ship for another evening of tea, snacks and resting, followed by a huge dinner that went along with a glass of port wine, my new favourite drink.
Before I wrap up, here are a few of the fascinating things I learnt about Finland.
1) The Finnish education system has apparently been declared to be the best in the world. And it is free for its residents.
2) Their healthcare is almost free too. You need to pay 20 euros for the first two trips to the doctor, after which healthcare is free for the rest of the year.
3) There are more saunas than cars in Finland. The population of Finland is about 5 million and the number of saunas in their country is about 3 million.
4) They even have competitions to see who can stay in a sauna for the longest time. Apparently people from even Japan and Korea fly down to participate.
5) One favourite passtime of the Finnish during winter, when they have like a metre of snow and when temperature dips to even -40 degrees, is to alternately sit in the sauna and then take a dip in ice cold water. They make a hole in a frozen lake and then run from their sauna room to dip in that water and back. Freeze, stew, freeze, stew, freeze, stew. Apparently they believe it is good for the heart.
6) Our guide spoke authoritatively about Santa Claus who is said to be staying in the north of Finland, near the Arctic circle. It was as if he was like the President or something, very much alive and hearty, with his clear agenda, his way of life and his herd of reindeer.
Yup, I love Finland too.
Tomorrow we touch our final port of call - Stockholm, Sweden.
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