Helsinki, Finland

Finns playing music in the park for money... just like Central Park, eh?
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I've traveled many places throughout the world but so far Finland wins the award for the most beautiful women.  OMG!  I'd guesstimate that 1 out of every 2 women are simply gorgeous - which clearly differs from the 1 out of every 10 in the US.  But women, don't despair, the men are quite handsome as well.  Clearly Finland has good genes.

I get into Helsinki in the evening and head right out to see the sights.  I can do this because it stays light until 11pm.  Its a wild feeling to go eat dinner at 8:30 and emerge at 10pm and still see bright light outside.  I like it.  Of course the opposite is true in winter, it gets light at 9am and gets dark again at 2pm. The women better be beautiful!

I nickname the Pub Tram nirvana.

Check out my guns! Ive been working out!
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Architecturally Helsinki is similar to Eastern Europe.  It isn't as pretty as Prague but it does have a nice Marina area.  I spend many days here watching the boats come and go and eating freshly caught fish at the Outdoor Market.  In the winter the Baltic Sea freezes.  I had trouble understanding how a salt water sea could freeze until I learned that it only has 1/10 the salt content of the Atlantic Ocean.  When it freezes people walk out onto the sea and go ice fishing and ice swimming.  I'd like to come back to see that although I'll probably leave the swimming to the Finns.

Island fortress of Soumelinna
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My best find in Helsinki is a Pub Tram.  Basically a bar on wheels that allows you to drink and sightsee at the same time.  I nickname the Pub Tram nirvana.  I meet a Finn named Pasi on the tram.  He lives 40km north of Helsinki and owns a bar and restaurant with his wife.  They are showing 9 Amsterdam fellows around Helsinki for the day.  The A'dam's are in a band and are playing his pub that evening.

I also meet Govind and Flynn, from Bangalore India.  They are super friendly and I hike through the National Forest with them.  They tell me all about India and now I've added India to my trip!  So cool.

Learning how to take pics myself... not so good at it yet.
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Although I try hard I am unable to meet other locals.  The language barrier isn't that bad... most Finns speak English.  What is difficult is the fact that Finns are very reserved.  As an example, one night I head to an Italian restaurant and the host keeps talking to me in Finnish.  To be polite I keep nodding and smiling and finally he says, "you're not Finnish are you?".  I say nope, American.  He says "I thought you were Finnish because you wouldn't say anything!"

At the Lutheran Church... gettin better at the self portrait thing.
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My favorite day is a day trip to Tallinn, Estonia.  Its a 90 minute ferry ride and I head over in a fully packed ferry.  Tallinn is a very pretty town... cobblestone walking streets w/o cars, beautiful old buildings and little shops.  I sit down to eat sushi and actually have the best sushi I've had on my trip so far.  After sushi I find a park bench and lay in the sun tanning - gotta wait for the food coma to pass.  Then I head off to explore the town and vistas.  I highly recommend this day trip for anyone heading to Helsinki.

Shouldnt it be 50 Krooni?
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I've received many emails asking me if I'm lonely on my trip.  I'm not.  And in Helsinki I think I figured out one reason why.  I realize that I enjoy being solo when I am happy and love myself.  When one is comfortable in their own skin they can just be.  In this way I don't feel self-conscious but more buddha-like: present and genuinely happy.  Put another way, imagine you go to a job interview.  If you know, truly know you are the best person for the job, (i.e. the most qualified) then you will be confident and not nervous.  In this same way if you truly know yourself better than anyone else then you can be confident.  While I am not enlightened being able to articulate this thought has helped me move closer to understanding myself and truly being happy in my own skin.