Hopping over to Helsinki!

The fast speed ferry I took over to Helsinki from Tallinn.
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So, I headed over to Helsinki via a boat that makes the trip across the Baltic Sea in about 1.5 hours. Helsinki is right on the bottom tip of Finland...so it's kind of like Vancouver as it's right on the water. I stayed at the Olympic Stadium Hostel (1952 Olympics). It was neat to be near the stadium - but it was kind out of the way of the main sights - and I got lost every time I took the tram to and from it. I ended up at a different stop everytime. I swear some cities make crappy transit maps just to make tourists mad. Like why wouldn't they label the stops on the map? So, I had to guesstimate everytime if I thought my map looked like a particular area! LOTS of needless walking let's put it that way!

The harbour which we docked in. Also, the main harbour for the ferries and other boats.
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The weather was well...crappy there. Cloudy, rainy...and really foggy. So, not the best sight seeing weather. There aren't really a lot of sights there either. Some nice churches, a few big parks, and old buildings (the usual for most cities in Europe). But, it was cool to check out a Scandinavian country...that loves hockey! It was great. I was really excited to see any sort of hockey anywhere on my visit to Europe.

Hooray for hockey!!!

Crazy ducks out at night in the woods.
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I had the chance to attend a hockey game where 2 big Helsinki teams squared off against each other (Jokerit and HIFK). There were about 11,500 people there...so there was a decent size crowd. Things that I found odd at the game - advertising was everywhere - I counted 21 ads on the ice alone and even the players were covered head to toe. There was a cafe at the rink - so at one end people got to sit at tables and be served drinks while the game was under play (very cool!). People were so clean there - they put there garbage in the bins... and didn't leave it under their seats etc. Beer was not allowed to be drank in the bathrooms or stands...odd?! So...at the intermissions...beer was quite popular. The crowd sang and chanted A LOT. No kidding - continuously singing and bouncing around for the first 5 minutes of the game. And, lots after that too. They really put regular NHL crowds to shame. I think we should start singing...it sounded like fun. I don't know finnish...so I couldn't join in. It was hilarious actually to see people yelling at the refs in a different language too. Even an old Oiler was on the home team - Jani Rita - and he picked up MVP for the game! It's a small world I have realized.

The hockey arena from the outside. Really new and modern.
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I think if I came back to Finland I would definitely check out more of the countryside because you don't really get a feel for the place just seeing the city. But, it's expensive there and there are lots more places that I plan to see.