Day 2 in London

Tower of London
Churchill War Museum
Book of Mormon

Itinerary for rest of week in London

Itinerary rest of week:

Thursday

Train to Hampton Court
South Bank
London Eye
Walking tour at night

Friday

Kensington Palace
Tate Britain
British Library and Museum

Saturday

Soccer Game
Tate Modern

Sun
tower bridge
River Cruise
Ad& Brands Museum

Day 1 in London

This morning, I got up, made sure that everything was packed and then Gabriel took me to wait for the Finnair bus to go back to the airport for the first of my two flights. Since there was such a small time window (50 min layover) between the Helsinki-Copenhagen landing and the Copenhagen-London departure, I had a lot of doubt about my baggage getting on the plane to London with me. So I packed my backpack as if my luggage were to be delayed a day or two. The flight turned out to be half-full and I was able to easily make my connecting flight to London, also half full.

This is my second time in London. I was previously there before during a winter break as a junior in college, where I took an interim class. During that visit, I was in London for two and a half weeks, but there was still plenty of things I did not get to. And since I love British history and culture, I was really looking forward to my return.

When I got to Heathrow, I was pleasantly surprised to see my suitcase at baggage claim. I walked past a London Pass display, which is allows you to see all most all of the paid museums and sights for one price. If you go to enough sites over your stay in London, the pass is a cheaper option then paying for each site individually. There is a little bit of a misnomer that museums in London are free. Typically, just the national museums (British Museum, Science, the National Art museums, etc.) are free, while everything else costs money. The London pass comes in one-day, three-day, and six-day options. The one-day is £43 and definitely not worth it, while at £92, I felt like I could re-coup the value, so I bought the pass. After this, I went to get some pounds from the ATM.After this, I went to get some pounds from the ATM and bought my Tube (formally called the Underground) pass, which provides unlimited rides on the subways and famous red buses for my week here.

For those unfamiliar, London geographically runs east-west along the Thames River, which splits the city into north and south. Last time, I stayed in the Bloomsbury neighborhood near the British Museum (north-central London). This time, I was able to find a pretty good deal on a hotel in Kensington, which is in West London. Kensington, which is about 30 minutes east of Heathrow on the Tube, is one of the most expensive residential districts in London and is most famous for the Kensington Gardens (a huge park) and the Kensington Palace where William and Kate and other British Royals live.

Once I arrived at my hotel, it was already nearly 4pm, so I bought an hour of Wi-Fi (£2), and contacted Daniel to plan to meet at the Westminster station at 5:30pm. I took the #9 bus to Knightsbridge where I caught the Tube. The cool thing about the Westminster tube is that once you climb up the stairs to exit the station, you are instantly greeted by the iconic Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

Fortunately for us, Parliament is open late on Tuesdays, and we were quickly able to get in line for the chance to watch a debate in the House of Commons, which is the lower house of the British legislative system. Before entering, we had to proceed through an airport-style security inspection. We were also photographed and given badges to wear around. After the inspection, we proceeded through a walkway and entered into Westminster Hall, which was built in the 11th century and is part of the original Palace of Westminster. Westminster Hall is roughly the size of a football field and they have plaques indicating some of the historic events that have taken place there. Also on display, was a beautiful piece of stained glass which commemorated Queen
Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

After walking through Westminster Hall, we waited in the lobby of the Houses of Parliament which has beautiful murals and statues depicting important historical figures and moments in British history. We then waited for about ten minutes before being let into a small exhibit on women in Parliment, which in turn, led up to a staircase with pictures of past Members of Parliament (MPs). Once we reached the top, we were asked for any bags, cameras, and phones, before entering the booth to watch the House of Commons. The "booth" is essentially a balcony around all four sides, with glass from the edge of the balcony to the ceiling, so viewers can't jump down onto the floor where the House of Commons was meeting. From my viewpoint, I could see where the cabinet would have sat, but not the "back benchers" who sit in the back of the pews on each side. It is a little awkward at first, because the viewer is essentially walking into the middle of the debate, so you kind of have to figure out the context as time passes. There are also TV monitors on the left, which show the BBC telecast and closed captioning, which was helpful. I began to understand that the debate was about street festival ordinances and hardly could be called an argument. It was cool to see the British government on action, but after about 20 minutes or so, it becomes like watching CSPAN. So we left.

By this time, I was pretty hungry, and Daniel and I decided to go to London's Chinatown near Leicester Square. There is an unbelievable amount of Chinese restaurants in such a small proximity. At the restaurant, I ordered Roasted Duck Fried Rice, which was delicious. After dinner, Daniel and I split ways, and I decided to walk to the Russell Square neighborhood, where I stayed during my last trip. It was cool to think back on how much fun that trip was and also how glad I was to be back.

Thoughts on Finland

Random thoughts from Finland

OMG, are things expensive!...The tram system is really nice, and the best part is that they do not have to swipe, like in Chicago...Finland, believe it or not, has only been independent since 1917..Virtually no signs of poverty in Helsinki...The pharmacies in Helsinki do not sell food, like a CVS with no food/alcohol products. Instead, there are "R Kioski," small stores with the kinds of food and drink that you would find inside a U.S. gas station. These stores are everywhere...The museums are presented really well, exhibits flow together, and they do not overwhelm you with information...The Finns are very friendly and a very proud nation.


This is the first time that I have traveled somewhere where I did not have some command of the main language of where I was traveling to. In the past, the places I have traveled to either spoke English, Spanish, or Hebrew, all of which I know enough of to get by. With that said, most Finns do know English and signs are in English. It makes me really appreciate and even feel a little spoiled that I know English--because everything is catered towards our language, at least in the places I've traveled to. This is also the first time I've traveled somewhere with no intention to return. I enjoyed getting to see Finland, and I feel like I got to see everything that I wanted, but there just isn't enough to justify a return trip. It is a little surreal of a feeling knowing that you will never come back, but it is a good thing, because otherwise, you would never travel beyond just a few places. With that said, I would definitely recommend Helsinki as a two-day trip for someone, preferably in the summer when you can enjoy the outdoors, possibly with a picnic and enjoy the beautiful architecture.

Helsinki Olympic Stadium and Churches

Last Day in Finland

Monday was my last day in Finland and it began with a short walk from Gabriel's apartment to the Olympicsadion, the Olympic Stadium complex, something which I was looking forward to for the entire trip. Besides the main stadium, which was the focal point of the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, there is also a smaller soccer stadium, an ice rink, swimming pool, and ball field. There is also an observation tower, which is 11 stories tall. We first walked in the entrance, which has a few displays about the stadium's history.

The stadium was built in the 1930s, much of it with public bonds, in hopes of Helsinki landing an Olympic Bid. Helsinki was selected to host the 1940 Olympics, which were ultimately cancelled and the city was then selected for the 1952 Games. Past the displays was a door which led overlooking the lowest section of the stadium. During the Olympics, the stadium sat 70,000 with temporary wooden bleachers, but today, seats about 52,000. The stadium is still very much in use today, as it is the site of the Finnish national soccer team. The track too, is still used, and in 2005, the stadium was the site of the IAAF (Track & Field) World Championships. I got the opportunity to run on the track, but was quickly asked by stadium personnel not to.

We then proceeded up to the Stadium Tower via elevator. At first, when one walks out of the elevator, there is just a window, but viewers are able to climb another set of stairs, and step outside into a caged off area, where you get some great views of the city (see pictures below).

Next door to the stadium is the Toolo Sports Hall, a museum dedicated to the history of Finnish Sport. On the first floor, there are display cases with memorabilia, showcasing the development and expansion of sport in Finland, identifying the country's star athletes from past eras to today. The museum is definitely centered on Olympic sports as opposed to professional sports. There is a second floor too, which covers Finland's performance in the Olympics as well as more information on the 1952 Helsinki Games. On the second floor, there is a timeline display of the modern Olympics (since 1896) and the country's outcome in each Olympics. Inside these displays, the had Olympic medals, uniforms, track spikes, souvenir coins, and other memorabilia. It was really cool for me, because I don't believe I have ever seen a collection of Olympic medals before.


After the museum, we took the tram back to Senate Square and I got to see the Helsinki Cathedral again--this time in the light. We also went inside the cathedral and got to sit and admire it. The cathedral has arched ceilings and a big organ, which was playing, in the back, above the entrance. There are also a few white statues (appeared to be made out of the same material as the exterior of the building), two were of Finnish priests and there was also one of Martin Luther.

Following the Helsinki Cathedral, we took a tram to Hakiniemi, an indoor market, and got lunch. I got a sandwich and a pastry that looked (and tasted) like a flattened potato. After the market, we went to the Church of the Rock (picture below), which was very nice and peaceful.

Afterwards, we went back to Gabriel's apartment, and then a couple hours later, had one last Finnish dinner. We each got fried flounder, and the meal came with salad, potatoes (I picked potato wedges), and fruit for dessert. It also came with free homemade beer, which looked like Guinness and tasted like Nestle Ice tea. After dinner, we went to a sports bar and had a Finnish beer. We caught the end of an Italian soccer game and the beginning of a Premier league soccer game.

By the time we had left, it was around ten, and time to pack up for my trip to London.

Tallinn, Estonia

I am writing at about 5:30pm (local time) on board a ferry returning to Helsinki from Tallinn, Estonia.

This trip was planned by Gabriel, who had the foresight to plan it specifically today. It just happens to be Estonian Independence Day today (more about that later). The day trip to Estonia is very popular amoung the Finns. Prices for alcohol are so much less expensive in Estonia that Finns take empty suitcases to Tallinn for the sole purpose of bringing back cheaper alcohol.
I would say about 30-40% of the people had some form of empty luggage specifically for this purpose.

Our ferry was scheduled to leave at 9:15, and we had to get there early in order to get a seat. To call it a ferry though would not paint a good picture. It is definitely more like a cruise ship, capable of seating a lot of passengers and it was very nice. We were able to find a booth, inside a two-deck entertainment area, with a bar and seating on the top part. Our seats provided a great view of the Baltic Sea and we were able to view the dance floor below, where a band, and later, a musician preformed.

About two and a half hours later, the ferry arrived at the Gulf of Tallinn. Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, and our visit was spent exclusively in the "Old Town" area which houses the City Center and many medieval buildings, dating back to the 1300s. Old Town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our visit started with the Oleviste Church which was the tallest church in medieval Europe. Inside was a very spirited service. We then passed through the Suur Rannavarav, an arched gate designed to protect Tallinn and into the rest of the Old Town area. We soon arrived at Town Hall, which is the most-well preserved medieval Town Hall.

At this time, I was getting pretty hungry, so Gabriel recommended a rustic cafe connected to the Town Hall. The cafe was crowded and the doorway was narrow, so it was difficult to step in at first, but once we did, it was pretty sweet. The cafe is candle-lit and the dishes are pottery, and when I looked up, I was greeted by two women who appeared to be wearing medieval type costumes. I ordered a bowl of elk soup and split an apple pastry, Both were really good.

We continued onward in our exploration of Old Town, and not too far from the Town Square, we ran into a big crowd celebrating their Independence Day near the Estonian War of Independence Memorial. There were no les than six military trucks on display for children to climb up and play on. There was also a band playing what I assumed were Estonian songs.

Afterwards, we did more walking. Fortunately, the Estonian History museum was open, and had reduced admission due to Independence Day. They had some nice videos and information displays, which helped me learn more about the country. Like Finland, Estonia is relatively new as an independent country (1918). However, also like Finland, Estonia had previously been ruled by different countries prior to independence. In Estonia's case, it had been ruled by eight countries over the previous eight centuries, all envious of its strategic location by the Baltic Sea.

By 4:30pm, it was time to head back to the ship, which departed around 5:15pm. This time we were not able to get actual seats, but were able to sit by the staircase and it actually is not too bad.

Suomenlinna and the National Museum

Day 3

After breakfast, Gabriel and I took the tram towards the harbor, which is not very far from the Senate Square that I was at yesterday. We got off the tram and walked passed a market set up by the harbor and waited for a ferry scheduled to take us to Suomenlinna, one of the world's largess island fortresses and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a notable example of European military architecture.

The ferry, which navigated an icy Gulf of Finland, takes about 20 minutes from mainland to Suomenlinna. Suomenlinna is six small islands connected by bridges and even though it is no longer in military use (the fortress was turned over to the Finnish government in 1973), there is still a community of 850 residents who live on Suomenlinna. We were able to walk through and see some of the other parts of the district, such as the Suomenlinna Church, which apparently is one of the most popular places to get married in the Helsinki Area.

Before our English-speaking tour at 1:30pm, I was able to walk around the Visitor's Center and learn more about Suomenlinna. It was built by the Sweedish in 1748 when Finland was a provence of Sweeden. Our tour guide was a Finnish man name Igor, who definitely looked the part and was very knowledgeable about the history of Suomenlinna.

Igor walked us around Suomenlinna and we were able to see the heavy limestone fortifications up close. Despite not being a military base today, there is still much activity on the island. A building which previously served as barracks is now used during the summer months as studios for artists. There is also a dry dock used to repair old wooden ships. The tour was about an hour and a half and ended at an observation peak with cannons. After the tour, we walked a little more, and since there was time to kill before the hourly ferry arrived, we went to a grocery store to grab some lunch. Compared to the prices at the restaurants, the grocery stores are only a little more expensive than what is found in the US, and some things were cheaper. My lunch consisted of a pastry with feta cheese inside and a nice-sized package of dried fruit, which was only about three Euros.

After the ferry brought us back to Helsinki, we took another tram to the Finnish National Museum. All of the displays in the museums had three sections of descriptions, one each in Finnish, Swedish, and English, which made the museum much easier to navigate through. On the first floor, there was a exhibit on natural history in Finland from the prehistoric era through the Roman era. The second floor was more about social history in Finland since its independence in 1917, which was more interesting to me. This exhibit had separate rooms for the different decades, each room with about approximately 100 or so artifacts, anything from phones in the 1920s to a Helsinki Olympic torch to a 80s walkman. One interesting thing I learned was that Finland also had a prohibition and accompanying bootlegging industry at the same time that the US did. One of the creative things that the Finns did to smuggle alcohol was to place the booze in a oversized metal flask that wrapped around the smugglers' thigh. I really enjoyed learning about the Finnish social history.

On to Estonia tomorrow!

Copenhagen and Day 1 in Helsinki

I arrived at the Copenhagen airport at about 1:30pm local time, and got my passport stamped. However, I did not have to go through customs/security. On the way home from this trip, I have a six-hour layover in Copenhagen, so I wanted to figure out what documentation is needed to leave the airport. I also found out that Denmark does not require a special visa, if are a U.S. passport holder. Some countries (like Turkey), require you to pay for a special visa before allowing you to leave the airport. Good knowledge for next time.

The Copenhagen airport is beautiful, with dark hardwood floors, lined with cafes with plenty of seating and tables available for patrons. The terminal also has a who's who of high end stores, Burberry, Pandora, and Hugo Boss, to mention a few. Overall, the terminal felt more like being at Northbrook Court (shopping mall) than being inside of an airport? Did I mention that the airport has free Wi-Fi?

After two hours, it was then time to board my flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki, which is only an 80-minute commute. This time the plane was much smaller, similar to what one would take on a domestic flight. When I arrived in Helsinki, I got my luggage and then went to get some Euros at the ATM. From there I waited for the Finnair bus, which goes from the airport to the center of Helsinki. The airport is about 19 km outside of Helsinki in a satellite suburb called Vantaa, so I was on the bus for about half an hour. I then got off the bus to meet my brother Gabriel, who is a medical research assistant at the University of Helsinki.

After we dropped off my luggage, we went to go get some traditional Finnish cuisine. I opted for a smoked reindeer sandwich which came garnished with lettuce, tomato, and some sort of mayo. The reindeer meat was delicious. I would compare it to summer sausage. However, the sandwich and accompanying salad were not very filling (let's just say it wasn't like what you would get at Manny's deli). Finnish food is not cheap, and there are basically three categories: McDonald's, ubiquitous pizza and kebob places (typically €7), and everything else is pretty much over $20 USD. Since we weren't full from the meal, we decided to go to McDonald's. McDonald's, by the way, does have a dollar menu, for those who are curious. I ordered a schnitzel-like sandwich and a doughnut off of the dollar menu. Both were pretty good.

After McDonald's, Gabriel showed me some of the city, including the Senate Square, where the beautiful Helsinki Cathedral is located. I was also able to see some of the pricing, which is outrageously expensive compared to US prices. At a bookstore, the books on display were the equivalent of $50 USD. More surprising was a Crate & Barrel type store with modest Finnish furniture, some priced at €2,000 or more!

So far, though, I have enjoyed my first day in Helsinki. It is very easy to get via tram and there are many sites with beautiful architecture.

En Route to Europe

My journey to Europe began Thursday night with a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Chicago to Copenhagen (From there, I have a layover, and then a flight to Helsinki).

During Thursday, with a 3-7 inch snowstorm expected to arrive that night, I was unsure whether my flight would leave and frankly, I thought that I would experience some sort of delay. By the time my 10:05 flight had left Chicago, I really had not seen even any flurries to speak of.

Getting to my gate, inside O'Hare International Terminal 5, was a breeze. I'm not sure if this is because it was late or the fact that there are simply less flights. When I was there, they only had six or seven upcoming departures. That said, the terminal is very quiet, but nice. It is absent of the litany of restaurants that line the other terminals, so that is the only negative component of the terminal; there is just not a lot of options for passengers who may have skipped dinner such as myself. There is also some nice artwork, including a Cubs-themed bench.

For those who have never been on an international flight, one of the nice aspects is that you have your own TV monitor, where you can watch movies, listen to music, and view flight stats. According to the "Aircraft facts" on the TV monitor, the plane seats about 245 and it looks pretty full (I am currently typing from the plane). It seems like most of the people have originated from one of the Scandinavian countries, but I am definitely not the only American on board and SAS is very accommodating for us English speakers. As one might guess, the captain and crew speak Danish, but also announce every thing in Danish. As a side note, the different Scandinavian languages (Danish, Sweedish, Finish, etc.) are similar, but have different dialects.

SAS served a BBQ-chicken and rice based dinner shortly after the flight reached cruising altitude. I was also able to watch part of "Lincoln." I did not watch the movie from the start, but somehow, I was able to get the jist of the plot. After dinner, I tried to get some sleep, because Helsinki is eight hours ahead and it will be Friday afternoon/evening (local time), by the time I arrive.

It is currently about 12:15 local time (5:15am in Chicago), and they just turned on all the lights and brought breakfast, so I think my chances of sleeping are over for this flight. The plane is approaching the western coast of Norway, so the flight shouldn't be too much longer. I'm a little surprised that the plane does not offer Wi-Fi, even as a pay-per-use service, but obviously, that has no bearing on being able to type this up as a note on my iPad.

Since it is officially Friday, I will continue on to Day 2 for the rest of my post.