All is good in Finland

Well all has worked out. I have Euro’s, yeah! It turned out to be an easy process. I was a little worried as I arrived after the banks closed for the day. But I was able to find a money changing place and with my passport and credit card they said they would give me the cash. How much did I want? So I am back in business.

Well what should have been a five hour journey today turned into a 13 hour trip. Thank goodness I am still in train mode and had my food bag still in order with snacks. The Russian boarder was nuts. Hurry up and wait, wait, wait and for no need whatsoever, so it was hours, upon hours. Oh well. Then once we made it to the Finish side, it was in and out in two minutes.

I felt like our bus driver was playing a game of Russian roulette today speeding in and out of traffic. I was thankful to have a seat with a seatbelt and tightened it up when we happened upon an accident between a car and motorcycle where the driver was slain across the road and covered with a towel. RIP.

How do I follow that last statement…? Helsinki has a very calming presence. I am staying on an island just a 15 minute ferry ride from the mainland called Suomenlinna. It is complete with a fortress. It is full of friends having picnics on every corner or patch of grass. There are cars, but very few and none on the roads, just cobblestone walking paths. It is quite quant. It is so calm, that there are no workers at the hostel. Just pick up your key from the mailbox and make your way about, it is very quiet and pay tomorrow when we open at 9am. Enjoy your stay.

It was interesting that the change between Russia and Finland was so evident as soon as we drove over the boarder. With all of the vast land in Russia you would think there would be farms and fields of crops, but there are none. We were told they are not encouraged to farm and if they do and sell their produce the mafia is in on it and therefore people are then able to buy imported produce cheaper.

Check out the photos of Suomenlinna Finland at the following link;

Suomenlinna Finland Pictures