In a by now regular pattern, I slept poorly. I think the cold compounded with my sleep apnea is causing me to wake up often during the night so I cannot get proper sleep. That is why I keep falling asleep everywhere. Anyway, Lucas arrived at midnight, he and Géraldine had some sleep and a good leisurely breakfast, and picked me up at 10 am to go explore Helsinki. We started with a very cool cruise through the hundreds of small islands that dot the bay, some of which were heavily fortified during the times of King Gustaf (late 1600's) when Sweden had to defend its colony from the Russians and the Poles. War continued during the 1700's, and eventually, in 1808 Russia won and the country became a part of the Russian empire as a duchy. We think it was from this time that the city was laid out in grand Russian imperial style. When the Bolshevik revolution came, in 1917, the duchy fought for independence and became its own country, Finland.
Going back to the boat tour (and I am sorry to have to confess that I fell asleep for short periods during the droning commentaries), the islands are coveted by the Finns both because they are crazy about nature, and also because the height of well-being is to own a cabin by the shore and retire there for a few days every summer (a bit like having a cabin by one of the lakes in the Sierra, a much coveted piece of real estate). The cabins run the whole spectrum of simple wooden affairs with a small dock and a row boat, to architectural pieces of art with wide waterfront windows and swanky motorboats in the dock.
Finns are well to do, although we couldn't figure out why. They manufacture electronics, manufacturing machinery, nuclear reactors, textiles, and a few more things, but when was the last you bought a product "made in Finland"? We googled trade with France and Géraldine was quick to note that it amounted to 20 million euros, rather than billions. Somebody must be buying a lot of Finnish products, however, because the per capita average income is one of the highest in Europe. By the way, Finland is a member of the European Union and is considering joining NATO, which I am sure it will not be looked upon kindly by Russia.
Our boat tour also showed us some of the many bridges that connect some of the bigger islands. The Finn architects and civil engineers are very proud of their bridges, which combine functionality with graceful design.
After the boat tour we hopped on the tourist bus to take a good look at the city. It was a perfect sunny Sunday to do it because everyone was out having fun. Helsinki has many parks by the waterfront, which are used for bicycling, strolling, bathing, and just having fun. I mentioned before the many food festivals, and there was also a lively flea market going on.
The city is small, but fiercely proud of its neighborhoods and boulevards. Unfortunately, I was traveling with two dyed-in-the-wool Parisians who had to laugh at the claims that the Esplanade was like the Champs Elysées, or about the highest concentrations of Art Nouveaux buildings in Europe. National pride is probably one of the causes why Finns are ranked as one of the happiest populations in the world.
The city has plenty of monuments and museums, but I am afraid that we didn't have time to get down from the bus and visit them. We sat under the sun for a while, and to avoid falling asleep I went and got myself a cup of frozen yoghurt. There are lots of wild berries in these high latitudes, and I got a mix of berries sweetened with honey that was very tasty (but, alas, it didn't last long).
Going back to the challenge about remembering, when was the last time you bought a "made in Finland" product? If you didn't come up with an answer it is probably because you were not shopping for an ice-breaker ship, for apparently the Fins build the finest of these specialty ships. Also, you may not have been looking for a telecommunications system for your company, city, or state, because such systems are one of their specialties. Nokia may have lost its market share of cell phones, but they are still masters in the realm of telecommunications.
Another funny thing is that Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Swedish-speakers are a definite minority, but because the two languages are official, all state signs are printed in both languages. This is a blessing for us, because Swedish is a Germanic language, and if you blur your eyes you can make sense of what is written. Finnish and Estonian are Uralic languages, and there you don't have a chance.
Tomorrow we need to leave early to catch a ferry to Tallinn,
Estonia, so we called it a day early to give us enough time to pack a small bag
and get some rest.
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