Going Broke by Coffee

I expected Helsinki airport to be relatively efficient. Man, was I wrong!!! We had to wait at least 50 minutes before the first bags from our flight started coming out. But at least they weren't lost.... I headed into town, following the directions given to me by my hostel - take the subway from the airport bus stop, and get off at the 1st stop. Well, I did exactly as written, and ended up wasting 2 euros. There was absolutely no need to take the subway, since the subway station was right in front of the bus stop. Argh.

But the hostel itself was quite nice. It's actually a dorm used by the School of Economics students, open for travelers just during the summer. I even had my own kitchen!!! (Although the lack of pots and pans limited by cooking...)

The first thing I did after I settled in was to head to the train station; I wanted to buy my sleeper tickets for the north. On the way, I passed through a big shopping center and decided to stop for some coffee. I'm usually an espresso/latte/cappuccino person, but at around 3.00E, found them to be unaffordable. I settled for a medium drip coffee (think Japanese sizes) for 1.70E. The coffee at MacDonald's and at the gas station was 10 cents cheaper. It's strange that coffee is so expensive in Finland, given that people drink a lot of it.

In Finland, you can buy a railpass while there (ie. doesn't have to be before arriving in the country). Very convenient!!! I bought a 3 day pass to take me on my brief journey through the country.

After getting my sleeper and seat reservations completed, I commenced my Helsinki sightseeing. Well, sort of.... I had 2 whole days in the city, which was more than enough for the main sights. So, on that first day, I didn't get very far... The supermarket was the highlight. For a good reason, though; Finnish supermarkets are awesome. They sell the prettiest fruits and vegetables (I'd say Whole Foods quality). And I loved how a lot of the leafy veggies (like lettuce and arugula) were sold in pots!

There are a lot of churches and museums in Helsinki. I couldn't be bothered with many of them, but I did like the Design Museum. My favorite exhibit was the injured Winnie the Pooh - extra large stuffed animal of Pooh (I used to have exactly the same one!) with bandages around the head. Adorable. But why is it "art"?!
Window shopping was also a fun activity, since there are so many design-related stores. Of course, I couldn't buy anything...
The only thing I did buy was food. At the supermarket and outdoor market. Summer is berry season in Finland. I LOVE the strawberries. They're tiny and don't look like anything special. But they are extremely sweet : ) I think I ate over 2 cups during my stay (yes, they're sold in cups).Other than that, I read a lot. I was very determined to finish my 800 page book before getting on the night train. I can't stand having to carry it around with me everywhere!