Last Day in Helsinki

I got up shortly after 9:30 a.m., after having had a late night. I forgot to say in my last post that when I had my salmiakki shooter (the one that's flavoured with salty black licorice), the bartender was looking at me expectantly, convinced that I would hate it. When I said it had a good taste, she was genuinely surprised. She said I was unusual, because in her experience, only Swedes and Finns like it, and all others go on and on about the horrible taste. I told her it reminded me of the ouzo I had in Greece, or the sambucca shooters back home, but much sweeter.

Anyway, I got ready, packed all my things, and headed downstairs for a substantial breakfast. Then, seeing that it was raining, I requested an umbrella so that I could spend my final few hours in Helsinki, ahead of the cruise to Stockholm, Sweden I am taking at 5:00 p.m. I spent some time on the hotel computer, surfing the web before heading out. The only computer available to guests at the hotel is in a small alcove. When I sat down there, there was an impromptu meeting being held just feet away from me. The people sitting on the adjacent couch were discussing the logistics of getting the Finnish entry to the Eurovision song contest, which is being held in Göteberg (Gothenberg), Sweden very shortly.

By the time I got outside, it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. My destination this morning was the Console and Computer Games Museum, which I walked past on my way to the hotel the other night, coming back from Tallinn. I did not manage to locate it this morning, so I pulled the map of Helsinki out of my travel bag, and saw that this museum wasn't even listed as under museums, so I decided that it would be best to skip it, and instead I made my way to the Ateneum, the National Finnish Art Museum instead.

I knew absolutely nothing about Finnish art before entering the museum. I got to admire works of art by Finland's foremost artists like Magnus Enckell, Hugo Simberg and Akseli Gallen-Kallela, among others. The museum also had one art piece each of Van Gogh, Cezanne, Chagall, Munch, Gauguin and Rodin. There was also a special exhibition showcasing the holdings of the Finnish Presidential Palace, which is currently being renovated. A lot of this exhibition featured works acquired by the Russian Imperial family between the 1850s and 1917. It was quite fascinating. But overall, I must say that I was surprised at how small the museum was.

On my way back to the hotel to collect my luggage and to write my entry in my blog, I stopped off at the McDonald's again, because when I was there in the early morning hours, I saw they had a burger I really wanted to try, but it is only available during the day: the nacho burger. A thin layer of nachos and salsa sauce on a patty. It was quite tasty.

So, I am ready to depart. I will get my things and walk over to the harbour. I am hoping I can get a final salmiakki ice cream before I leave. When I write next, I will have departed Finland. Further adventures await.