7th May 1984- Last day in Helsinki

Monday May 7  I woke up before 9.00 and packed my case. Sappo and Taina went off to work, so I said goodbye to them then. Riikka and I left after my last bit of laundry was ready.

  In Helsinki we first went to a travel agent and then to a Finntourist place to book the Transalpino ticket [cut-price rail tickets for young people, replaced now by something else, probably]. It cost 613 marks (about $100) but I can’t go to Groningen without detouring or extra cost. [Groningen was another place where one of my sister’s exchange student friends came from.]

   Intourist. Finntourist. Swintourist for Sweden, Dintourist for Denmark?

   We then went along the Esplanade, looking in shop windows, or in fact going into a shop called Arabia. This was quite spacious and stocked ceramic zebras, penguins, pandas and koalas (in groups of three), right luvly painted plates of scenes in Helsinki and Finland, beautiful glassware, crockery, cutlery etcetera etcetera. Really nice stuff.

 We then went to a bookstore where Riikka bought a book on Finland and a little one on Helsinki.

  Business done in town, we went off to the island of Seurasaari, which includes an open air museum with farm houses, church, manor house, smoke sauna, barns, church boats etc. which were brought from different parts of the country. It’s very popular in summer.

  But on the way to the island we stopped off at the Sibelius Monument [1967], which is a mass of welded stainless steel pipes, some with holes and designs cut in them, and it gives the impression of a whole lot of organ pipes.

   To get to the island we crossed a white bridge which was used, apparently, in the filming of ‘Gorky Park’. Looks familiar. [The scene was shot in winter – very icy and cold.]

The bridge at Seurasaari.

    We bought some peanuts to feed the ducks and squirrels. Some of the ducks are quite tame and will take the nuts out of hand. Others are a bit more timid.

  So we wandered around. Grassed roof huts [surely he means grass-roofed huts], storage hut on a tree trunk so animals wouldn’t be able to raid it with the greatest of ease, the church, and a restaurant that doesn’t open until about the 24^th of May. Not having time to wait for it to open, we walked to the end of the island. It was very peaceful among the tress – birches, firs and another pine, unidentified. And some ponds.

   We passed the former president of Finland, Dr. Urho Kekkonen, on his daily constitutional. He was president from 1956 to 1982, although the term of office is for six years. However, the old man is senile and needs support when he walks. [He looked a bit like P.G. Wodehouse without a moustache. He died in 1986, a few days before his 86^th birthday.]

   On the way back we discovered a moulting squirrel. He was very light and his paws were cold, but he’d take a peanut, run off and bury it in a hiding place and come back for more, sometimes two or three at once. But does he remember where he put them?

   We then went for lunch at a little restaurant near where Riika’s grandmother lives in a flat. Crumbed veal à la Oskar, which was very nice, but there was too much salt in the chips and Oskar’s sauce. I had a pear in very nice fudge sauce for dessert.

   We went back home to pick up my stuff, then back into town to pick up my ticket. However, they didn’t take American Express and the banks close at 4.15, so I have to pay back Riikka [I sent the money later from London]. Then to the boat terminal of the Silja Line where the FINLANDIA was waiting. This is, of course, one of the big ships that carries cars and trucks and is rather large and box-like. I said goodbye and thanks to Riikka and embarked. The line is having “American Weeks” and the crew was dressed in Texan outfits and colours. The boat left at six but I didn’t watch the scenery as I crashed out in the Sitseria, which is a bit uncomfy but it’ll do.

   

Finlandia, built 1981, now known as Princess Maria of the St. Peter Line.

   I got up about eight and wandered around. I wrote a bit of diary – still way behind – and bought a yoghurt. Eventually went to bed in the Sitseria, alternating between the floor and the chair. The blow-up pillow I use in my camera bag comes in handy in situations like this. [The next time I went on one of these ferries, 1988, I had a cabin.]