Aug 11, 2005 - On to Helsinki and home!

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for all of their wonderful messages, and prayers during my trip! As I was alone most of the trip, it helped to know that so many people from home were with me during my adventures. So, thank you, thank you! Also, this is my last entry (or should be!), but I will still make sure to check my messages here for a while. So please feel free to contact me if you like. Now, on to Helsinki! To get to Helsinki from St. Petersburg you can take either boat, bus, or train. My original plan had been to take a...

Aug 3, 2005 - Helsinki

We left Turku and drove to helsinki via The Kings Road which is an old route from Bergan in Norway to St Petersburg. It was the route that the kings and Tsars took and nowdays is away from the main roads and meanders through little townd and villages. We have just managed to book a train to St Petersburg for 5 days. Have also got a booking on the ferry to Estonia next thursday. we are leaving the van at the camp site for 10 Euro a night, so not too bad and it will be safe there. Yesterday and today explored Helsinki and went to a big old...

Jul 22, 2005 - Hong Kong, Finland, Denmark

Hi everyone, well we took a little while to get our first entry on this site, but here we are. We have been really busy, but finally we are having a cruisy day chilling out at Sanne and Søren's place in Copenhagen. Hong Kong was frenetic and brightly coloured. Then our flight to Helsinki seemed insanely long but worth it - what a great city. Beautiful weather, beautiful food, beautiful people. Great old buildings, too. We took the ferry across to Suomenlinna island and spent a few hours exploring the forts and history. Copenhagen seems like...

Jul 16, 2005 - Helsinki, Finland

We arrived today via ferry...still looking for accomodations for a night. Mari will be taking a different path home from here, she has booked plane out of London on around the 28th...Bon and I are going via bus from Tallinn tomor. to Riga and then via plane to Amsterdam to visit friends Kim and Rene. We do not know how long there but plan on returning via London sometime around the 30th most likely landing in Salt Lake City to perhaps meet up with Bonnie's Aunt and Cousins and their daughter, Whitney who was with us during the first part of...

Jun 26, 2005 - Helsinki

We arrived yesterday to wet and cold Helsinki but are having a great time all the same. Helsinki continues to be cold but the rain has thankfully stopped. I continue to be amazed at how clean the city is and how well everyone speaks English. We are having no problems at all getting around. The first day we went out to a little island to eat lunch and watch some Finnish dancing. Day two was a trip out to a small little town called Porvoo filled with lots of cute antique shops and cafes. Last night we explored some sites in Helsinki like the...

Jun 22, 2005 - Helsinki, Finland

The boat to Suomi (finland in finnish) from Stockholm took a delicious 19 hours. For some reason we could use our Eurail passes and got to enjoy a magic show, duty free shopping, beauty, a dance club, and lots of other cruisenisses. Our traditional finnish hostel came complete with traditional finnish Saunas. These saunas are mostly like normal saunas, but they are located in finland and are 3.4 degrees hotter than a sauna in America. The three members of the BAD team sat in the sauna for the proper amount of time to not become shriveled...

Jun 14, 2005 - Helsinki, Finland

Ellen: We got a ride to the train station at the ungodly hour of 6:30am. We shared a compartment with four others, but at the first few stations after the border crossing all but one left so we were able to stretch out and nap a bit. The interesting thing on this trip was that the passport control and customs officials all spoke at least three languages. They asked questions and chatted with us, Finns and Russians. Travel Notes: Car to train station, 15 Euro ($18) Train St. Petersburg to Helsinki, 1784 R ($63.71) each, second class, 6...

Jun 13, 2005 - Helsikini

Got in by train and yes it was raining again, same as last year. Lucky it stopped faily quickly. Stayed down near the port area, it is a nice city. Draged Donna & Jenna into an Ice Bar where it is minus 10 degree and you drink vodka to keep warm. If you wont to know what it looks like, visit!! ( or look at last years)

May 25, 2005 - The Finnish Fable Part 1.

The Finnish Fable Part 1 Sunday 22nd May. So, to Helsinki town by the very close Metro line. We decide on a strategy to find our way round and suss out the restaurants for next weekend when the Perky's appear. But we get waylaid by a yacht race - yes anything for sailor!! But eventually we tear ourselves away and wander round the city centre - really nice, good long avenues with trees and gardens and many cafes - but not so quaint as the Baltic states. However, many of the main restaurants are closed on Sunday - so this may be a problem...

Feb 28, 2005 - Hola Espana

Thailand treated us better than ever imagined. We experienced only a little of what this majestic land had to offer and it still made an impact more than I can describe. After leaving the warmest city in the world according to the International Times Bangkok 100 F we got into the coldest city in the world Helsinki 5 F. Unbelievable! Only for a layover and now the European adventure begins. We have about 5 days in Madrid before we start moving. We are anticipating the arrival of our next comrade to join us Dr. Jason La Bumbard and we can...

Dec 28, 2004 - Helsinki lähtötunnelmissa

Aloittaminen on aina vaikeaa. Joudunhan tässä suoraan surman suuhun tietäen, että kaiken maailman kielipoliisit tulevat sepustuksiani lukemaan (tunnistatte varmasti itsenne ketä sitten tarkoitankin :-). So I want to make a statement: Kirjoitan tätä osittain velvollisuudesta, sillä onhan tämä lahja :-). Ja Aasian katastrofin kauheuden nyt vahitellen valjetessa myos omaksi turvaksemme, jotta tietaisitte missa milloinkin oleskelemme. Mutta kuitenkin loppujen lopuksi eniten omaksi huvikseni ja muistokseni, joten yritän olla ajattelematta mitä...

Sep 21, 2004 - Helsinki

Bording crossing from Russia to Finland proved to be no trouble at all. Simply step up to the booth, say please and thank you, get your passport stamped, and have a nice day. So at the end of the day we escaped Russia without a hint of trouble. In Petersburg we were asked to show our "papers" once, and when the police realised we were from New Zealand he just about managed a smile. Nigel bumped into an Aussie traveller he first met in Mongolia. Her story was slightly worse. Claimed she had been "fined" US150 in Moscow for using a tri-pod on...