#23 Finland

15-Sept-19

It was time for Peter & Penny to head off on another adventure, and what better way to start their next trip than by visiting some friends. The pair headed off to the Baltic sea to see what Finland had to offer. On their first day they headed up Malminkartano hill to get their bearings and to enjoy the best panoramic view of Helsinki. After being caught in a sudden rainstorm they both hotfooted it back down the 426 stairs and into some shelter before heading into Helsinki centre. Peter & Penny made their way into a large old stone building next to the parliament house that turned out to be the National Museum of Finland. Here the pair were taken aback by all the history and artifacts of the region dating back long before Finland even existed. They saw longboats and weaponry from the middle ages, and heard the story of Finland’s independence from Russia that was pioneered by Emperor Alexander II of Russia, known to Finns as ‘the liberator.’ Peter & Penny later discovered a large statue commemorating him in the Senate square downtown and thought it was a perfect spot to mark their visit. After a quick stop at the Solo Sokos Hotel rooftop for a 360 view over the entire city centre and the sea they darted off for some excellent seafood chowder right on the beach just as the sun was beginning to set. They both managed to come to the end of their trip in Finland without venturing into a sauna, the most popular Finnish pastime, even though Penny was constantly looking for a good way to warm up for most of the trip. But in the end the pair headed down to the dock and caught a ferry across the gulf to their next destination and turned around and waved goodbye to country #23 Finland.

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