Trip to the northwest
Finland-Sweden 27.04. 12 – 02.05. 12
Before the trip, a Finnish lesson. I'm afraid I won't have enough memory for two languages at once.
The stress always falls on the first syllable. Moi - Hello (informal, colloquial form).
Yes kyllä kyll
Thanks kiitos kiitos
Please pyydä n pudyan
sorry pahoillaan pahoillaan
Hello hei hey (by the way, also in Swedish)
Goodbye nä kemiin nä kemiin
Until sillä aikaa sillä aikaa
good morning hyvä ä huomenta hyvä ä huomenta
What is your name mikä sinun nimesi on mikä sinun nimesi on
Very nice ilo ilo
How are you kuinka voit
Well, now on the road. 21-20 from the Leningradsky railway station train to S. -P. 15 car side seats. Approximately at 1-30 Bologoe. Then he fell asleep.
4-40 arrival at the Moscow railway station... and what to do until 0-30? Things in the storage room, on the street yourself. Almost nothing works. There is almost no one. The metro is closed. But the first trolleybuses went. Sat down on one. We arrived at St. Isaac's Cathedral. Walked around him. We went to a local cafe. Shawarma with beer cheered me up. And take the bus back to the train station.
Signed up for an excursion - Pavlovsk-Pushkino at 12-00. Let's go for a walk again.
We took the subway to Vladimirskaya station. We walked to the Fontanka, then to Nevsky. Sat at McDonald's. Then we went to Gostiny Dvor. We waited for the opening at 10:00. The guest house was disappointing. We were expecting more. Huge territory, and the choice is not very large. No lipstick found. Then we went to have lunch at a cafe. And to the station for a tour.
S. -P. still both similar and not similar to Moscow. Somewhere behind. Somewhere it goes its own way. In the center there are many cyclists riding on sidewalks and posing a danger to pedestrians.
Buses and trolleybuses have conductors. Subway tokens. Stores do not accept cards. Many shops and eateries are hidden in deep and intricate courtyards. Gateways narrow painted. Against the backdrop of fashionable buildings, dilapidated 2-3-storey slums. There is almost no greenery.
At 12-00 we went to Pavlovo by minibus. We went on an excursion to the Pavlovsk Palace. You can take pictures inside only for money. After a 15-minute walk through the park, we drive to the Catherine Palace. There's a tour.
You can take pictures for free. Mom was impressed by the amber room. Royal palaces are all similar, although each has its own characteristics.
And back to S. -P. Got stuck in a traffic jam. At 19:00 we reached the station. We didn’t go on a sightseeing tour - we were tired. We had lunch. At the station, we took a shower for 300 rubles. We rested for 2 hours in the waiting room. And after picking up the luggage, we went to look for the bus.
At 0-30 by bus from the Neva travel agency we set off towards Finland. By 3 o'clock in the morning we arrived at the border. Further waiting and passing, passing and waiting, and again waiting and passing. As a result, customs took us about 7 hours.
Only at 10 o'clock we drove off towards Helsinki. Finnish at 9 o'clock. About halfway (80 km from the capital of Suomi) we stopped for breakfast in a cafe near a gas station. Lunch with a glass of beer - 14 euros. The beer is not very good. And on to Helsinki.
We are going to Finland. Guide Galina Golubeva. Looking ahead, I will make a reservation, we were not lucky. It's not the first time I'm leaving. There is someone to compare. I'm not sure of myself. He stumbles. Something of little use, not useful later, repeats several times. Something else is forgotten. Doesn't like questions. He asks not to be asked. He asked for advice (where is it better to buy watches in Stockholm) he does not know at all about the fact that they sell watches there. He says a lot of things that are not relevant, and the important is lost. Confuses dates, and even centuries.
So, we are going to Finland. We look out the window of the bus. Lots of forest.
Trees are more coniferous - pine, spruce. But there are also birches. The trees are not very tall. No more than 10-20 meters. There are logging sites. We pass lakes and swamps. They say there are many berries. Often there are boulders, apparently of moraine origin. As well as rock outcrops. Soils are thin. Lots of moss, sometimes grass. It happens that a tree grows right out of a stone. What is it based on? What does it eat? Climate similar to S. -P. In winter there is a lot of snow, but without severe frosts. Although it happens that Christmas without snow. Summer is also like in St. Petersburg. And that is true - in Moscow the birch trees are already green, but in the City on the Neva they are not here yet.
The roads are good but not perfect. I didn't see perfect cleanliness either. Lots of gobies and other rubbish. The settlements are very small. 1-2-3-4 houses. At the same time, the distance between settlements is small.
Helsinki is a pretty city. There are metro and multi-car trams. First sightseeing tour. Skyscrapers do not shine. Something S. -P. reminds. But the differences quickly become clear. Half of the pedestrian pavements are cobblestone. There are more trees. Lots of greenery and flowers. There are bike paths everywhere. Lots of bikes by the trees, equipped for bike stands. Lots of cyclists. Almost everyone, especially children and women, is wearing helmets. Even kids on scooters.
Then free time. Walk around the city. I got a free card at the station.
And went for a walk. We also saw a living monument. They gave him 1 euro. He said that it was not enough - you need 2 euros to take a picture. I had to report. Europe is felt in the stores. You are trusted. There are no turnstiles. The cash register does not block the exit. Finns in stores are in no hurry, especially at the checkout.
Ice cream (a ball in a waffle cone) - 3.5 euros. Souvenir pen 3 euros. Magnet with a thermometer 5 euros. Coffee + 100g of wine 10 euros. Prices bite. Toilet 50 cents. The condition is terrible. Worse than our village.
At 16:30 we board the ferry. 10 decks. Elevator. 4-bed room. 2 bunk beds (albeit wider and longer than on the train). There are no portholes. The room has a shower and toilet. But it's still tight. After a shower, there was less fatigue. Dinner - buffet. Large selection and very tasty. The mood has improved even more. Then sleep. There was no energy left for the disco. April 30. Morning. Swedish time - 2 hours. Breakfast buffet at 8 am. At 10 o'clock arrival in Stockholm. Then a bus sightseeing tour.
We started from the observation deck. Beautiful city. Among the nearby low 4-6 storey multi-colored houses rise the spiers of sights. Continue to the royal palace. Then a walk through the pedestrian old center. All pedestrian streets are paved with cobblestones. Lots of cafes and boutiques. Prices in crowns. 1 euro = 8-9 crowns. The city is not perfectly clean. There is a lot of garbage on the streets. Stockholm has a warmer climate than Helsinki. The birches are already green. In general, Stockholm is a pretty green city.
After we visited the waterfront. We saw the preparations for burning the effigy. Reminds me of Walpurgis Night. And also civilization, a Christian country. Then we went to the City Hall. Then we went to the island of Djurgå rden. Vasa Museum. Large wooden ship built in 1627. He swam 1200 meters and sank after a saluting salvo. Lack of ballast. There were other museums nearby, for example, Astrid Lingren, but the guide did not even let them take pictures. Referring to time.
Slowly, we circled for about 20 minutes and drove up to the opera house. We were given only 1 hour of free time. Lots of cyclists. Bike lanes are everywhere. There is a subway. April 30 is a national holiday here. King's birthday. He is 66 years old. We saw a column of national guardsmen in national uniforms. Walked to the royal palace. Further down the center. A glass of beer - 69 crowns. Bought a watch for 400 crowns. And to the bus.
15-45 went to the sea terminal. At 4:40 p. m. they set sail. Goodbye Stockholm. True, not for everyone))). The guide did not fully explain how to get on the ferry, and one woman got confused. As a result, she did not manage to get on the ferry in time, and she remained in Stockholm.
Well, we safely boarded the ferry and occupied our cabin. Took a shower. When sailing, they arranged a photo shoot on the upper open decks. After a delicious hearty dinner, evening singing in the cabin until 23:00. Received a note and sleep. Woke up sick in the morning. I was blown away.
01.05. in the morning, the passengers of some of the neighboring cabins looked with displeasure at the Russian Children. After breakfast at 10-00 we go ashore in Helsinki. On the shore we were met by our lagging excursionist. Arrived by ferry through Turku. But another one was lost. After waiting for him for almost an hour, we went, leaving the guide, to the railway station. Then it turns out that this comrade simply overslept.
Whether in Stockholm or Helsinki, there are no big traffic jams. But numerous traffic lights with a short period of green light, numerous crossroads, pedestrian and bicycle crossings, slow and polite drivers do their job: the speed of movement in the capitals is low (20-30 km per hour). We were only given 45 minutes to walk.
May 1st is a very big holiday in Helsinki. Day off. Spring and Labor Day. Student's day. Day of the meeting of graduates of universities. On the night from 30.04 to 01.05, residents are allowed to walk and drink champagne. Celebrate cheerfully. We saw many empty bottles on the sidewalks. There are festivities in the streets. Many in white caps are a symbol of graduation from the university (at the end, in addition to the badge, they also give out caps). Many are in colorful painted pants. We also saw a demonstration with flags and banners. The flags are red, multicolored and black. As we were warned, almost everything in Helsinki is closed on this day. The shops are all closed. Public transport is almost non-existent. But under the railway station, I managed to find a working market.
At 12-00 in the local way, they boarded the bus and drove towards Russia. On the way, I tried to ask the guide more about the culture of Sweden and Finland, but she ignored it. At 15:15 Moscow time we arrived at the border. This time, everything went faster, although, passing through our customs, we were a little worried - they made us unload all the luggage. And at 18-00 we went to S. -P. I didn't feel much nostalgia. But the deterioration of the roads was felt almost immediately. The road to St. Petersburg was brightened up by an office romance. There were no traffic jams. We traveled through Krondshtat. Some missed the train. We arrived at the station after 22:00.
The impression of the trip is ambiguous. On the one hand, I caught a cold - my throat has a runny nose.
The tour guide didn't answer questions.
The promised trips to the water park and to Turku did not take place.
Didn't get much sleep.
On the other hand, I visited two new wonderful countries, learned a lot about them.
I took a ride on a ferry (a multi-storey large liner).
I bought myself a watch and a couple of souvenirs.
Very lucky with the weather. All the days were sunny, although with wind and not very hot - +7, +15 heat.
