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10:00 am Chloe woke me up because we were supposed to meet Ev and MaryEllen in the lobby to go the sauna together, but the women sauna hours were super early in the morning at our hostel. They went to breakfast and I stayed in my bed. I went back to sleep soon after and woke back up at one.
2:30 pm Chloe and I left the hostel and headed to Old Market which is an indoor market. The market which has many halls started in 1888. When we arrived at 3:00, many of the vendors were leaving or had already left because it closed at four today. There were still many vendors outside and restaurants were open inside. After walking around for about 15 minutes, I did not see anything that I wanted so I got some ice cream, oreo of course, while Chloe continued to look around.
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| Inside of Old Market |
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| Makuuni Candy Section |
We left the market around 3:45 and we headed to Temppeliaukio Church. On the way there, we saw this cute store, Makuuni and went in, it turned out to be a movie rental spot. They also had a big candy section with many Finnish candies. I decided to try some Finnish fruity candy since we went to Fazer the other day to try chocolates. I was not a big fan of many of the candies I put in my baggie, but it was super cool to experience it though.
We arrived at Temppeliaukio Church at 4:26pm. The church opened in 1969. This church was carved into bedrock and I learned that when it rains, water runs down the walls. Some of the rock used dates back to the Ice Age. It was AMAZING!!! Inside of the church, you must be quiet as people come to pray and meditate. We stayed for about five minutes to sit down and then took pictures.
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| Temppeliaukio Church |
After leaving the church, we headed to the National Museum of Finland which currently has a Barbie exhibit. After getting our tickets, we split up to go to different exhibits. I wanted to go through the Barbie exhibit before starting the history exhibits. Once again, the exhibits were amazing. It was cool to see all of the different barbies through the years and how they progressed and grew to include so many different cultures. Some of the most memorable barbies were Diana Ross, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Prince William and Kate, and one of the first black barbies that debuted in 1980.
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| Prince William and Kate |
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| Diana Ross |
After the Barbie exhibit, I started at the Finland pre-historic exhibit. I learned that 18,000 years ago Finland was under ice. People arrived about 10,000 years ago after the ice melted. There was so much history on the beginning of Finland and how people survived. Going through the other exhibits like Story of Finland showed how Finland has progressed and changed so much. From the Vassa Rule to the current President, this museum provided all kinds of artifacts, interactive activities, and short films.
One of my favorite interactive activities was the sauna built in the room and a film showing how Finns first started using the sauna. There was even a wall full of ladles to show how many designs have been used by them. The ladle turned out to be my least favorite thing in the sauna. *You will catch that at the end of the story* Another favorite exhibit of mine was the room about their fashion changes here in Finland. I have been walking the streets of Helsinki and this room showed me how they got to where they are currently in the fashion realm.
In one of the most modern rooms in the museum, they showcased all of Finalnd's Presidents and had an empty frame labeled "Future President." Not too far from the wall, there was a photo booth and I took a picture and seconds later, it popped up in the frame. The museum also showcased the different designs of teacups over the years which are used very often for coffee here in Finland. The sauna and coffee culture here reign supreme over anything else. I also loved the timeline wall at the end of the Story of Finland exhibit because it detailed the past and present achievements and milestones in Finland history while also leaving room for future history.
After leaving the museum, we headed back towards the hostel. We stopped at Forum to find something to eat. A lot of the restaurants were closed and we decided on O'Learys. The waitress was very nice and gave us some popcorn whole we waited on our food. O'Learys is a sports bar full of sport paraphernalia. We shared a BBQ burger and Chloe ordered a side of potato wedges. During dinner, we watched a tennis match. Towards the end of dinner, Ev and MaryEllen invited us to go with them to the public sauna as our last Finland activity.
We walked back to the hostel and met them to go to the sauna. Chloe decided to sit out and chill on top of the building where we sat the other day. This was the last activity to check off of my list of Finnish things to do.
We arrived at the spa and received our wristbands and headed to the locker rooms. After getting dressed, we entered the sauna. After sitting for a few seconds, I felt like a cloud of hot air came and sucked and my air out of me. We sat down and tried to get adjusted and relax like the other women in the sauna at the time, but my skin was baking. I tried to sit back but the wood was too hot for my back. MaryEllen mentioned that everyone else came in to the sauna wet so we left to go to the showers. We went back to the sauna and it was a little better but it was still super hot, lol. After about two minutes, one of the ladies used a ladle to splash water on the hot rocks in the middle and thirty seconds later, the sauna filled up with a hotter burst of heat. I did not even think that was possible. How in the world do these people spend TWO hours in these things???
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| Me and Ev |
We went to the pool after to cool off. During my time in Helsinki, I have not been a fan of the winds but today, I appreciated it more than ever. After leaving the sauna and opening the door to get to the pools, the wind hit me and I felt like I could breathe again. We spent about twenty minutes in the pool and then we got back dressed to head back to the hostel. My last full day in Helsinki was great and I am looking forward to what experiences I will make in Sweden!
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| Post Sauna Glow |
Now, it is time for me to pack up my bag for tomorrow. Good Night!
