Do I have to go back to Doha?

So I have learned a couple very important things in my travels these last few days. The first thing is that Finland is a beautiful country. It is a lot like Alaska in that it has a lot of the same plants and animals but I can understand the people in Alaska. The other thing that I have learned is that when you have to eliminate something from your diet, like pork, for 5 months, don’t gorge yourself on it. My stomach hasn’t liked that much.

So my first full day in Finland I spent in Helsinki, I love this town, and had a great time. I took tons of pictures but I can’t upload them right now so I’ll do that when I get back to Doha. Shopping has been minimal for a couple reasons. The first reason is that I have to carry everything that I buy and I don’t want to carry that much stuff. (All of my stuff on the way here was 11.3 kg, about 25 pounds.) The other thing is that stuff is expensive here. I got Brook, my sister, her magnet and it was 3.60€, about $6. I am trying to find souvenir stuff for the kids and stuff but am not having much luck.

About bathrooms. Next time you use a restroom in the states marvel at its size. I never knew why Europeans called bathrooms ‘water closets’ until I came here. This is why: the size of the bathroom is the size of a small closet. Tiny. I just had an experience in the bathroom here where I am typing. The lock was broken but it is the type that reminds me of the ones in porta-potties back home. You turn the dial and the ‘lock’ reading becomes red, easy enough. So I get down to the bathroom and I finish and I turn the knob the wrong way, and it won’t turn back all the way. No matter how hard I turn the knob it won’t move. The door is locked! I’m locked inside a bathroom in Tempere, Finland! I start to bang on the door to try and get someone’s attention when I try the door knob, it opens. I was never locked in, oops. If you think about it though, there are worse places to be locked into. At least if you are locked in a bathroom you have running water, in most cases, and you have a place to go to the bathroom.

Tomorrow morning, or early afternoon, I will be off to the town of Turku. It is on the southwestern coast of Finland and is home to a castle. I have always wanted to see a castle so I hope I can get there in the next couple days. I spend 2 nights there and then will go back to Helsinki. This time I will be spending my full day in Tallinn, Estonia, assuming everything works out. I get back to Doha on the 24th of this month so shortly after that I will post pictures on this site.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying where you are.