Hel(sinki) Yeah! Posted on January 21st, 2017 by

As the sun rose on the Baltic Sea, so did the Olympic questers. By 9:00 am, the 40 of us had stormed the Scandic buffet with a passion for unlimited food that only Americans could possess. After a delicious breakfast, the group embarked on a short journey to a ferry that would take us to Suomenlinna, an inhabited fortress built on six islands near Helsinki. Our soft-spoken yet saucy tour guide prefaced our tour by noting that one commonly asked question among her tour groups is “So…where is the fortress?” Despite having to hold back laughter, she said this was a common mistake because our pre-conceived notions of what a fortress looks like is not always realistic. This fortress is home to a library, kindergarten school, prison, naval base, and almost 1,000 permanent residents! As our tour guide noted, the prisoners are currently being utilized for their labor and are helping to construct a prison wall that would separate the prison from the town. Reportedly this prison has had no escapes-but who could blame them for not wanting to leave such a beautiful island! This connects back to a story our tour guide told us about the prison in Bergen. Allegedly there was a fire and they had to let all the prisoners go, but the prisoners were told to return the next day and all came back but two! This would lead one to believe that doing time in a Scandinavian prison may not be such a bad gig after all! The possession of the fortress has changed hands a number of times throughout history and its rulers’ include Russia, Sweden, and finally Finland. We learned that this island has been involved in seven wars and that there is also an old naval base located on the island. After the informative tour, the chilly Gusties slipped and slid on the icy path back to the dock for the ferry ride back to Helsinki.

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We arrived back on the mainland around noon and groups ventured off to find lunch. It’s day two and we are becoming more comfortable in the city and the group is discovering the tastiest places to eat. A few members of the group attended a professional Bandy game, a sport that combines soccer and hockey. It was IFK vs. Aktia, and each team has 11 players per side at a time. Luckily, the match wasn’t against Sweden because that would have been a rowdy event! We were all given free tickets to Temppeliaukio, a stone church that is a popular tourist attraction in Helsinki. Many of us stopped by throughout the afternoon to marvel at the innovative structure that is built into solid rock. The church was designed and constructed by brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and was ready for consecration in September of 1969. Others ventured to other local churches and did some last minute shopping. We have all noticed that Helsinki stands out among the other cities that we have visited. Everything is more spread out with a lot of open space. We have all gotten our steps in here, that’s for sure!

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We had our last two class sessions before dinner. The first one was given by Courtney and Mackenzie and was on Wellness in Scandinavia. We have all noticed the significantly higher level of happiness in Scandinavia and this presentation explained some of the reasons for this. Scandinavian people work an average of 200 hours less per year than Americans and emphasize the importance of volunteering and being outside. We have also noticed that many restaurants and cafes offer a Fika coffee hour twice daily. This is a tradition that is also held at Gustavus, where it is held once weekly. This is a time to take a break from work and enjoy time with co workers over a coffee and baked goods. We could all take home a thing or two from the Scandinavian way of life!

Our final presentation of the class was given by Jack and Emily about the upcoming Olympic games. Coming in the winter of 2017, Pyeongchang is sure to deliver an unforgettable winter games. The games is expected to have 95 participating countries with 6,500 athletes. Due to the development of a high speed train line connecting Pyeongchang and Seoul, this will be one of the most compact Winter Games to date. This group also discussed the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. This Olympics is expected to demonstrate highly innovative technology including the use of robotic transportation and translation devices for spectators to wear during the games. This Olympics will include 5 new sports, including: Baseball/Softball, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate, and Sport Climbing. The budget for these Olympic games is rumored to be six times the original proposed budget. What a way to end our study of the Olympic games!

Lauri set a quick pace on the walk to dinner and for being a small man, he sure can move when he wants to eat! Lauri is a pro navigator, especially in Finland, his home country. Man will we miss all his sass and quick wit. We ate at Lappi, a restaurant whose cabin-like charm makes you feel like you are in the laplands. We enjoyed a three course meal of salmon soup, a reindeer main course, followed by a cheesy dessert. This meal reminded us of our time in Sorrisniva where many of us tried reindeer meat and salmon soup for the first time! Many cheers (skol!) were made during one of our last meals together and I think we are all starting to feel sentimental about leaving in just two short days.

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After dinner, Gusties ventured out in different directions, some hitting the town, others working on journals, or just heading to bed and getting a good night’s sleep before what is sure to be an eventful day in Tallin, Estonia tomorrow!

Today we were reminded to reflect on our trip and our own personal growth. For such a short trip, we have been exposed to countless experiences, cultures, and opportunities and the fast-paced nature of the trip has prevented us from taking the time to evaluate how the trip has impacted our lives. Tonight as we finished our journals, we realized how far we’ve come since the day we left. However, the trip is not over yet and we are sure to go out with a bang.

Signing off,

Emily Cox and Greta Ferguson

 

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