Note from Tory: Finland
Hey Bop - looks like cruising might be the ticket!! Tory sure seems to love it!! I don't know about her line about "...being overdressed" in her bathing suit though!!! Here's her note from this AM.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Finland!
Last night's boat was the best yet. It was a regular cruise ship, and crowded with merry makers of a multitude of nationalities. I've stopped trying to distinguish Finnish from Swedish, but I could detect Russian whereever I went. The ship was 12 floors, the 7th a grand Promenade with ceiling open to the 12th floor and glass elevators, and restaurants and shops lining the way. Swanky! There was a string quartet playing along the row, and even a tightrope act above the promenade(which I bet doesn't do very well in rough seas!).
I roomed with a young Russian woman, just graduated college, and two other ladies. The young woman spoke exceptional English, and we really hit it off, having a love for travel in common. Underway, she and I visited the sauna onboard, to take the chill off our weary bones. I was overdressed in my bathing suit, but it felt so wonderful to be warm (hot even). Everyone was congenial and relaxed and contented (or maybe that was just me), and the experience was unmatched. In the evening I hung out at an Irish pub on the Promenade and listened to a Swedish guitar player belt out accustic versions of Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkle, the Beetles, and the Beach Boys hits. Classic.
And now I am in Finland! A light snow was falling as we docked and I checked into the posh Hotel Haven. They admitted me to my room immediately, and I spent nearly half an hour under the shower, feeling clean for the first time in days. I had decided this place would be a rest stop, and after wandering the streets for a bit I put myself to bed and slept for hours. Everything in Helsinki is terribly expensive-- my dinner not excluded-- but I am wonderfully contented with a belly filled with steamed vegetables, mushroom stuffed cabbage rolls, and vanilla ice cream
Thank you again for the notes and reminders of home. I love you all so much and am dragging you along to all the tourist spots with me in my heart. I am taking tons of photos but haven't found a place yet to send them. I will keep looking
Love T
Posted by Tory at 9:52 AM
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Finland!
Last night's boat was the best yet. It was a regular cruise ship, and crowded with merry makers of a multitude of nationalities. I've stopped trying to distinguish Finnish from Swedish, but I could detect Russian whereever I went. The ship was 12 floors, the 7th a grand Promenade with ceiling open to the 12th floor and glass elevators, and restaurants and shops lining the way. Swanky! There was a string quartet playing along the row, and even a tightrope act above the promenade(which I bet doesn't do very well in rough seas!).
I roomed with a young Russian woman, just graduated college, and two other ladies. The young woman spoke exceptional English, and we really hit it off, having a love for travel in common. Underway, she and I visited the sauna onboard, to take the chill off our weary bones. I was overdressed in my bathing suit, but it felt so wonderful to be warm (hot even). Everyone was congenial and relaxed and contented (or maybe that was just me), and the experience was unmatched. In the evening I hung out at an Irish pub on the Promenade and listened to a Swedish guitar player belt out accustic versions of Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkle, the Beetles, and the Beach Boys hits. Classic.
And now I am in Finland! A light snow was falling as we docked and I checked into the posh Hotel Haven. They admitted me to my room immediately, and I spent nearly half an hour under the shower, feeling clean for the first time in days. I had decided this place would be a rest stop, and after wandering the streets for a bit I put myself to bed and slept for hours. Everything in Helsinki is terribly expensive-- my dinner not excluded-- but I am wonderfully contented with a belly filled with steamed vegetables, mushroom stuffed cabbage rolls, and vanilla ice cream
Thank you again for the notes and reminders of home. I love you all so much and am dragging you along to all the tourist spots with me in my heart. I am taking tons of photos but haven't found a place yet to send them. I will keep looking
Love T
Posted by Tory at 9:52 AM
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