This is by the quayside in Helsinki.  I spent time here between flights on my way home from Japan.  I got into town very early on the train that runs directly from the airport and takes about half an hour.  Like Berlin there were no barriers at either end.  They rely on peoples' good behaviour aided no doubt by hefty fines if you are found without a ticket.

When I got into town I set out to find the starting point of the hop on hop off city tour that I'd established would be running.  I found it after a few twists and turns and retracing of steps.  To my surprise, since this was an hour before the first departure of the day, there was a bus there with a driver in it.  He invited me to come aboard and wait in the warmth of his bus so I did.

He chatted and told me one mysterious story about a flat that was on sale for 6.2 million euros that he'd beaten down to 4.9.  It seems to me unlikely that a hop on hop off driver would be in the market for such a property so I must have missed some crucial element in the tale.

Then he powered up the public address and played various recordings that I judge had been made to educate the visitor and give him the opportunity to admire the history and achievements of the Finns.  Nokia wasn't mentioned.

Eventually the bus got going.  It was a good tour of what's an attractive and interesting city.  It whetted my appetite for a return to Helsinki sometime.

After that I pottered about.  I went down to the quayside where there were numerous tents selling arts and crafts and food and so on.

This is typical of the food stalls.  My eye was drawn to the offer of a reindeer hotdog so I had one.  I don't actually like ordinary hotdogs and this was no better tasting but it makes a memorable photo.

I then tried reindeer meatballs served with yummy potatoes and veggies.  They were much tastier but reindeer tasted much like any other meatball I've eaten.  The so-called meatballs were flat by the way.  I'd have called them patties or something, though even then they were oblong rather than round.  No doubt there's a Finnish word that describes them properly.  

Although the sun was shining there was a snell breeze coming off the Baltic so I didn't linger too long but beat a retreat to the airport.

A detail from the very imposing railway station entrance

Also imposing are the escalators and lifts at the airport station

A little postscript about Japan.  A week after I left there was an earthquake whose epicentre was some miles from Kanazawa but in the same prefecture.  The railway line between Kanazawa and Nagano which I'd travelled over a number of times was closed for a time while they checked it out.   My sources tell me that tremors were felt in Kanazawa though no damage seems to have been done.  I confess to being a little disappointed that I wasm't there to experience it.  Maybe next time.

 Finally Scottish seafood hits Japan, more specifically mackerel.

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