Friday 16 February 2018

Not at all those who wander are lost....

Christmas is over, hot cross buns are back on the shelves (did they ever leave?) and the brave bulbs are beginning to wake up - but there’s still a way to go before Spring is truly here, so what better time is there to go travelling?  

Bags are packed, Harry and Betty taken care of and I ready to go.  Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Myanmar...always somewhere hot and a long way from here.  One week, two weeks or more I waltz off clutching my gel seat and pedals to explore new and different places.

     


But not this year.  This is year I’m being either alternative or safe - depending on your point of view. I’m going back to a place I lived in and loved for so many years.  It’s going to be cold, very cold, the days are going to be short and there’s definitely no cycling involded!  I have another form of transport entirely planned!


But no matter where I’m travelling, I am guaranteed to be helped on my way! And before I know it I’m here:


It’s -6,  the ground  covered in snow and for the next few days there’s a Pearl of the Baltic to explore! But before then we need to negotiate the icy pavements (I’d forgotten all about the winter grit!)  to find our Airbnb.  Small and cozy, at the top of  one of the Helsinki’s historic buildings, it has everything we need for the next couple of days. 
 

Today is the start of the Year of the Dog and the Chinese community were welcoming it in  - Finnish style.  At least  the ice sculptures were being kept in optimum conditions... 


In the twenty years since I lived in Finland the country has evolved and changed, but it’s nice to see Stockmann’s doors are still open for business !