I did have to skip the ice skating on Tuesday, because I had a temperature. I felt well enough to go to school by Friday, but I was told many times that I was looking ill. Having planned my trip to Helsinki for Saturday and invited Samuli to join me, I never considered skipping it. So, on the morning of the 26th of January I woke up early.
Despite feeling very sick, I got ready to leave home and I reached the port in time to meet up with Kärt, her family and a friend, and get my ticket. Unfortunately my mother was feeling ill too, so she decided to stay home. At the port I was hoping to have a glance at Silja Europa - a beautiful ship with an impressive history which was moved to Tallinn on Wednesday - but it was way too dark and I realized I had forgotten my camera at home. So we just got on the ship and I turned to sleep.
By the time we reached Helsinki, I felt much better. We got off and started walking towards the railway square. I had to meet Samuli there, and the rest of the gang wanted to visit a museum. That's where we split up for the day.
I went to the railway station to look for Samuli, but I was surprised to not find him there. I searched his train times from my phone and saw that his train hadn't arrived yet. I went for a short walk near the railway station. I checked out the conditions at the ice skating rink on the railway square and sat down in a park nearby. The sun was shining and the birds were singing, and unlike last time, the snow was really white and pretty. I sat there for about 10 minutes, enjoying the situation, until I saw Samuli's train arrive and went to greet him. I received three red roses and a box of chocolates from him.
First of all, we went for a walk. On Aleksanterinkatu we saw a street musician playing with glass bottles filled with water. It sounded really good and was a lot of fun to watch. I took Samuli to see Helsinki Cathedral and Uspenski Cathedral. I visited both of them myself in March 2012, and visiting them both again was a bit of a dejavu for me. In March, we saw the preparations of a baptizing ceremony in Uspenski Cathedral, but this time we walked in just as a baby was dipped in water. Having seen countless orthodox ceremonies, it was nothing new to me, but for Samuli it was a whole new experience. I was quite impressed when I saw that the choir singing at the ceremony was only four people.
After checking out the churches, we walked back to the railway square and went ice skating. We got to the ice skating rink at maybe midday, and we left at 3 pm, which means we were ice skating for several hours. It was a lot of fun, and I really feel like it made up for what I missed on Tuesday.
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| Samuli the ice king |
After ice skating, we had a lunch and then went to Kamppi to shop. Samuli bought me a nice rivet I wanted for my ear, and after going through the store several times, I found a really nice pair of boots. Unfortunately, just as I was about to buy them, the clock struck 6. That didn't only mean that Kamppi was closed - when we got outside, we saw that the whole town was almost dead, with only a couple of restaurants and kiosks open. We spent the rest of the time walking around, and soon we were saying goodbye at the railway station. I received a picture Samuli had made for my mother. After Samuli's train left, I called Kärt to hear that they're heading towards the port. I started walking there too. It was snowing and really windy, and even though there were some cars and people, the city looked dead. I felt lonelier than in the middle of a desert. On Aleksanterinkatu there was a street musician playing some well known tunes on his trumpet, and surprisingly, that added up to that feeling. I walked all the way to the waiting hall of the port without stopping. Soon after me, Kärt and the rest of the gang arrived. I showed them the picture Samuli had given me, and they were very impressed. We got on the ship when the time was right. We spent most of the trip back chatting. We also noticed that the sea was windy and the waves were really high. When getting off the ship, I got to have a nice look at Silja Europa.
Since it was past midnight, I had to take a taxi home. I've usually felt really melancholic returning home, but this time it didn't happen. I felt really great.
Now my main goal is to get somewhere at school again. When it comes to travelling, I'm hoping to spend a weekend in Helsinki sometime in March / April. I'm also working on the exchange thing, and hoping that I'll succeed.
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