Seeing the Same Light-The Last Vacation-Within-a-Vacation; Finland!

Helsinki from up high. 

The Final Vacation on This Vacation - Helsinki

Truly, I live a charmed life. I make sure to remind myself of that every day that I am one of the luckiest people alive. Over this past weekend, I set off for Helsinki, Finland, on the last "mini-vacation" on what is, all joking aside, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure...with studying on the side. Don't get me wrong, I take my studies seriously, but being here is about getting an experience. And I've certainly gotten one.  

So on Friday, I set out for my final vacation on this study abroad semester to Budapest, meeting Cousin Cini at Kalvin Ter to go to Budapest International Aiport and head for Helsinki. Before I continue this blog post, I must interrupt this blog post to bring everyone a very important list. I bring this list to you because of the person I met at the airport on Friday, and because, having traveled to 13 countries in the span of five months, with one more to come in December, I feel my word on this now carries some weight. 

How to be a Good Traveler - Do's and Don'ts. 

DO:

• Be patient, friendly, and accommodating to other fellow travelers
• Remember that you are in a hurry, and so is everyone else
• Understand that sometimes your personal space is going to be invaded, especially in Europe or Asia. 
• Not expect others to comply with your boundaries, standards of decency, and moral values. 

DON'T:

• Run over people to get in line for the plane or train. 
• Expect people to give you your personal space and clear your "bubble"
• Yell at others and be unkind and aggressive without provocation.
• Provoke people (Kinda goes with #3...)
• Be anal about being uncomfortable, or having the back of your seat nudged if on a plane, train, or bus. (We had this on our flight back to Arizona from London in June; This pompous British family, reclining all the way practically into our laps, squirmed and moaned every time we accidentally brushed the backs of their seats.)
• Expect others to make you comfortable, especially when not in first class.
• (This may offend some people) Bring unruly children onto a train or plane and then not at least attempt to quell them. 
• For lack of a better term, be an insufferable, pompous asshole. 

Seriously, especially on that last one. Don't walk around like your shit doesn't stink. Because, believe me, it does, in spite of what you might tell yourself. Why do I write about this? Because of the complete tool I had the displeasure of meeting in line for the Finnair flight to Helsinki on Friday. 

I was standing in line, minding my own business, checking my boarding pass and making sure I had my bases covered in case they told me I had to do something else to ensure boarding for the flight. There was this Finnish-American couple in front of me sucking face. And I don't mean, like, the little face sucking. I mean, they were sucking face hardcore. Like, just snogging away in front of me in line. And no, this isn't what my gripe is about. I really could care less. If you're happy with your loved one, show it to the world! More power to you! You're some of the lucky ones, you've found love! Although, in the case of this couple, they probably found love because no one else would want them, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I was just standing in line, I stepped forward a little bit as I was checking my boarding pass, and the man, with his rather large suitcase, took a break from inhaling his wife's lipstick, looked at me, and said, "Excuse me, are we friends?" A bit taken aback, I naturally replied, "No, I don't know you." Rather crassly, he then replies to me with "Then please, keep your distance. Personal space!" Okay. Whatever. Now, I could understand him having a gripe with me "invading his bubble" or whatever the hell you want to call it, but I wasn't doing that. I mean, it's not like I was sticking my face in between the snogging couple wanting to get a look at how much tongue they were inserting into the other's mouths. Believe me, they can flatter themselves all they want, but they aren't that relevant. But whatever. Fine, I'll give him a bit more space.

Now, for the record, my foot wasn't even touching his suitcase, which he was trailing behind him. So there was at least half an arms' length between him and I. But, whatever, I felt he was being a little ridiculous, but being a nice person, I said, "Okay, sorry," and tried to put some more space between us. I got a little "too close" again, and once again was not touching his briefcase and there was at least half an arms' length between us, and I lost it. No, he didn't say anything, but he shot one of those reproachful, trying-to-be-subtle looks of disgust that you give someone when you detest them. I wasn't having it. Expecting me to apologize again, he got the opposite. I literally, after about a second and after he turned around, said "Look, we're in a fucking line. Your personal space is going to be invaded. I'm just trying to check my shit for this flight. I'm not doing anything to you. I'm not talking to you. I'm just trying to make sure I can get on this flight. Get over yourself!" He just sat there bewildered. Apparently, he's used to people groveling at his feet when they invade his "bubble".

So I finally split up from Asshole and Wife Who Doesn't Give Good Enough Sex to Him after getting my tickets. I saw he was an American citizen, so as he got his ticket, I audibly said "Geez, I'm so embarrassed that asshole is an American!" But went on my merry way, and a few hours later, I touched ground in Helsinki! 

The country was beautiful. That's the only way to put it. I arrived at 2:30 PM and it was already twilight. I have to give a shout-out to my Mom by the way here. When I got to my hotel room, I called her on FaceTime and the sun was setting as she watched it rise halfway across the world in Phoenix. Now that, my friends, was a surreal moment. I mean, here Mom and I were, separated by a good 5,000 miles, an ocean, and probably a quite fair amount of degrees latitude, and yet, we were seeing the same light at the same time. She was seeing the beginning of it, I was seeing the twilit sky simultaneously. That's only somewhat amazing that technology can grant us these type of experiences now, and for free, too! After that I had some Finnish meatballs, which you can see HERE:

Finnish meatballs with beetroot and mashed potatoes.

The night was still young even though it had been dark for four hours. So after dinner I set out for the City Center and found a nice bar to grab a cocktail, because the Finns are known for their cocktails. Sitting at this bar with this blonde woman playing absentmindedly on her phone, waiting for something or someone. I was shy, so I didn't go up to her. She was a bit older than me, in her 30s, but I figured I was alone in Finland, might as well make a friend. I drank my cocktail, and then she broke the ice for me, asking me where I was from. 

Her name was Rika, and I will never forget her for as long as I live. She just turned around, and said "Hey, where are you from?" to which I explained Arizona, and that I was in Budapest. She asked me what brought me to Helsinki, and why I was alone, to which I answered I just wanted to explore a Scandinavian city on my own, and some of the other Americans went to Stockholm earlier in the year, so I wanted to be different. I mentioned how beautiful I thought the city was, and we swapped life stories. She told me about her past, her kids, and her new flame she's crazy about. I told her about my own life history, and that I love traveling, and that I have insatiable wanderlust. She told me she was waiting for a friend, who was having a business dinner with some colleagues from England. They were meeting up with her. Without hesitation, 37-year old Rika invited me, 21-year old Peter from Arizona, out with her group for drinks. I was flattered and immediately said yes. Rika and her friends were absolute dolls, and we went to this club where the people tend to be older than me. They're mostly business executives, and most of the guys and gals  there were over 40. But whatever, I was in Finland alone, I wasn't gonna care, and because I was the young guy, I got a couple of second looks from all the Finnish women. I was "young meat!" for one night for the cougars on the prowl. In seriousness, though, I was for once the best looking guy at the bar! I'll take it, even under those circumstances. It was funny, though, because these were older people, the music playing was a lot of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Jon Bon Jovi. And it didn't matter. I knew the words and danced like a fool. At one point, "Lady Marmalade" came on, and I shamelessly danced and sang the entire song. The Finns got a kick out of it, that's for sure! I stayed at this club until about 2 AM before hugging Rika goodbye. It's too bad that I didn't get her Facebook, she was definitely a sweetheart and someone I will always remember as my Finnish friend who gave me company and made a rather quiet night memorable! 

PS...The cocktail was truly fabulous, take a gander!

Raspberry and vodka cocktail made with Finlandia Vodka. :)

The next day, I did a lot less than I was expecting to. When I go to a city, I try to get a cultural experience, and really see the history of that city by day, and hit their clubs by night. That...never happened. I went to this Russian Church up on a hill, and as it was an Orthodox Church, it was rather pretty. Here was the exterior and interior...

The exterior and interior, and a side of the Church which overlooks some of Helsinki...Truly breathtaking and mesmerizing.

After I went back into the City Center from here, I was greeted with more stunning beauty. Even though I wound up only seeing one truly cultural building (Above), my favorite thing about Finland was simply its beauty...Here are some pictures as I walked around seeing City Hall, and the rest of the center of the city. My favorite is the last one...I'm pretty sure that was Estonia off in the distance over there!

I'm in Finland! It's all mine!

Oh, and that little sliver of what is probably Estonia (Way in the back, almost not seen), THAT'S mine, too.

If this day wasn't amazing enough, before I found a Stockmann (The Mall of Finland, basically), and got lost in there, I realized that Europe, but Finland especially, does Christmas right. Like, this is what Christmas is supposed to look like!

I kind of love this picture.

Then, if that wasn't Christmas-y enough... They topped it off with this in the mall...

Yeah. That's hanging from the ceiling. Why can't America do Christmas this way? 

And as I got lost for three hours shopping for Christmas gifts in Stockmann, it got dark outside, but before I show you the stunning photos of Finland at night, let me show you why I got "trapped" in there for three hours...

Yeah, I was pretty distracted, okay? 

Seriously, I'm pretty sure I've eaten more chocolate since the day I landed in London on the 29th of August than I have in my first 20 years of life combined. I'm not even messing around. My sweet tooth is insatiable when it comes to fruity candies, sweet rose wines, and European Chocolates of any type. Europe knows how to do chocolate, okay? No disrespect to the chocolatiers of America, but you just aren't European. It's a good thing I don't live in Europe though. I'd be helplessly obese by now. It would be a classic, textbook case of #deathbychocolate.

So after three hours gift shopping, it was about 4 PM, and naturally that meant it was dark. With my child, I mean, my cell phone (and what I take pictures with) dangerously hovering at 8% battery, I trek back to the hotel to charge it and trek back out into the cold  Helsinki night...But I wasn't complaining. Here's what I was greeted with. 

Stunning, right? Seriously. Helsinki was probably the prettiest city I'd ever been in. Just absolutely stunning in every way. I then heard of this really good Russian restaurant, so I got to try some Russian cuisine on this trip as well. And, evidently...in Russia, they eat...bear. Yeah. That's not a misprint, they eat bear. So naturally, wanting an experience, I ordered it, along with the Stragonoff and Russian apple fritters. 

Bear sausage (top), Stragonoff (middle), and Babushka's Apple Fritters (Bottom) pictured.

The bear was...interesting. It tasted like a mix of pork and chicken. My meal cost me 50 Euros (About $75 USD) and that was with a 10% discount and the cute waitress named Lisa giving me the appetizer for free because it "took too long", although, she was so cute and sweet I'm gonna convince myself that it was because SHE thought I was cute, too. *Blushes* 

And just when I thought my day was capped off, I chose to go clubbing. Just like the night before, I met someone super sweet who made a mark on my life for the millisecond they were in it. This time, it was a red-headed girl named Annina who sat down by me at the club I was having drinks at. She asked me where I was from. Ironically I started a conversation with her talking about how disappointed I was that I didn't have the courage to approach a different girl at the club, but anyhow, she asked me the typical questions, and I told her about my experience, and she told me she had done something similar, living in New York. She wound up hugging me about five times, telling me she thinks I'm super sweet and special and that she hopes I enjoy Helsinki and the rest of my time in Europe. Seriously, Scandinavian people are so sweet. I love them. They were so kind to me and made me feel like I was at home in spite of being in a foreign country, not speaking the native language, and not knowing anybody. 

The last day there I did some last minute walking, took in the scenery, and prepared to head for the airport, but not before I got one last picture...

I then headed for the airport. On the bus I met some friendly British girls, and at the airport I met a girl named Chloe who is also a Washington Redskins fan, who went up to Finland for a weekend retreat herself, and is traveling back to Copenhagen where she is studying abroad for the semester. We engaged in a great conversation, shared our study abroad stories, and went on our separate ways. But seriously, I have learned one thing about myself on these treks outside of Budapest, which is amazing in itself...I have insatiable wanderlust. Every time I go anywhere, as I'm leaving I wonder where my next adventure will take me. I've found a true love in traveling and meeting complete strangers and sharing intimate, personal experiences with them that I will never share with anyone else. You really connect with someone in a very short time that way, and it's very refreshing and wonderful. 

As my time in Europe, and in Budapest winds down, I realize how blessed I truly am. I will have another blog soon, as I spent THIS weekend exploring some must-see sights in Budapest I have not yet gone to. (I will also blog about Margaret Island, since I have been there too), and prepare to go home.

I must confess, however, that Budapest is home now. And Europe feels more like home than the USA does. This experience has changed my life, and I'm so glad you guys have been following me on it. 

A Blog About Prague!

Into Prague and getting in touch with my inter Bohemian.

Better late than never, right? I can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Where has the time gone? First of all, I sincerely apologize for not being more proactive in updating this, but every week it's something, so why don't I get back to the point I last left y'all off...Midterms week.

The entire week was a blur, as it began October the 28th and went through the 31st of October; Five exams. Four days. To further complicate matters for me, my train to Prague took off from Budapest Keleti (East) Railway Station only one hour after my last final was to be completed. To complicate matters further, I wasn't going to Prague alone. I was going with two of my truly great friends, Rozi and Zsofi, two sisters here in Hungary. We were all going as a gift to ourselves. Rozi had just finished her thesis, Zsofi for her birthday, and me for finishing my exams. 

I meet Rozi and Zsofi at Keleti, we exchange some coins, and of course, buy booze for the train trip to Prague. The train was rather dingy, so if we didn't do that, the trip would've been rather rough. Originally, Rozi and I were going to buy Zsofi and ourselves a first-class sleeper car for Zsofi's birthday, but the Hungarian train company didn't allow it for some reason, so we found ourselves in a second-class cabin on the overnight train to Prague. That didn't quell our excitement, though!!

Rozi and Zsofi drinking to a good time before we take off from Keleti.

While on the train, this guy named John from New York came into our car, as he was traveling to Prague alone and meeting a friend there in the evening. We arrived into Prague in the wee hours of the morning, me with my 30 pound (Literally 30 pound) bag on my back, and Rozi and Zsofi with their food. WE couldn't check in the hostel to put our bags down, so I had nine hours of time to explore Prague with said bag on my back.

And I was fine with it, because Prague was as stunning and gorgeous as advertised by everyone. Here are some pictures from that morning...

Scenes from Prague...A melting pot of Old and New...Including their famous Medieval Clock in Old Town Square. 

Upon our arrival into Prague, John and us went our separate ways. But later in the day after breakfast, we wound up reuniting with him, as we both were doing the same walking tour. I don't remember her name, but our Czech tour guide was a tall blonde...and rather cute. I definitely had fun talking to her as she took us all over the beautiful city of Prague. The walking tour went through about 10 kilometers of the city, and on top of that, made a stop at the Medieval Clock in Old Town Square, and then she told the story of it. The clock has 24 hours on it instead of 12, with the day starting at the last sunset. There's also a Zodiac Circle in the clock, and Babylonian time in there as well, not that anyone really understands that Babylonians anymore. 

I'll tell you, though, carrying a 30 pound bag on my back through Prague for almost six miles was no picnic. Even after I put my bag down at the Hostel (HAPPY DAY!!), my legs and back were rather sore and I was exhausted. However, the experience was amazing, especially with Rozi and Zsofi there with me, and meeting a new friend named John, who we've all kept in contact with since this day. He's here in Budapest now teaching high schoolers math. 

We also got to see a Czech changing of the guard, and see the President's house...And get a picture together. 

John (To my right), Rozi (Below me in the gray jacket), and Zsofi (Black jacket) posing together at the Czech President's palace. 

The only down side of our entire day in Prague was that my phone was dead by 10AM, so I didn't have a lot of pictures, but our tour guide took us all through Prague, Old Town Square, the Jewish District, and of course, the picturesque and gorgeous Charles Bridge with all of its statues. 

After the tour was over, we went back to Old Town Square, and went up above the Medieval Clock for a panoramic view of Prague from up on high... Yeah, be jealous. 

A selfie of Rozi, Zsofi, and I. 

As night fell, we met John's friend and began attempting to pub-crawl, with little success.

In the Czech Republic, evidently, you cannot stay in a pub if there is not a place to sit, and all pubs close by 11PM, so we went all around trying to find a place to try some of that truly amazing Czech beer (And it was great, and that's coming from a non-beer drinker). At around 9PM, in spite of Zsofi wanting to stay out, Rozi and I were dead tired, due to 15 straight hours of basically doing a speed tour of Prague and seeing everything, we chose to turn in. 

The next day, we didn't reunite with John. However, we all exchanged Facebooks and have actually met up since our meeting in Prague. That just goes to show everyone out there reading this blog, you never know who you're going to meet while traveling. You simply never know. 

Rozi, Zsofi, and I had a blast for our day-and-a-half in Prague, and returned to Budapest. Since then, I haven't trekked outside of the city limits and have been enjoying myself in Budapest, spending time with my loved ones here and introducing my friend Kristin to my cousins Cini and Zsuzsi. 

That was on purpose, because I really don't want to leave Budapest. Budapest really feels like home now, and Europe feels very much like home now. I love Europe and the ability to travel to numerous countries, hear different languages, sample different fare, meet different people, and see all the beauty and history of Europe. Oh, and meet fellow young travelers. I've grown super close to my family here, and I'm so glad after a hectic month of October (Transylvania, Vienna, Midterms, and Prague), that I've spent November within Hungary. 

As my time rapidly reaches its end here, I try to make plans to return here. Budapest is home now. 

I head for Finland this weekend. See you soon!