Finland ~ Last Days, On to Norway

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

I had not taken any more doses of the cold medicine as I’ve begun to believe that, for the first time in my life, I have seasonal allergies instead of a cold.  Thus, I slept very well and woke rested and ready for my last full day in Finland. 

Anne, who has been plagued by migraines much of her life, felt well enough that we could go out for a day of shopping and lunch.  Our first stop was an Iittala and Fiskars shop.   I bought a small Arabia (another connected brand) cup and saucer.  The cashier thought it odd that I'd buy just one set.  If she saw my mismatched dishes at home, she'd understand.  Anne bought a couple of things that they offered to gift wrap.  While they wrapped, they offered us coffee in their little coffee nook.  

Anne, at the Iittala store

Before heading towards the mall, we went to walk a nature trail along the sea.  There was a museum also (I believe the restored home of a Finnish artist) but we opted to just enjoy the trail.  The weather was again quite perfect, bordering on a little warm.  The trails were nice, mostly paved, both through a light wooded area and in the open. 

Tiny forest anemones dot the forest floor

We diverted from the trail to climb up on some rocks for a view.

The walk gave us a hearty appetite for lunch, so we drove towards a mall where there was a sort of new Mediterranean restaurant on the outskirts, called Mezze.  They had a sumptuous buffet, which Anne bought for me as an early birthday gift.  I wish that I’d have taken a picture, as the food was varied and beautifully presented.  We sat outside and ate, even though it was a bit warm in the full sun.

I’m not much of a mall shopper but it was fun to go into different shops, especially iconic Finnish ones like Marimekko and Pentik.  I’m also not a brand shopper at all but bought a fold-up bag from Marimekko in the black and white “small poppy” trademark design.  I packed my luggage so tight that I didn’t really allow room for any souvenirs.  I’ll be allowed this bag on my flight home in addition to my small roller bag.

The day quickly got away from us and we arrived home nearly at suppertime.  Anne had taken fish out of the freezer in the morning and by the time we had returned, Ken had it prepped for the smoker.

Having stayed up so late on Tuesday night, I decided to go to bed early.  I took the prescription pill, hoping that it would clear my congestion before my Thursday afternoon flight.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

As I’ve mentioned, cold meds and I do not do well together.  I slept very poorly and little ambition for the task of packing my bags for a flight.  But I got the job done.  Anne, who in the past several days had been experiencing some reprieve from her migraines, now was sick in bed.  Thus, it was a quiet last day.  I had a bowl of yogurt and a small glass of smoothie that Anne had made for lunch.  And then Andrea, their oldest daughter, took me to the airport. 

Everything went smoothly with check-in.  I had plenty of time so I browsed a few of the many airport shops before making my way to the gate.  The gates were the set up where there are several gates together with no specific seating area, but seats here and there around the room.  There never was an English announcement but at the specified boarding time, I notice people going through the gate.  I followed, and we boarded a bus for the plane further away on the tarmac. 

As I walked up the steps to the plane, I found myself wishing that I didn’t have an extra bag to carry.  However, the flight was not full, so I was able to have two seats to myself for a change.  The flight was Finnair, but the plane was called Wideroe.  It was a chubby looking thing.  Only about a 90 minute flight, I soon had my first glimpse of the mountains of Norway.  As we dropped down through the clouds, I saw that it was raining.  The first drops that I have seen in at least a couple of weeks.

First glimpse of Norway over the wing of the Wideroe

The luggage took a long time to come but when I finally had it and went through customs, I quickly found the correct transfer bus that would take me to my hotel for the night.  The driver was a friendly young man who spoke decent English but seemed embarrassed when he couldn’t find the right word.  As we left the airport area, the surroundings almost immediately became “classic Norwegian”, that is, lots of tall, wooden buildings close together.  We traveled through many very long tunnels before arriving at the Hurtigruten terminal, where all the other passengers got off.  I could have taken the cruise straight from the flight, but I wanted one day to explore a bit on my own.

When the other passengers had disembarked the bus, the driver cutely said, “And now, the most important passenger has had to wait the longest.”.  Then he blushed.  I don't think that's what he meant to say at all. 

The Clarion, my hotel for the night is old, but nice.  Situated near the harbor, it would have had lovely views except that scaffolding covered the entire side where my room is.  If I peek through a rip in the tarps, I can see lots of tiled roofs, but that’s all.  Ah well.  We can’t have everything.

Since I skipped the snacks on the plane, I was more than ready for dinner by the time I got settled into my room.  I’m sure that I could have found much less expensive food somewhere besides the hotel restaurant, but it was raining, and I didn’t feel up to exploring. 

The restaurant, oddly called, Kitchen and Table, was on the waterfront, and beautifully appointed.  I got an inside table but facing the window so I could see bits of the harbor.  The menu was rather small, and after looking up the exchange between USD$ and NOK, I found that it was also very expensive.  I decided that if I was going to pay 245 NOK ($28.25) for a cheeseburger (okay, a bacon cheeseburger), I may as well get the fish of the day for 285 NOK.  It was an excellent choice.

Fish of the day, Ling, and all its accompaniments. 

While I was eating, some beautiful ship came and turned around  in front of the restaurant.  Like many others, I stepped out on the patio to take a picture.  This also gave a chance to check out the Bryggen Wharf across the channel.

Bryggen in the rain