I Hope I Don't Get Rabies: Finland

Day 177 - Tuesday, July 17

We got into Finland pretty late on Tuesday. So by the time we got from the airport to the city center, got a tram from there to our hostel, and checked in to our room, it was already getting pretty late and places were starting to close. Trusting a recommendation that appeared both in Lonely Planet and on wikitravel, we jumped back on a tram (the apparent primary method of travel in Helsinki) and headed to Kuu.

From Finland

Part of the reason we chose Kuu is that they served reindeer. Game meat like reindeer and elk are considered traditional Scandinavian/Finnish fare, and we'd been looking for an opportunity to sink our teeth into one of Rudolph's friends since we got to Norway. Kuu ended up being exceptionally good. Perhaps the best meal I've had in my entire travels. A picture of Rudolph served up all nice and pretty:

From Finland

We ended up not having enough cash for a tram back to the hostel, so we hoofed the 2+ miles back and saw a bit of the city at night. It seems there's not much happening in Helsinki on Tuesday nights.

Day 178 - Wednesday, July 18

We were planning to take an early afternoon ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia, so we had some time Wednesday morning to check out Helsinki in the daylight. Despite being the capital of Finland, it's a pretty small city. Some pics as we explored:

From Finland

Finland isn't exactly the prettiest city, and I think the only reason it was on our intinerary is that it was the cheapest and easiest way to get to Tallinn, but at least dinner was awesome. We grabbed lunch at the fish market, where Mere ticked off a few more boxes on the game meat list, with concoction of sausages and potatoes that allegedly included reindeer, elk, and wild boar. You can see said mixture of sausages here, beside the kind of freaky salmon head sprouting from the grill.