European Vacation 2005

The Train is Moving

St. Petersburg here I come!!!
I just said goodbye to Joen in front of the station - he is going to work. I am heading back to Pete. My week in Finland closes as it always does. We have a fine dinner; we plan a new trip or occasion to meet; we say our goodbyes.

Keep 'em Comin'
My last newsletter got the greatest response yet. You guys are so hilarious!! I really should comment myself.

1. The girl on the airplane was 14 - I just wanted to stretch my legs. Good try though.
2. Anders is 6'6" - there are no suitcases made that will fit his legs. But if Cherie flies to Finland, I can arrange a meeting.
3. I had done a fair amount of drinking, but nothing like during Vappu weekend.
4. And I am sorry I had to miss Courtney's and Glenn's Jack'n Jill party. See ya at the wedding.

Almost Vappu
The Vappu celebration is the Scandinavian version of Labor Day. I also got the impression it also has something to do with spring. Vappu is actually May 1, but celebrating seems to begin at least one day but sometimes 2 days in advance. There is a lot of tradition, and that tradition includes the several days of college fraternity style drinking, regardless of age. And after a winter of almost total darkness, it may be understandable that Fins celebrate the spring and the light it brings to the extreme.

The Day Before the Day Before
On the day before the day before Vappu, April 29, 2005, the group of 6 was to go to Anders' country house for a guys evening. Anders was intent on creating a precise plan, including all the activities we would do over the next several days. Needless to say the plan was tossed out before we even got started.

I met Anders and Robin for lunch at precisely 12:00. Since last year, Robin got a new job as a stock analyst. They've been working him like crazy. And of course some important earnings numbers came out this week, so this was my only chance to catch up with him. It is nice to hear his career is proceeding nicely.

Andreas came to the restaurant just as Robin was leaving, and he invited me to take a quick boat ride around the outskirts of the city. We grabbed his family's boat at the harbor and cruised around for more than an hour. Its a pretty nice way to see the city. He dropped me off near Joen's apartment, where I grabbed my shaving kit and a change of clothes.

We Need Supplies!!
First stop - Alco. Strangely enough the only place you can buy liquer or wine is at a state owned chain of liquer stores called Alco. For all the drinking Fins do, the state tries to influence alcohol consumption with high taxes and limited access. Its like the European version of Utah. So we grabed a bag full of liquer, picked up Tomba, and headed for the countryside.

The original plan was to have an early car and a late car - not surprisingly, we ended up with a late car and a later car. And we needed food for dinner. About halfway between Helsinki and the little town where we were heading there is this Walmart style store. We divided up: Andreas and I would choose dinner, Robert and Tomba would choose dessert, and Anders would select breakfast.

The shopping cart looked something like this:
- 5x 12-packs Finnish beer
- 2x 1.5 liters of red wine
- 2x cartons of eggs (10 packs - metric system)
- 2x packages bacon
- 1kg spaghetti
- 3x cans stewed tomatoes
- spicy red peppers
- 3x packages frozen mussels
- Edam cheese
- bread & butter
- several onions
- clove of garlic
- random cake mix (good choice Blueberry)

But First - Let's toast the Spring
Before we got to the country house, we stopped at this medieval castle in the countryside. The six of us climbed the stairs to this room in the top of the fortress where we could see the surrounding hills. Anders poured each of us a glass (plastic cup) of champagne, and toasted the coming of spring. (BTW - its still approximately 40 degrees outside)

Anders' Country House
It is very common in this part of the world for families to have country houses. Russians, Poles, Fins, and more construct places away from the city. In addition to the house, Fins construct a sauna as close to the water as possible. Anders' family has a beautiful 2 story house and sauna on a particularly beautiful spot next to the sea.

Getting Settled In
It isn't illegal to drink in the car, so by the time we made it to the house everyone except Anders and Joen were feeling mighty good. (I mean it. They are religious about drinking & driving). I forgot to mention just one thing about the shopping here: you must buy the plastic bags. And of course I forgot, and nobody was supervising the American.

So by the time we got to the car, it was too late. We had to throw all the food into the car loose. When we got to the house we unloaded the car by forming a line to the kitchen; we handed each item person to person until the car was empty. Well, the line didn't quite make it to the fridge (or Siemans), so Andreas and I found a pile of food in the middle of the kitchen :)

Another Division of Labor
While Andreas and I began making dinner, Anders readied the Sauna, and Joen prepared for the games. By the time the sauce was simmering, the drinking games had begun. The first game was easy enough to understand - hard to explain. Suffice it to say we consumed several "hound dogs" (local speak for 12-pack).

Surprisingly, dinner turned out ok, even though we were downing beer in the next room. So we sat down at the kitchen table, and had a proper dinner, with snaaps (shots of vodka) and everything. And after dinner was done, we moved the party to the sauna.

Not a New Experience
I can no longer say that Finnish Sauna is new to me. On my last trip, the guys introduced me to the experience. And as the majority of Fins are homophobic, I can assure you there is nothing gay about it.

The sauna is a free standing structure near the sea. The inside is completely made of wood. There is a heating mechanism with rocks and a pale of water. We disrobe and enter. Inside the sauna it is between 140 and 160 degrees. And some crazy Fin keeps throwing water on the rocks, so that your skin feels like its burning.

Did I Say its Near Water?
So what sane person runs naked from a 150 degree room into 45 degree water??? And damn that's cold. The funny thing is that it does feel good. It was a good sauna, and we all headed back to the house.

More Games
We turned to an international favorite - poker. Anders devised a method to include betting and raising with beer as currency, and we proceeded to play hand after hand where the losers or those who folded drank a precise amount of beer or wine.

The Day Before Vappu
We all woke up roughly at the same time. Robert had invited the guys to his flat for lunch on this day - we were scheduled to meet at noon in the city, roughly a 1 hour drive from the house. Good thing we woke up at 11:30!! Anders began cleaning up, I tried, but the stench of beer prevented it. Instead I began making eggs; Tomba made the bacon. Just about everyone pitched in, and we managed a decent breakfast and headed back to the city.

Late Lunch at Robert's
With no time to make lunch, Robert opted to buy pizza for everyone. Of course we were late to his flat, but nobody really minded. To our group we added Acke (pronounced Akka) and one other guy. Over lunch the Fins sang their traditional songs, and we all drank snaaps. And slightly before 6pm, we went to see the lady.

Now That's a Lot of Fins
At 6pm, the evening before Vappu, Fins of all ages from all around Helsinki come to the center of town wearing the hat they were presented upon finishing high school. Most of them are intoxicated - what a sight. Now, Finnish speaking Fins (as opposed to Swedish speaking Fins) are not known for being outgoing people. In fact they are generally shy. Not on Vappu. This holiday is a license to talk to strangers. And they do (and more).

And What About the Lady?
In the center of the city, there is a statue of a lady, and with students hanging from a crane they place one of these high school hats on the statue. It is a singular scene. This year we missed it. The lady already had a hat on - Anders wanted to make sure I got a photo with Pink Panther.

Anders, Donska, Anne, Tomba and I made it through the crowd and met Saana and Otto. I saw many people from last year. And after a couple of hours, we headed back to Robert's place where Anders climbed into this beautiful Ferrari. It seems that this is the only Yellow Ferrari in Helsinki, and everyone in town thinks it is a terrible color. I don't know - I kinda like it. Then we grabbed a giant cab and headed for the suburbs.

Housewarming Party
As it turns out, my group's very close friends managed to buy their first house. So we all headed out there to see it and congratulate them. The evening was fun - I met a lot of new people and got a chance to talk to everyone. At some point Robert sits on Saana's lap, says a few words, and flops right onto the floor. Luckily nobody was hurt. A large group of us had tickets to a new chic club "SOHO" in the city, so we climbed aboard another monsterous cab and headed back to town.

Party at SOHO
Soho is a truly European style nightclub. Lots of rooms and each has a completely different vibe. I knew a bunch of people there, and I got introduced to even more. I think I must have danced for more than 2 hours before calling it a night.

Now its Vappu
Two days down!! Joen had work the next day, so he opted out. Saana's mom picked me up with Saana's sister. We grabbed Anders and Saana at their flat and headed for this beautiful island. Yani had already assembled the 8 folding tables we collected earlier in the week, and the group swelled until we nearly filled the tables.

Once we began eating, the singing, banging on the tables, and taking snaaps began. "Barry White" MCed, and everyone was still festive, despite the fact we had all just had two days of nonstop drinking. At some point Anders organized a relay race, and my team won!!

The Grotto
Not that the name is all that descriptive, but one of the wealthier people in Finland keeps a flat just for parties in one of the nicer neighborhoods. In fact, the Russian Embassy is visible from the window, as is the sea. Anders brought me there, and Otto, Joen's brother, showed up in a Russian Baltic Fleet uniform. The whole apartment is decorated as a sailing ship inside, and several old Soviet banners are hung around. One of the hosts showed up in a KGB captain's uniform. And of course there is no end in sight.

As the Grotto was winding down, somebody asked if I wanted their spare ticket to Kaivo. Kaivo is an incredible club walking distance from the party, so I picked up the ticket and walked with some others.

Just Can't Lose
I grew weary of more drinks - there was a really cool show going onstage, but instead of watching it, I found my way to the blackjack table.

It was pretty funny. A rather large drunk (relative term) Fin was sitting two seats away with streaks of booze coloring his shirt. His head was hung low, and he was playing 2 or 3 hands at a time. His sister poured an entire cocktail in her and my lap - she reassured me it was far worse for her, since she was that night going to the country and had no change of clothes. I certainly hope she wasn't driving.

Then an attractive woman squeezes between me and the sister, and starts playing a hand. She is so drunk, that nobody understands a word. At some point she mistakes my hand for hers and wants my winnings. Anyway - all told I won 60 Euros or about $80. And I walked home.

I Have Never Felt So Sick
I woke up the next day like an elephant was standing on my head. I am sooooo sick to my stomach, and of course its 7am. Luckily I fell back asleep until noon. I felt a lot better after having some Indian food - there is an amazing restaurant next to Joen's buliding.

Last Dinner
Heidi came home. I packed my bags. Joen and Anders came home. And we went out to dinner. It was an excellent restaurant dating back to 1932. The food was delicious, and at some point we discussed the possibility of meeting in Turkey and traveling together to the Crimea. I hope we do it.

Bye to Anders & Saana
We dropped Anders off at his flat. Saana came down - we said bye. She hopes I can come back next year. I do too. Joen, heidi and I went to get coffee at a cafe with a view of the church. And then home, where Joen and I stayed up late talking about a possible trip and other interesting topics.

Bye to Finland
It is always sad for me to leave Finland. There are so many people here to whom I feel connected. I left Heidi at the apartment, and Joen dropped me off at the station. I didn't get a chance to say bye to Andreas, Robert, or Robin. I will see you all again.

I'm in Russia Again
The train PA just announced that Russian customs is getting on at the next stop. Outside the train you could never tell we crossed a border - its just a beautiful Birch forest. This is where my last trip ran into trouble, so keep your fingers crossed.

I hope to hear from you soon.

posted by Adam Stern @ 3:46 AM