I waved good bye to my host family in Turku, sad to leave. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome, however my time there had flown by. I could have relished one or 8 more days sitting by the pool, reading, enjoying home cooked meals, walks in the forest and cuddles with their little dog Siri. But no, it was onward bound to the capital, Helsinki.

I travelled on Omni Bus, which was excellent. A double decker bus, I scored the best seat in the house at the top right at the front. I chatted happily with the lady seated across from me, she was off to visit her daughter and new born grand daughter. We enjoyed the scenery of forest and lakes and intermittent fields of bright yellow canola, while sharing salty liquorice snacks.

I landed in bustling Helsinki slightly over whelmed by the sheer size of the place. I was not expecting such a busy hectic city. I made my way like a weighed down camel across the piazza towards the train station, I was headed to my next Airbnb. Throngs of people were everywhere, including a number of cute feminine men; Mardi Gras was on in town this weekend.

I managed to find my way to my accomodation, dropped off my bags and had a good chat with my new host. I was staying only 3 train stops away from the city, in a cute apartment with a young married couple. They had 2 adorable and affectionate cats, ready for pats, cuddles, and shedding. I lay on the bed for a quick rest, and within seconds one cat had jumped up and nestled his way on my chest between my breasts, quite contently! I had tried for many years to have a lap cat, or a boob cat; and these ones were immediately onto it. It was nice to be in another homely environment with pets and enough space for me to do my thing.

Venturing out for the afternoon, I made my way back into the central part of town, not sure at first which way to go. Maps can sometimes make it worse for my brain, new cities can be very disorientating! I instead prefer to ‘go by feel’, to explore according to impulse. Which way looks good? This way! Boom! Haha! What a shocker! I know people who study guide books for months before they arrive into a city, knowing exactly what they want to see. Not this black cat. I generally google a few things of interest and the rest I leave up to random chance, which usually works magically well for me.

Only steps away from the station, I stumble across a museum called Kiasma. And that day happened to be free for entry! Yes! I wander inside and am gloriously stupefied by many displays of creativity, incredulity, and sheer wackiness. And I love it! Artists from all over the globe display their works there, some were so simple, some more complex, and many were interactive. In one room they had large blue glazed pots, winning already, lined up diagonally and filled with various smelling oils. The idea was to have a sensory experience and go along and smell each pot. I love good smells and have a keen olfactory sense. From roses to cinnamon, to birch to pungent, there really was quite a range. So fun!

There was even a section of giant plastic inflatables, one area for flowers and another a giant pink metallic pig! Brilliant!

One other display they had a video of women dancing ‘Jamaican dance hall’ style, moving their booties slowly. So on a full size screen, all you can see is large bottoms of all shapes and sizes gyrating and wobbling and circling. It was bizarre, but strangely mesmerising. I appreciate the human body of both women and men, and I guess it made me appreciate my well proportioned rump!

After the museum I continued to walk around the city, going this way and that way, fairly purposeless. I was pleased when I stumbled across a little inner city lake, complete with ducks and little ducklings. I strolled around there for quite sometime enjoying the warm afternoon, even stopping for a 2.50 Euro icey-pole to complete the ideal  picture, minus expensiveness. Finland really is a pricey place! You pay for all that clean, tidy, city  perfection!

Not long after that I dined for a quick light meal then made my way back to the train, to head home for the evening. Sometimes travelling solo can be a little lonely, I was feeling okay at that point though. I have enjoyed the majority of my trip in company, and for this I am grateful. We are never really alone, there are people everywhere.

I picked up a few things from the grocery store, and even some square tubbed orange ice-cream! Yummo! I settled in at home for the night, chatting to my host and then I found a great book on travelling stories by my bed, it was quite enchanting to read about other travelling stories, just as I was having my own adventure, it was very inspiring and motivated me to write.

I really do love to write so much, in case the 205 blog posts here on my site was not enough of an indication! But what should I do with this nifty little skill I have recently discovered? I will keep writing, for the sheer joy of sharing my thoughts, experiences and adventures. I hope it inspires you to explore more of where you are, to find the courage to fulfil your own dreams and encourages you to push out of your own comfort zone.

Now I need to get out there for the day and create more good experiences! I am soon to be meeting my friend Helen, who is travelling by ferry from Estonia today. I am looking forward to enjoying the day with her!

Stay tuned for more adventures Helsinki slinky style…

Anita xx