city of laser harps and dead presidents

I went to Helsinki for a few days to talk to strangers, rediscover real coffee shops, look for dead presidents, decide this will be the last time I climb to the upper bunk of a hostel bed,

Helsinki view

find a flea market with designer clothes, enjoy the last of the summer, go exploring and love it, fight to the death with a wasp over a hot bowl of sweet potato soup, ride the tram through the oldest part of the city, be less than impressed at a design fair, play a laser harp,

Design fair must-have?

have my morning croissant with an exciting story about a bat, step over a defeated burglar, rest in peace in a beautiful cemetery, send pictures to friends, walk too much, get laughed at because my driver's licence is so old school,

Dead president

buy a Nepalese hoodie, overhear a conversation on how to survive a meeting with a bear, feel lonely, read a book about bread, climb to a lovely lookout point and fall in love with the sea (again), wear white, wander into a church on a misty evening and sit through a sermon,

discover how much shorter the train ride home has become.