A Rainy Sunny Day

Thanks to the wonders of Ambien I slept great last night. Even with a snoring roommate I managed a good nine hours with ease. Nancy has always said the first night is the most important when crossing oceans and she is right. After a nice big breakfast at the hotel we set off in search of our next hotel.

The first one was formerly the county jail and our room sure felt like it. It was down in the corner of the basement and hardly any light shone down through the window. It was great for the aforementioned sleep.
On our way to the next hotel to drop our bags we passed by the main harbor from which the ferry’s mainly operate, the Esplanade runs off of and on which the Presidential Palace is located. The last is hardly noticeable and located right across the street from this fellow.

We found our hotel, dropped our bags and hit the streets. I was here for a day back in 2003 with Nancy and for a couple of days way back in 1989 with Teen Missions. So the city is relatively new to me. My dad has been here more often so has a better idea of things. One thing I forgot about traveling with an architect is that suddenly he will be gone and you’ll look back for him and there he is taking a picture of a building, or the facade of a building, or the detailing on a building. This used to happen when we were kids but I had forgotten about. And now being in a city pulsing with design through its veins it happens even more. And he is the happier for it.
We ate lunch at the harbor, I had a moose kabob.

It was tasty and very filling. Like most food in the Nordic countries it was more expensive then we are used to but lasted until the 5 Euro pizza we found for a late dinner. Another thing I expected in a Nordic Capitol was a sea of black clothing. Not the goth black but rather the modern, black hip clothing that says I’m afraid of expressing myself. Stockholm and Oslo were flowing with it. Helsinki still has it’s black but color is accenting it well. And others have no fear of color, most of which falls into the acceptable use of color. (You still awake Dug?)
We dodged rain throughout the day and enjoyed this part of the city. In the evening we set out for the Rock church. Tonight it was rockin’ indeed. The church itself is set in a rock and is very beautiful. It also has wonderful acoustics which we did not experience. We were there for a Heavy Metal Mass. The Finns love their heavy metal and have brought it into their Lutheran services. Outside of the obvious it was not that different of a service. We shared communion, listened to a long sermon in two languages and recited the creed together. The pastor fit the part.

And they performed a special recessional that was a treat for us (this was tied into the conference)-Stryper’s “To Hell with the Devil”. Hard to beat. I will leave you with that.