Helsinki, Finland (Day 1)

 We are docked right near the center of town, which is great - no tenders or shuttle buses, just walk off the ship and start exploring.  This morning we went out in search of a barber for Michael.  There is no one to cut hair on the ship until Copenhagen on July 23, so we thought we'd give it a try.  The weather is perfect - 70 degrees with a slight breeze and sunny.  Our walk took us through an open-air market selling souvenirs, fresh fruits and vegetables, and quick bites to eat.  And we wandered through a few city parks which were very busy. 

I don't know who Mr. Eino Leino is, but it looks like he's proud to wear that pigeon on his head.  If you've got it, flaunt it.

We were successful and found the Brothers Barber shop about a mile away.  He did a good job with the haircut; I just wish I didn't have to listen to the rap videos while I waited.  And when it came time to clean up the ears, he pulled out a lighter and flicked it on for a second a few times near Michael's ears to burn off the fuzz.  Yikes!  Michael said he could feel the heat but it didn't hurt until he rubbed the alcohol on afterward, maybe to sterilize it?  Guess it was a good thing he didn't go after any nose hairs.

We had lunch in Compass Rose.  It is never heavily used during lunch, but today it was exceptionally quiet.  We were there not long after it opened and there were only 3 of us.  A few more arrived while we were there.  Our afternoon tour was a boat tour of the Helsinki Harbor.  They had a bus available to take us literally 100 yards and then we had to walk the same distance to the boat.  We had already walked by the spot twice this morning.  I guess they had arranged the bus before they knew that we were docking right in town and not at the other pier miles away.  The boat was large and comfortable and had a cover that closed when it started to rain.  Helsinki is really beautiful.

A Yacht Club on one of the islands

And a restaurant on another.

After the cruise, we were supposed to have 30 minutes to shop at the open market that we had been to earlier, so we just walked back to the ship.  The bus was going to wait for anyone who wanted a ride back, but I can't imagine there were any takers.

Trivia was 9/18, but I must say I knew at least 4 of them myself.  It was only Patrick, Lois and me so I don't think we did too badly.

Tonight we had arranged for a special Indian dinner in Compass Rose.  We chose Indian because many of the chefs are Indian and we figured they would do their own food the best.  Only Maureen, Michael and I had the specials and we were glad we did as they were delicious.  The others just ordered off the menu.

We made it to the show which was a Polish violinist who specializes in Gypsy music.  He is very masterful and I really enjoyed the music that I recognized.