now you helsinki me

07 Sep 2012 Leave a Comment

by Aeri Rose in 1001 things to do before you die, Advice, Food, Transportation, Trips Tags: , , , , , ,

I have spent the last two days exploring Helsinki. It’s been a bit slower than some of my trips, but it was exactly the speed it seems I needed to travel right now. Recognizing when you need a slow trip and when you need an active action packed trip is an important skill for a serial traveler to have. Otherwise you’ll just burn yourself out.

Though it was leisurely, it certainly wasn’t boring. I started off yesterday with a brisk walk to the historic center of town. Passing my first “tourist shop” I stopped in to have a look around and was delightfully surprised by what I saw. Finland has had a great idea! They put hand made crafts in their tourist shops. All those little hand made bags, jewelery, and funky clothes that tourists and hippies love to buy are now what tourists are forced to buy if they want to get “chintzy” souvenirs. Ok, so I did see a “magnet, bottle opener, flags and socks” kiosk a little later, but at least the majority of the shops were filled with these hand made goodies.

I spent the rest of the day taking in the main sights and getting a feel for the town, which really is beautiful. I wasn’t mislead when I claimed it was clean and green. It is! And you can even drink the water! Their tap water is more delicious than many bottled brands I’ve tried over the years, which made me all the gladder to have my reusable water bottle with me.

I lunched on smoked salmon and a reindeer sausage at a dock-side tent market, tried some linden berries, and picked up a cinnamon pastry from the Old Market House. Market Houses are great, they are usually long buildings filled with little specialty vendors selling specific things like breads, pastries, cheeses, meats, fishes, etc. You get the picture.

After lunch I bought a round trip ferry ticket to Suomenlinna Island and Sea Fortress. There was a hostel I wanted to check out there, as an option for an extra night in Helsinki, and I heard the island was pretty too.

Pretty is an understatement.  It was EXTREMELY PRETTY. But it wasn’t beautiful. Beautiful landscapes are natural and wild and chaotic. This was a naval fortress so no blade of grass wasn’t consciously planted, but where the landscapers did decide to plant was well done. The buildings were adorable and quaint. The trails were well kept, and the rocky beaches and bluffs (at least, those not adjacent to a rocky wall) were just secluded enough to let a traveler think they stumbled upon a real find. Sadly the hostel was booked full for the next night, so I couldn’t stay, but I spent most of the four hours I had left hatching plans and schemes of how and when I would get back too the island and how long I could stay. I’ve decided that I’m giving myself two years to write a full length novel, and if I haven’t done it by then than I’m moving to this beautiful peaceful manicured little homestead and staying until the book is written. I am definitely adding this place to my list of 1001 places I think you should visit. I recommend planning a ghost hunters tour.  Between the hidden glens, and dark military tunnels, this island was seething with unseen energies.

Anyway, after this very pleasant day full of walking I realized another very important thing on the boat ride back to Helsinki. Pack what you know. What I mean is this. On my Mediterranean trip last winter I packed things I thought would be a good example for other travelers: comfortable flats (chucks) and a good day bag full of zippers, pockets, and clips, newly bought from Sears for the trip. The Chucks were alright…until I lost toe nails after a long day hike in Goreme, Turkey. The bag was terrible! It split a side seam less than three days into my trip. This time I knew better. I packed things I use daily, things that have seen hard use and held up just fine, things that I was comfortable in and knew I could rely on. I packed my Medieval Moccasin shoes, closed toe high tops to be exact, and my Moresca satchel.

On my walk back to the hostel I was at loose ends. I was still pretty full from my Finnish Feast, but I wasn’t ready to go home yet. Luckily, I happened to pass by a bar I remembered being mentioned in a visitors guide provided by the hostel. The bar was called Storyville, and was the “best jazz bar in town.” And it was really pretty great. I enjoyed an amazing cider called Crowmoor that isn’t in the States yet and really should be because it was amazing. Did I mention it was great? I don’t want to be cliché and say it actually tasted like fresh sweet apples but, aw hell. It tasted like fresh sweet apples! It didn’t have that sugary tartness that promises hangovers to come the way most other ciders do. The band, yes there was a live band, wasn’t too bad either. Though I arrived to an instrumental version of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prision.  “Its a small world after all.”

Dinner that night was a travel favorite of mine: warm soup, hard bread, and strong cheese from the market. This time it was carrot soup, a dark rye bread, and Prima Donna cheese. And a few more ciders. Aparently they love cider in Finland, because there were at least a half a dozen different brands. I might have picked up one of each to conduct a serious taste review. All in the name of travel research of course. I’ve been having a couple each night. There have been some wins and some misses. I’ll let you know the final results when I’m done.

A few minutes (well, the internet was slow so it was more like an hour and a half) spent planning the next few days, and I was ready for bed. And that was all yesterday.

Today I had plans to visit the open-air museum on another island nearby, but it was grey, cold, and raining intermittently; so I decided to check out the Finland National Museum instead. I’ll be honest, I’m pretty partial to a good history museum every once in a while. I always find something to inspire me creatively, and I learn a few cool new facts. This time my design idea was inspired by cave man wall paintings. I really like the thick white strokes and simple animal shapes. I think I’d like to experiment with painting white shapes and patterns on leather fairy clothes. My favorite fact? In the 1390′s there was a band of pirates who roved the Baltics called The Vitalians, or “The Victual Brotherhood.” I like that. I think it is a great name for a traveling foodie’s website, or a secret group of extremely severe food critics.

Anyway, by the time I was done with the museum it had cleared up outside, so I took a stroll back down to the docks, this time to buy a ferry ticket for tomorrow. I’ll be leaving Helsinki to spend a couple of days in Tallinn, Estonia. From there I’ll take the bus to St. Petersburg. In addition to adding another country to the trip, planning this little excursion in has saved me tons of money. Rather than a 150 Euro train ticket from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, and 46 Euro for two more nights at the hostel; I’ll be paying 33 Euro for a ferry ride, 17 Euro for two nights in a hostel, and 25 Euro for a bus ride. That’s almost 200 Euro plus food to stay in expensive Helsinki vs. less than 80 Euro plus food to stay in inexpensive Estonia. Yay!!

Ticket in hand, I felt that my brief yet wonderful time in Helsinki was coming to an end. I knew there was only one more thing I had to do…SAUNA!! I try to sample a country’s spa and relaxation customs whenever possible. In addition to keeping me stress free while traveling, it is a really fun way to get to know a new country. So far I’ve tried Turkish Baths, Swedish Saunas, Korean Spas, Chinese Massage, and now Finnish Saunas. I think that soon I should dedicate an entire post to spa days, but since this post is entirely too long already, I’ll just keep you in suspense.

Kippis!

 

~Aeri

PS- I’m sorry there are no pictures yet.  The internet is very slow here.

 

 

 

 

first star on the right and straight on till morning

05 Sep 2012 1 Comment

by Aeri Rose in Food, Observations, Transportation, Trips Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last night I began my Great Railway Adventure. After a day filled with last minute errands and quickly hemmed pants, my dad and trusty airport chauffeur dropped me off at Dulles International Airport yet again- this time headed for Helsinki, Finland with a layover in Iceland. The planes were small, but I guess that’s alright considering that via Iceland, the trans-Atlantic crossing is split into two short flights.

The first flight last night was pretty. We silently glided through the darkness, with puffy white clouds below us hiding the choppy ocean waves I knew were there. The moon shown incredibly brightly in the sky, but it was not too bright to drown out the stars. I felt like I could be traveling to Neverland, following Peter’s directions: just follow the first star on the right and head straight on till morning and there adventure awaits.

The constellation Orion seemed to lead the way. I saw the full constellation out the window, just over the right wing, like I was looking straight across and not up at him like I have done from the ground so many times before. Were we equals last night, Orion and I? He seems like a good man to have in my life. He’s the only one I seem to look to for guidance, and certainly the only one I’ve chased around the world or even around the block. Aloof and unattainable, he has seen and known more than I ever will. Yet he has remained steady and controlled throughout his vast experiences, where I sometimes crave the chaos and instability that my travels offer me.

I thought I would continue this contemplation of my perfect star man, but as soon as I touch down in Helsinki I was overwhelmed by different thoughts entirely- mainly wonderful, “This is so EASY! This place is so BEAUTIFUL!” thoughts.

Because it was and it is. I landed, grabbed my backpack from the conveyor belt, and stopped by information for some directions to the Olympic Stadium, where I had reserved a bed at the hostel within- the aptly named Stadium Hostel. The bus ride was so easy that I barely had to focus on the stops and was able to let my mind wander out the window and take in the wide, amazingly clean streets of Helsinki. This was a city that was so green and blue! It was full of trees and lakes and streams. The weather was a perfect sunny 17 decrees Celsius. For 6.20 Euro I was dropped off a block away from the hostel, and the brief stroll told me that this might be called a city, but it didn’t smell or sound like one. I felt relaxed and comfortable immediately. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the stress and chaos that usually surrounds the first few moments in a new city when you’re trying to find your way to your lodging for the first time, disoriented from the loud sounds and unfamiliar landmarks and still groggy after a recent mind numbing flight.

I practically skipped through the front door of the hostel, checked in, and found my bed ready to be made up in the crisp clean white sheets I had been handed. I had so much extra energy, saved for the stressful first journey that was anything but, that I took a quick shower to wash off the last of my travel cobwebs, repacked my purse with the essentials, and hit the city streets once again.

I was in search of food. Finnish food. A quick stroll through a grocery store and I had an idea of what food prices might be like (expensive!) while I was here. I was also delightfully impressed with their large hard cider selection, a collection I shall be exploring in depth while I am here.

After wandering for a few more blocks I settled on a Nepalese restaurant, not Finnish, I know but a new cuisine none the less. It was a good decision. Nepalese coffee is AMAZING. It is everything I wanted Turkish coffee to be. It was strong and sweet and flavored with exotic spices that I couldn’t place. I think I detected cardamom, but I’m not sure what else.

Now I am back at the hostel and rapidly crashing. I think I’ll take a few moments to plan out the next few days and then I will turn in early. I was happy to find that the festival gods were favoring me again. I landed in Helsinki at the start of World Design Week 2012, celebrating Helsinki as this year’s Design Capital of the World. There will be a lot of fun, interesting and FREE things happening in the next few days. I can’t wait to find out what. When I know, you’ll know!

Cheers,

Aeri

boba tea for me!

13 Jun 2012 Leave a Comment

by Aeri Rose in Faeries, Food, Local Events

A couple weeks ago I took a break from Texas by hiding away in a Korean spa for the day. Today I seemed to have been dropped off in The Philippines for lunch.

The Place? Cebuana Filipino Store in Austin, Texas.  This place is another one of those great places that looks like a dive on the outside, and you really aren’t expecting much out of the food even after ordering and sitting down.  But then a trail of mouth watering scents wafts your way and the meal comes out.  You know you’ve hit another cultural gem before you even take the first bite.  This is the real deal.  This is abandon your fork for finger licking delight.  This is thank the good Earth for lemon grass and ginger.

Go Ejoy Maria’s WONDERFUL Filipino Food!

Maria, the owner and chef comes out with beef stews, pork chops the likes of which you’ve never had, sweet rice, a stunning Thai basil soup, and a creamy cabbage salad.  We dipped bites of pork chop into the soup and delightfully slurping the whole mouthful up.

After the meal we wandered the tiny Filipino grocery store, excitedly cheering over real rice noodles, glass noodles, packaged curry pastes, ginger pastes, spicy sauces, and more. I couldn’t help but pick up a few spice packets to try on my own stir-fries later.

A mango boba tea for the road, and we were ready to head back out into the American afternoon.  A delightful ethnic meal was exactly what I needed to excite my travel bug again.

Just in time too because on Friday I hit the road again and head north, back to Annapolis for a few days. But before that I need to run through Austin with my Tutu on! That’s right.  On Thursday, Chela of Medieval Moccasins and I will be running in the Midnight Margarita Run.  In some Reincarnation Outfitters tutus and Medieval Moccasin boots (GREAT for running btw!!) we shall frolic through downtown Austin.  Come run, come play, come cheer on the faeries!

Paalam and Gud Lak!

~Aeri

gamsahabnida texas

30 May 2012 Leave a Comment

by Aeri Rose in 1001 things to do before you die, Food

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Not any more! Not until next year at least. Because it’s DONE!

Scarborough Faire was another whirlwind of friends, festivities, and Texas heat.  But now it is time to move on down the road again. But before I leave the DFW area, there is one more stop to make. If I had a list of 1000 things to do before you die, this would totally be on it.  In fact, maybe I should start that list.  OK #1 on the list: King’s Spa and Sauna. King’s Spa is a Korean style relaxation center; a “family oriented well-being sauna and spa.”

Walk up a set of marble stairs, past massive lion statues guarding the door, and for $27 for twenty-four hours (yes it is open 24 hours a day), past the front desk and into a world of well-being.  First you go into the gender segregated locker rooms.  Stash your things (clothes and all) in your designated locker and walk your way to the wet room.  Part Turkish Bath part Roman Bath, the wet room has rows of shower stations, three hot mineral pools and a cold pool, a steam room and a massage station.

When you’re done in there, or when you manage to tear yourself away, don a soft cotton uniform and head back out to the main room.  On the right is a cafe` serving fresh and delicious Korean food.  They even have Duckboke, a rice cake slathered with Korean hot sauce. You might not care about Duckboke, but I have fond memories of chowing down on street cart Duckboke after a night of heavy drinking in Seoul while visiting my friend Amy, then teaching English in Korea.  All entrees are served Korean style, with lots of little sides in tiny little bowls.  And the chopsticks are metal! How’s that for authenticity?

But you aren’t there for the food, at least not yet.  You’re there for the nine different sauna rooms. Hot dry rooms filled with interesting details designed to help you sweat out toxins and absorbe some stellar energy.  There are salt rooms, and gold pyramid rooms, and pine rooms, and rooms filled with amethyst stones.  There is even a room heated once daily by a roaring fire (think Italian brick oven) that is so hot they can cook eggs in it. I’ve had them.  The cholesterol cooks out and leaves a black spotty residue on the shell.  They taste kind of like chicken, and are great with salt.  You have to take an extra burlap sack to sit on when you go in there, and there is a constant guardian at the door, ready to pull it open with a string when she sees you at the window, so you don’t have to touch anything.

This place is amazing, and for the price you can’t beat it.

But why 24 hours, you may say. I can only put my body through that kind of detox for a couple hours max.  Well that is fine.  Here’s what you do.  You go in the evening and have a sweaty session.  Then you get some great food for dinner and take a nap in one of the many disgustingly comfortable chairs they have lying around.  Or maybe you go watch a movie in their full sized theater.  You nap and graze for the night, and then when you wake up in the morning you have another complete sauna session, take one final shower, and then carry on your merry way.  I know it sounds crazy, but in Korea it is totally normal.  In a place where space is limited, taking the family to a trip to the spa was sort of like a mini-vacation.

If you can’t make it down to Dallas to visit THIS King’s Spa, there is another one in Chicago.  Or look for a similar spa near you.  Apparently they’re all over the place.  And if you’re suffering from a serious case of travel itch, perhaps a trip into another world for a day will satiate that wanderlust for a bit. Worth a shot right?

Geonbae!!

~Aeri

$3,419.96

03 Jan 2012 2 Comments

by Aeri Rose in Budgets, Food, Lodging, Transportation, Trips

Yup. That’s the expense total.  On November 14, 2011 I set out to prove it was possible to travel leisurely and enjoyably for under $100 dollars a day.  This $100 a day budget was to include all transportation, lodging, food, tourism, and souvenir expenses.  Absolutely EVERYTHING.  Those of you who followed the whole trip will know, sometimes it was tough.  The average daily allowance fluctuated between the high of $100 and a low of $54.47.  Sometimes I was over budget. Sometimes I was under budget.  But not once did I pass up a tasty treat, pretty trinket, or chance for an added adventure.

I kept a tight record of my travel expenses, down to every 2 TL metro ride in Istanbul, and 5 Dinar glass of orange juice in Marrakesh.  Sometimes I felt miserly, but mostly I felt intrigued.  Would the average work out in the end? Would I come in under budget?  That Thing That Sucked Me In sucked pretty hard in Goreme, Turkey, when I bought over $300 worth of hand thrown and hand painted pottery (that included shipping, promise!).

But, I am happy to say, I DID come home under budget.  The total spent was $3,419.96.  A full $280.04 under the goal of $3,700 for a 37 day trip.  Wahoo!!!

So, what did I end up spending that money on?

- $1,590.87 was spent on transportation.  Planes, Trains (and Metros/Trams), Buses, Boats, and Camels. Still no hot air balloon though.

- $321.64 was spent on lodging.  Hostels mostly.

- $459.87 was spent on food.  This included meals, grocery store trips, snacks, and water.

- $266.64 was spent on other touristy things.  Things like museum entrance fees, my Sahara Tour, and tips for henna done by the little old ladies in Morocco.

- $780.95 was spent on souvenirs. So I like new trinkets.  I’ll say it, and I’m sure others have said it- when traveling, go ahead an splurge a little on those strange and unique things that call you in.  What are the chances you’ll be back a second time to pick it up later? Pretty slim, I’d say, so go ahead and enjoy the shopping experience.

And of course, the souvenir budget wasn’t necessary for survival, so I could have skated in almost $1,000 under budget if I wasn’t such a sucker for the rare and hand made.

Needless to say, I was pretty pleased with myself for making it home with cash to spare.  So pleased, in fact, that I decided to spend the remaining funds on a weekend trip to Philadelphia, to visit with some old friends.  I managed to squeeze that trip out for $290; which included gas ($65), theater tickets ($56), a hotel room in center city ($89), food ($50), and a night at the bars ($30).  Getting to reconnect with college friends in a new Grown-Up way- Priceless.

Though I still think I prefer the $10 student rush fill in the front row tickets over the $56 with a terrible view tickets…

Well, now I’m back home and broke, a common enough state for an artistic fairy type. Stay tuned next month for a Great American Journey. A road trip to Arizona and the beginning of a most unique and exciting adventure- the Renaissance Circuit!

Westward Ho!

~Aeri Rose