Bluelou's Short Stop In Finland..and Then Some!

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The company put me up in an older but nice hotel, the Hotel Fabian.

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On my one day off, Sunday, I went to Mass at St. Henry's Catheral (Latin/English).

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St. Henry's Catheral, Helsinki Finland

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St. Henry's Catheral, Helsinki Finland

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First on Bluelou's day long adventure was a cheesy boat tour.

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Your author on his cheesy boat tour.

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Everyone said it was the best way to see Helsinki so I boarded the tram and took a loop around the city.

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St. Nicholas Cathedral

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Another shot from outside the Helsinki Cathedral.

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From the quantity and type of photos I took, you'd think that all I saw was Cathedrals. That's not the case. It's just that they're more interesting architecturally. This is the Uspenski Cathedral.

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A German Cathedral I'd see each day as I walked to work.

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This building was on the harbor. It had a bunch of little eateries for the tourists

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My second temporary living quarters while in Helsinki...the first was a hotel.

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My third / semi-permanent address in Helsinki.

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I did find another Catholic Church nearer to my house than my previous one. Masses are conducted entirely in English. I do have to switch trams to get there and the English Mass is in the evening...tradeoffs but now I have the option of two Masses rather than one.

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St. Mary's Church - Helsinki Finland

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St. Mary's Church - Helsinki Finland

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St. Mary's Church - Helsinki Finland

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(1/2) Reindeer were definitely harmed for this photo

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(2/2) On Facebook, I posted a photo of a reindeer fillet. Less than fifteen minutes from my apartment is a restaurant named "Kuu". I had the set "Kuu" menu...salmon soup, reindeer fillet with port wine sauce, cheese, and apple sorbet with vanilla sauce. As a kid we were often given deer sausage from friends but I've never eaten deer that wasn't sausage. With the amount of spice, it's doubtful you get the original flavor of the original animal meat. As I wrote, it looks like beef...probably liver...but it was lighter than beef. The food was very expensive and portions were very small. The litmus test...I'd eat there again if I was with friends who were in town on a visit but I've been there...done that and there are other places to explore. I believe Christmas is still on schedule as these deer didn't make Santa's team.

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Go ahead...park your cat here. I dare you...
Dogs are quite popular pets in Finland. Haven't seen one cat yet. All dogs are on a leash but no pooper scoopers have been spotted. Check out the doggie parking sign. Dogs go everywhere with their owners here...even on public transit. I’m surprised I haven’t seen any doggy souvenirs on the tram.

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This wasn’t Man Versus Food but…it was close. We caught wind of a restaurant offering a steak for two. It was eight-hundred grams (29 ounces)…I kidded my dinner companion that he was going to need to order his own. I could have had dessert too but passed. A week later, a different companion and I tried two, 500 gram steaks (17.6 ounces). Again, dessert crossed the mind but I passed. Like before, there weren’t any leftovers.

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Christmas Time In Helsinki! Interesting use of a light tower illuminating the bay.
Outside, with all the snow, it looks like something from Currier and Ives. The stores are modestly decorated in Christmas style. I hear a few Christmas carols from the sound systems. Decorations are modest, not gaudy.

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