Helsinki Again Again Again

 

Helsinki Again Again Again 

We had one big trip that we were on the fence about doing.  Well, to be more accurate everyone else wanted to go and I was being grumpy about it.  I was worried about money, and starting to get tired, and my online classes were about to start.  I maybe would have preferred not to go.  But the three smartest and most persistent people I know were arguing against me, so as you might imagine I lost that argument pretty convincingly.  So we packed up once again, and boarded the train to Helsinki.

By this point we were well accustomed to the train down to Helsinki with the playcar.  It seemed a bit more empty this time.  Maybe word had spread about the noisy long-haired Americans.  Or maybe we just got lucky.

We were in a bit of a strange spot with our luggage.  We got to Helsinki in the morning, but couldn’t board our ferry until early afternoon.  But we didn’t want to drag our luggage through Helsinki, or to our special excursion.  Luckily the train stations in Finland all have relatively cheap rental lockers.  We were worried they would be too small, but they were huge.  So if you ever have similar concerns in Helsinki, I encourage you to rent a locker.

We walked through Esplanade park and past a fantastic thirst trap of a statue before arriving at the harbor.  

We perused the stalls and had a fantastic waffle while we waited before time for our special destination:  Korkeasaari zoo!

It’s on an island just outside of Helsinki.  You have to take a boat to get to it which is super adorable.  Our ride was pleasant, if a little chilly.  

We disembarked and explored the zoo.  It’s remarkable, with animals both familiar and more foreign.  All of their exhibits are well maintained and spacious.  The island is pretty hilly, and as you work your way up it you occasionally can look back at exhibits you have previously visited down below.  Which is pretty neat.  It feels much like an American zoo.

There are a few differences.  Many of the carnivore exhibits had the animals food just hanging suspended from a wire in various states of dismemberment.  Which led to some interesting conversations with the kids.  The zoo also has maintained some of its shockingly cruel exhibits from the 1950s and 60s.  Like this “Bear Castle” which obviously does not have sufficient room for the animals. 

They had lots of explanations about how poorly animals were treated, and what they do now to ensure animal well being.  It was a refreshing dose of honesty, especially for us Americans who come from a country who try really bad to pretend that nothing bad has ever happened in our history.  And also takes active steps to discourage people from learning about the bad things we have done.

We had also been told that the zoo food was especially bad.  Which it was.  So people encouraged us to “bring our own sausages.”  Which I thought was some cutesy Finnish expression for packing a lunch.  But when we got there we saw that they were speaking literally.  Throughout the zoo they have these huts stocked with firewood.  

You light your own fire and can warm yourself during the frigid winter months.  And there are also grills suspended above the fire for you to cook your own sausages.  And presumably other things as well.  So I’m going to be severely disappointed when I try to bring my sausages to the San Diego zoo now.

There were also regularly placed playgrounds throughout and the kids took several play breaks.  

All of the animals were wonderful.  

The kids especially loved the camels, and the yaks.  

They also had an exhibit with animatronic dinosaurs, which was really wild.  

We went in the morning and it was still a bit chilly.  So the big cats were out and about.  The tigers had an especially impressive enclosure, with lots of room to move about.  There was even a walkway so they could travel over us overhead to get to an exhibit on the other side.

They also had lions.  And one of them hated me.  I mean really hated.  As soon as he saw me his eyes got really big.  And he ran right up to the glass and leapt on it and pawed at it crazily.  Even after we walked away from the exhibit he followed after us stalking me.  I thought after the fact that it was the first time in my life that something was trying as hard as it could to kill me.

Amy assured me that it wasn’t the first time in my life that had happened – that it had definitely happened a few times before.

Before heading out we stopped by the gift store.  Which was tiny in comparison to American gift stores, and really drives home how unique and grotesque American consumer culture has become.  I’d like to be able to say it was a revelatory moment for our kids, and they learned then and there how to enjoy what they have and not always need more.  But they really liked a couple of the stuffies so we bought them.  

Goes to show you can take the kids out of America, but that you can’t always take the America out of the kids.

Hei Hei