A Night in Helsinki
Nervousness before traveling is something I had not experienced before. But prior to flying out to Finland, I was nervous. This trip was different. It is a trip with a few firsts.
It is my first time traveling to a country in which I know absolutely nobody, and I don’t think I have ever met a Finnish person. So it is completely foreign territory. Most of my childhood was spent in Europe, but now I am returning as not only an adult, but an adult with a hijab on. I was nervous about how I might be dealt with now that I am visibly Muslim, especially given the uprise in violence against Muslims/ Arabs.
But once I landed and walked to my apartment, the nervousness went away. I only had about 2 hours and 30 minutes left of daylight so I did my favorite thing; walking. I found out a couple days before I traveled that a photographer/ filmmaker I follow on Instagram is based in Helsinki. So I messaged her, unsure if she will respond, for any non-touristy recommendations. She responded and based on her suggestions, I walked around Eira, Punavuori and Ullanlinna. The architecture, the colors of the buildings and all the cute little shops were a delight. Unfortunately I did not have time to venture in the shops, which is probably for the better otherwise I would have splurged. There were so many cute clothing stores, thrift stores, vintage/ antique shops, book stores, art stores, and much more.
As the sun was setting, I grabbed a Finnish cinnamon bun and sat by the water. Dessert before dinner because God gave me free will. It is society who told me I can’t have dessert before dinner. Who are they to tell me in what order I must eat my food?
It was then time to hunt for dinner. The amount of Asian restaurants was beyond me. I didn’t realize I would come to Finland to eat Asian food, I just got back from Indonesia. I ended up in a random pizza place called Daddy Greens. Once I finished my food, I asked the waiter my day’s burning question: “Is tap water in Finland drinkable?” He replied, “Yes… tap water is drinkable and free.” He paused a moment and asked, “Do you want water…?” In that moment, I realized how Dubai bred I have become. I became so used to drinking water from bottles and having to pay every time I want to drink water, which when I think about it, is kind of ridiculous. Water is a basic human need, why must we pay for it?
The waiter and I talked for a little longer, turns out he is from Lebanon. His family is “safe” as they are “5 minutes from the areas which are being bombed.” Crazy how the perspective of safety has changed these days. He gave me a Finnish soda to go, on the house. Perfect drink for my 9 hour train ride the next day.
I headed home, got a relatively early nights sleep so I could wake up at 5:30am and go on a little morning road trip before I leave Helsinki. I took a 6:30am bus for a little more than an hour to go to an old town named Porvoo. Embarking on the journey when it was still dark and watching the sunrise was heartwarming. I cannot quite explain how it felt, but to put it simply, I cannot believe this sort of beauty is part of people’s regular daily commute. But I suppose if this became my daily commute, I would also get used to the beauty and not pay much attention to it anymore. But that is something I think one can avoid by consciously living and observing.
I walked around the town, what a cute little place to be. I was in awe. Sweet little colorful buildings, cobbled streets, rivers and lakes, plenty of trees slightly changing colour. It was so cold that there was steam on the water’s surface. It gave the town a very dramatic look. And of course, that was the one day I decided not to take my camera. I spent a little more than an hour walking around, grabbed a ‘Munkki’ (a Finnish donut), and walked back to the bus station.
Once back in Helsinki, I checked out, bought a SIM card, lost my phone and entered the train that was about to be my lodging for the next 9 hours.
