I went to Helsinki to get my Visa. That was one embarrassing experience I hope to never repeat again. I dragged my suitcase across the uneven stone-streets in bright sunlight with my jacket on. When I got to the embassy I was sweating and panting and the man at the door was the picture of perfect calm. One amusedly raised eyebrow was enough to send me into such deep state of mortification I’ll probably never forget it. Same thing with the woman behind the glass wall. I jammed my passport and wrinkled Certificate of Eligibility under the window with shaking hands while her (also wrinkled) face remained inexpressive as that of a gargoyle. I did detect a hint of disapproval from her though.
But I did get my Visa. It was a happy ever after for me.
Next I hopped on M/S Superstar with my friend and sailed towards Tallinn. It was still summer there with temperature reaching +17 celsius and probably more in direct sunlight. Our hotel was a four-star beauty, Tallink City Hotel, located smack in the middle of city center. Uneven stone-streets continued to annoy me with their existence but how could you possibly stay angry when your surrounding are so beautiful. The Old City or Old Tallinn was stunning during the day, basking in flowers and sunlight, and gorgeous at night with illuminated terraces and lit torches. Martinis were delicious, food was okay, and everything was cheaper than in Finland.
If you need a good place to hang out or spend the evening, head to Butterfly Lounge in Old Tallinn. It’s right in the middle but reasonably priced (price ranges for drink were from 6 to 10 euros), and the taste. Oh dear me. Best alcoholic drinks I’ve ever had and I’ve had a lot. Rhubarb Martini is something to experience on it’s own but the venue is also wonderful. I liked the simple and modern style they were going with, and between the buildings you can enter on the patio that is decorated with cherry blossoms and apple trees. If you’re feeling adventurous, you might even try Shisha. Apparently it is the place to be during the weekends but if you want to have a chill evening with your friends and just sit down and talk, this is a good place to visit during the week as well.
But right now I’m back to Finland and Rovaniemi and in the middle of doing my last minute shopping and packing. There were few things that I was suggested to bring more than usual because a) you can’t get it from Japan/it’s more difficult to get it from Japan b) it’s more expensive, or c) there is no variety for the product. My list included:
- deodorant, because apparently Japanese people don’t need it or use much deodorant which means there are only few brands available
- cold medicine, because I was told the Japanese kind isn’t as effective for us westerners
- shaving cream and shavers, because for some inexplainable reason they are more expensive in Japan
- tampons, because apparently Japanese gals are all about pads (WHY?!)
If I figure out anything else I would have hoped to bring or not have brought with me, I’ll let you know sometime later. Other last-minute shopping included a neck-pillow and earplugs for my 13 hour flight which I am sooooo looking forward to… Hngh, so much sarcasm my mouth tastes likes lemons.
I also did a placement test for my Japanese Course today which was, to put it simplistically and in the most descriptive way, hell. You have 50 minutes to complete 20 pages of question which were all written in Japanese. …I got to page 5. Yeah, my Japanese ain’t that good. But I am pretty proud that I could actually answers some of the questions (it was in Japanese, you know, hiragana and kanji). The problem was me being such a slow reader. It took me a minute to translate one sentence (and I did not use the vocabulary) but I did translate them! And I think I actually got some of it right. I’m not too bothered with the result anyways as I applied for beginner’s classes only so the test was voluntary for me.