{"id":2124,"date":"2011-06-11T11:02:09","date_gmt":"2011-06-11T18:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=2124"},"modified":"2011-06-11T11:02:09","modified_gmt":"2011-06-11T18:02:09","slug":"spring-forward-day-83","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/spring-forward-day-83\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

Helsinki
\nJune 3, 2011\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\"Train<\/a>
Train station tower<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Had a very pleasant Gulf of Finland crossing yesterday on the Tallink ferry Superstar.\u00a0 I spent as much time as I could stand on the open deck, but brr!\u00a0 Damn, if it\u2019s this cold in the middle of a sunny day in June, what must it be like in January?<\/p>\n

I got very little sleep last night at the lovely St. Olav Hotel.\u00a0 It was very hot and the street was very loud.<\/p>\n

Perhaps because of that, or perhaps just because of my general travel weariness, but when I landed in my lovely hotel room in Helsinki, I just hit the tourist wall.\u00a0 I took a nap, and headed outside armed with my map and my walking tour.\u00a0 And I just couldn\u2019t make any headway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The famous "Dawn" statute. It was originally part of a pair, but sadly the "Tony Orlando" portion was destroyed during the War.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And that\u2019s okay.\u00a0 I have to say I\u2019ve had really, really good Tourist Endurance during this twelve week trip.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay if on one day I simply don\u2019t feel like exploring a foreign city.\u00a0 Tomorrow I\u2019m having lunch with an old acting friend, and perhaps I\u2019ll feel fresher then.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly not Helsinki\u2019s fault.\u00a0 It\u2019s beautiful.\u00a0 And the men . .\u00a0 oh my.\u00a0 Everywhere I look I see strapping, sturdy, handsome young men, some blond, some not-quite-as-blond.\u00a0 It\u2019s as if the city has been overrun by a convention of Midwest college football players.\u00a0 This is not a complaint.\u00a0 I\u2019d love to be able to spend some time here and do some serious photography.<\/p>\n

Places I\u2019ve Hit the Tourist Wall<\/h4>\n