I stayed with the family of the wife, of a friend of mine from the Marines. When he found out I was in Norway, he said that he and his wife would be visiting her family in Helsinki during the first couple of weeks in September. I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet up with an old friend and see the town with some locals, so I coordinated my travels to be in Helsinki while they were there. I had no idea what I was in for!
I was welcomed with all the warmth often reserved for family. Within minutes, I was offered a drink: vodka or whiskey - I opted for the whiskey... And so began a long week of indulgence... or perhaps it was more than a week? The family is originally from India and emigrated to Finland over 30 years ago for education and work opportunities. They were able to create a very comfortable living owing to many of the reasons the country is now Number #1 overall in the world. This is something we were all happily reminded of multiple times a day with nearly every toast. "Welcome to beautiful Finland - #1 country!" It was said with such joy that I never got tired of hearing it, and in fact started saying it myself!
For 6 days I ate like a king, drank like an unruly prince, and laughed like a hyena. I gained 4 pounds, have new laugh wrinkles on my face, and I'm pretty sure I need a new liver. But it wasn't ALL fun and games. I did actually see the city, learn history, and talk economics and politics. I spent time with an amazingly generous and fun loving family that took me in like part of the family. I was sad to leave, but had I not left when I did, I may have just ended up moving in! Now, on to Estonia and the rest of the Baltic nations.
Germany, munich calling...!
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