HD9-10: Helsinki and home

11-12.11.12: Sunday we spent a few more hours in Helsinki, where we ate lunch at a pizza buffet that had decent pizza, great salad, and delicious ice cream; we had to explain to some of the Russian tourists with us how a buffet works: they don’t have them in Russia and it was difficult for them to comprehend that they paid one flat price and then could eat as much as they wanted, over and over again…. American culture, in so many ways, would undoubtedly astound Russians. Helsinki was, as usual, freezing and wet and rather underwhelming, but we found a few cute souvenir shops and I bought a Christmas ornament because Finland is pretty much the Christmas capital of the world. I collect scarves from the countries I visit, but I couldn’t find a scarf in Finland for under thirty bucks and I felt I wouldn’t be devastated if I didn’t have something to remind me of how cold I was in that country, so I didn’t buy a Finnish scarf. We rode the bus from there all the way to St. Petersburg, where we were to board a train for Moscow. (We made it through customs without any trouble; it’s great being legal.) Before boarding the train, I had shawarma, which was delicious (and inexpensive—Russia may be expensive but it’s nothing like Scandinavia) but made me smell of garlic all the way to Moscow. Although, by the time we made it to our apartment, I was exhausted and ready to be home, this was a holiday I will never forget and will always cherish.