LONG STUDY TOUR: Helsinki, Finland

I left off on the cruise from Tallinn to Helsinki, and this was definitely the rock star way to travel. Planes are overrated. Good food, dancing with old Finnish men, and gorgeous views. What more could I ask for?


We arrived in Helsinki around 9pm, but that did not stop my friends and I from doing a little bit of exploring. We took a recommendation from the concierge at our hotel (yes we got to stay in an actual hotel, and it was nice!) and went to the Helsinki Cathedral, a beautiful white cathedral that sits on the top of a hill. It was an amazing experience because nobody else was around, and the cathedral is so impressive, especially lit up at night. Kylie and I climbed the icy stairs to the top:

Can you spot us? 

Here is the same cathedral, but in the daylight:

We visited healthcare sites, but honestly nothing stood out to me too much. Lots of powerpoints and lectures but here are a few things I did take away:
1. There is a shortage of doctors in Finland, mainly do to the low medical school admittance during the past few decades. Schools have recently increased their acceptances, and this means that by 2020, there should be no shortage. I guess the Finns will have to stay healthy until then...
2. It can take about 3 weeks to get an appointment with a physician
3. Baby swimming! At Folkhälsan Institute of Public Health, there is a program for babies up to age 2 that allows them to "swim" with their parents and an instructor in the pool. We got to watch a video and they were so so cute. I wish that we had come one day later, though, because then we would have got to see the babies in action.


For dinner one night we went to Finnish-style buffet (we went to way to manny buffets on this trip), and in true Scandinavian style, they offered many different types of fish and meats, the most exotic of which were elk and reindeer. Even though I couldn't get Rudolph out of my head, I probably would have tried the reindeer if it weren't for the fact that it was a Friday during Lent. 


Other highlights include:
1. The ice bar. even though this bar was not overly impressive (especially compared to the one in Copenhagen) it was still a fun experience, since we made friends (not) with the bouncer, bartender, and dj. I think they will be happy to never see us again.

Skål!

2. Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. on our free afternoon many of us took the harbor ferry to this island, which is still in use today by the Finnish navy. It was really fun to "hike" through the bastions and ramparts.

3. The Sauna. we went to a sauna house, a traditional Finnish practice. Basically, we sat in a really hot sauna until we couldn't stand it anymore (only about 10 minutes, and we weren't even in the hottest sauna), and then ran to the lake right outside and jumped in. We must have been a sight to see, about 30 girls all in colorful bikinis running and screaming/squealing to the lake. The locals were a. nude b. walking slowly c. quiet 

A view of the lake

Just chilling outside in our bathing suits. No pun intended, this actually didn't seem cold.

This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was so invigorating and really got your adrenalin rushing, thats for sure. I really did feel healthy and cleansed afterward, which is the intention. 


After a delicious final dinner, we headed to the airport to go home. All in all, the long study tour was a great experience and I loved that every minute was jam-packed. Ill leave you with a picture of some Finnish food we found throughout the trip. You can even buy it in the airport if you didn't get your fill while in Finland. Rudolph beware. 

Reindeer and elk meat