21st – 24th of August – Helsinki

Getting to Helsinki was just as unproblematic as last time and the train connections from the airport to the center was equally easy. The airport and city center are on a circular route approximately same distance regardless of direction so it’s easy to just get on to the first train at the airport because you will end up in the center in the end.

Having been doing a more focused sightseeing the last time I visited I chose to take things a bit more relaxed on arrival. I checked into my hotel a few minutes from the main station and having settled in I decided to go to the runners expo at Merisatama to pick up my pack. A 1-2km walk from my hotel to get to the expo was absolutely fine, and downhill for the majority part, something I was trying to ignore as the start and finish of the marathon was located in the same area. 

Walking along Töölö bay.

The following day, the Friday, the day before the marathon, I had a walk around the waterfront, starting from Merisatama and walking counter-clockwise, passing by the Russian orthodox cathedral, had a short walk around Tervasaari, circled Töölö bay before reaching Helsinki Central Library Oodi which was quite the construction in and of itself. A large building that seemed to have been twisted a bit before being placed. I was impressed by what the place had to offer outside the usual reading materials; board games, instruments, music studios, gaming rooms (large TV and 3-5 gaming consoles almost completely sound proof), multiple 3d printers of various sizes, workshops and so on. Walking around I didn’t even realize it was almost up against the main train station, so leaving again it turned out it was just a short walk back to the hotel and getting ready for dinner.

On the terrace of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi.

 

The Helsinki Central Library Oodi.

On the day of the race the halfmarathoners were sent off at 0810 while the marathoners would have to wait until 0845. Not really an issue – it meant that arriving in good time I got to see the halfmarathoners leave and making room for us and our start. And on time we crossed the starting line, following the same route as I yesterday following the waterfront counter counter-clockwise, past the ferry terminals, the Russian orthodox cathedral and continuing north crossing the bridge to Merihaka leaving the city center. Here the half- and full marathon courses split; while the half marathoners turned left we continued north/east. 

Running along the waterfront with the Russian orthodox cathedral in the background. 

Here we did a 21km long circle, passing past and/or through Sompasaari, Kalasatama, Kulosaari, Fastholma, Roihupelto, Viikki Campus (Helsinki university), Viikinmäki, Oulunkylä, between Metsälä and Käpylä, past Alppila before reaching Siltasaari and crossing the bridge back to towards the city center. This bridge was a few 100 meters west of the beforementioned bridge where we left the halfmarathoners, and crossing this bridge we joined them again on the rest of the course. From here we passed by the central station, up along Töölö bay before returning back south and passing Leppäsuo, circled Jätkäsaari, went through Hietalahti, ran out on Munkkisaari and did a u-turn to get the correct final distance (the halfmarathoners had an extra 100m before they could do their u-turn) before coming back to Merisatama and crossing the finish line (one may even say the Finnish finish line).

The course itself was… ok. It was plenty interesting when running around in the city, but as soon we left the more densely built areas it got pretty dull, especially when we were brought through the more industrial areas. We did come through some more green spaces but you would usually have train tracks right next to you. There wasn’t much cheering along the course outside the center unless you were passing by a station or going through an intersection. There were very few sharp corners outside the city, though, which made things a bit more enjoyable. Overall it did feel very much like a Norse god [1]; the street at the starting/finishing area was blocked off for us runners, but it didn’t take long before we were stuck to sidewalks and pedestrian paths shared with normal people. It ended up not being as big an issue as I had expected – particularly at the start where it seemed that everybody agreed on the pace and barely anyone either much faster or much slower, so the running traffic flowed quite nicely. But still... I guess I expected something bigger after having experienced Copenhagen’s and Stockholm’s setup. Also, after the race, instead of getting a mail from a third-party race photography company that linked to photo packages, prices, and previews of photos, we just got a link to all the albums the day’s photographers had filled with photos and then it was up to ourselves to go through the thousands of photos to see if you had been captured. Seemed very low tech and it took a while to find myself (but it also gave me the chance of seeing that I was by far not the most tired-looking person that day!).

Being a marathon in the capital I was surprised to see how small the run was, with only 2315 people running the full distance. With a finishing time of 3:56:31 I came in as no. 877 (top 37,88%), 726 out of 1648 men (top 44,05%) and 163 out of 324 M40 (top 50,31). With nice cool dry weather and app. 220m up and down the weather and road conditions were nice, and overall, despite my reservations, it was a good run.

I made it back to the hotel in one piece and kicked back until it was time to get dinner, where I ended up at a German restaurant and devoured a winer schnitzel and a generously sized waffle. All in all, a good day.

Full album can be seen here.

[1] Loki… Low-key. Get it? Because they sound the same… It was low-key but it also sounds like the name of the Norse God Loki… Get it? Get it….? … Sigh… Never mind.

Nordic marathons

My runs have brought me to places far away from home, and while it has resulted in amazing trips it sometimes also makes it quite the undertaking outside of the run itself. It would be nice that I at least once in a while managed to plan a bit more convenient trip to find a run instead of having to fly half way around the world.

So a new project has seen the light of day; running marathons in the capitals of the 5 Nordic countries - Copenhagen (Denmark), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Helsinki (Finland) and Reykjavik (Iceland). I am considering also including the 3 autonomous territories Faroe Islands (Denmark), Greenland (Denmark) and Åland (Finland).

The 3 latter are a bit harder to do; while the Faroe Islands have an annual half and full marathon, Åland sometimes cancel their run due to lack of interest and Greenland, well - there is an annual marathon which I would consider an extreme run which I'm not to keen on, so I may have to try and find a half marathon instead if there is one (which I believe Nuuk has annually).

Some have already been run, some have recently been planned and others are still up in the air. The schedule is currently as follows:

Copenhagen - May 2019
Stockholm - May 2025
Oslo - September 2025
Helsinki - TBA
Reykjavik - TBA

Faroe Islands - June 2019
Greenland - TBA
Åland - TBA

A small project compared to my other runs (past and likely future), but sometimes you just need to scale down and relax. Which I know is a bit of a contradiction when talking about running marathons. Oh, well. 

13th – Conclusions

I had nothing planned today other than maybe wander a bit before returning to the airport in the afternoon. This resulted in me taking full advantage of the fact that breakfast was served until 1100 and checkout was at 1200. And a quick and easy online checkout meant that I didn’t have to queue up behind everyone else when I left the hotel for the last time just before deadline.

Inside the Uspenski Cathedral, just after service.

From there I walked north until I reached Linnanmäki, Helsinki’s amusement park. There were some rocks just outside and I realised that it was probably the only place where I could get a slightly elevated view of the city when not behind glass. I realized that there was no entry fee to get into the park so lacking any plans I took as stroll inside. While it did seem busy it did not look like many people were queueing up for the amusements. I got the impression that people came here to enjoy themselves, meet friends and maybe get something to eat. Had I gotten a wristband that would get me unlimited fun the amount of waiting would have been quite limited.

A slightly creepy abandoned-looking building I passed by on the way back from the amusement park.

Afterwards I realized it was inhabited - they were outside in the garden opposite from where I took the photo...

Returning back to the centre around 1600 I realised I couldn’t come up with anything else to do so I, a fair bit early, took the train back to the airport. I arrived, had a walk around and entered the lounge area. I might have had 4 hours to wait but in that time, I had free WiFi and food so time wasn’t completely wasted.

The flight home went as planned, no extra layovers in Stockholm this time, and returned home in one piece.

The weather forecasts seemed quite unreliable when I went to Helsinki. Every single one I read said 10-15 degrees, overcast and occasional rain. Instead I got 20-25 degrees (Sunday at times more), not a single cloud and no rain. I was not prepared for that and while I appreciated the very nice weather I wish I had brought a pair of shorts. But due to the weather it was really nice walking through the city, especially when on Suomenlinna and it had clearly brought people out onto the islands. Spending time out there during overcast and bad weather would have made the entire day much less enjoyable. 3 nights there might have hit the limit for how long you can justify being there but the ease of getting to the centre from the airport makes it easy to recommend going there even if it’s only during a layover.

As usual the full album can be seen here.

12th – Slithering about

The alarm went off as yesterday at 0800. Snoozed it once and then turned if off and the woke up an hour later. Woops.

I got myself ready, had breakfast and then left the hotel to take the boat to Suomenlinna 15 minutes away, the main island of four that are connected with bridges to each other, with a large defensive installation built by the Swedes, taken by the Russians and in the end given back to the Finns.

The island furthest south, i.e. the one furthest towards the sea, has the majority of the walls and cannon placements. Despite the fortification having been converted to a tourist destination it is still being actively maintained as it has been given the rank of UNESCO Heritage Site. You walk around and get some great views of the installation and people come over here when the weather is nice to do picnics, visit the 10m long sand beach or soak up rays on some of the many patches of grass or rocks. Another thing that reflects its attraction to tourists is the relatively large number of restaurants and cafes. In addition to that they also have a church, brewery, prison, school, day care and library.

Some of the many buildings now re-purposed to normal apartments.

Submarine Vesikko.

One of the other islands, Pikku-Musta, has a navy school which means there are plenty of uniformed personnel (conscripts, officers etc.) walking about, and it’s fairly common to see groups marching the pathways on the islands. While this is a very touristy area this is a serious training facility and there are parts of the islands that are strictly off limits.

The main barracks square, had the regular drill just moments earlier.

Finland's "special" lion.

King's Gate.

Due to the many garrison buildings and living quarters for military members and their families that are no longer in use they have been converted into ordinary housing. There are quite a few people living on these islands and you regularly see signs reminding guests that you are walking in or entering a residential area.

At one point I found a secluded spot where there were plenty of birds to spot (had I brought my long lens I could have spent most my day here!) and trying to get a better angle to two birds I took a few steps from a rock onto soft ground. This resulted to my surprise in a snake suddenly quickly slithering out and away. Of all the things I had expected to see when visiting Helsinki, a snake was not on the list.

I would never have expected that I was to come to Finland if I wanted to see snakes in the wild.

The cathedral towering over the buildings when returning to the mainland.

After spending up towards 6 hours walking around I returned to the main land where I had a short break back in my room before going out for dinner. Sushi buffet for 14 euros, and while it wasn’t on the same level as the stuff I got in Singapore (I didn’t have any expectations of that, either!) it was – at least – as good as the mainstream stuff back home in Denmark. And for just a fraction of the price? Yes please!

I returned to the hotel, almost rolling, I’d admit, and had a few drinks at the bar while seeing Finland beating Canada 5-1 at hockey. They must feel a bit better now after we beat them – to everyone’s surprise – 3-2 just a few days ago.

11th – A rocky day

After a late morning, it was hard work getting out of bed and breakfast had a large selection, I left the hotel a bit past 10 and starting going towards the western part of Helsinki.

I came by a large building that turned out to be the parliament building, a small lake with a lot of people spending their time walking, running and generally just relaxing. I reached the winter garden and the Olympic stadium which unfortunately was wrapped in construction so I arched back and came by two odd churches: one that had been dug into a rock and the other a very new wooden construction that from above had the shape of an egg.

Parliament building.

A green spot in the city.

The rock church was basically a circular hole been dug or blown into a large rock near the centre of the city. They had left the rough surface and drill holes all around so it was very rustic. There was also drains all around the walls for when water occasionally would run down the rock face which helped giving it a very cave-like feel. The ceiling was centred by a massive cobber circle made from app. 22km of copper strips. The church was very different and charming. The wooden church was much smaller and had a very calm to it. The interior construction was like the exterior; very minimalistic. With how the light came in from the ceiling it had a very serene feeling about it.

The roof of Temppeliaukion Church, cut into the rock.

The walls are bare rock.

The roof consisting of 22km small cobber strips can just be seen.

Kamppi Chapel.

Ceiling in the Kamppi Chapel.

Coming back to the city centre I started going east until I realized there was not much else there. I returned and unintentionally timed it perfectly for me to return to the harbour minutes before a 1½ hour tour of the archipelago departed. A lot of small islands and every single one is pretty much covered in trees. In between there are houses peeking out and located in some very attractive locations. The views form them must be very nice, especially during the summer and nice weather.

Uspenski Cathedral.

Returning to land a bit past 1600 I walked about a bit before taking a break back at the hotel. I left for dinner at a place a fair bit west; a small homey restaurant where I had a fish platter, a wiener schnitzel with sausage, bacon, sauerkraut and potatoes (basically “pig in 3 different ways with sides”). For dessert pancakes – small ones. Apparently in Finland you make pancakes small, not large thin ones, but small chubby ones.

I returned to the hotel and concluded the day early just past 2200.

10th of May – I am not Finnish… ed

Everything went according to plan; I checked in yesterday, I arrived and went through security and ended up in the lounge, still disappointed with the selection at the buffet but free food and drinks is free food and drinks.

I boarded the plane and noticed the lack of passengers. We were two people in the economy plus section which on this flight was 8-ish rows long with 6 seats in each row. Apparently not a too popular route. I was in the front row and as I therefore wouldn’t be allowed to take shoes off or read anything while the fasten seatbelts signs were on I asked if I was allowed to move to the empty row behind me. I was told “go head – we’re are only missing one passenger and it’s one-in-a-million chance she is sitting there!”. I think we all know what happened next; an out of breath girl boarded, reached “my” row, looked at me and got very confused. I apologized profusely and told her I could move but she just – like me – moved to the next empty row.

We arrived in Helsinki in good order at 1630 and easily grabbed the train to the city centre. I walked around a bit and found my hotel, checked in, and left again to familiarize myself with the surroundings.

The waterfront in Helsinki.

I found a one of the highest, if not highest, rated restaurant, Olo, in Helsinki/Finland but it was the kind with no menu outside. The reviews were very positive and it was quite interesting reading the menu on the website but having to pay almost 400 euros for the pleasure I gave it a big pass. Just around the corner from the there was another restaurant specializing mostly in Finnish dishes with a much friendlier approach to prices so in I went.

I love the fact that almost all streetsigns had names/directions in both Finnish and Swedish.

Helsinki Cathedral in the evening sun.

To start with a plate with 10 tastings of classic Finnish starters (various fish, potatoes, salads and meats) from where I continued with a long-braised bear, something I would admit was a bit pricey but I wanted to try it out. I wasn’t too impressed. It seemed it was braised, pulled apart and shaped into a block to be served. I did taste very good but if someone had served it and told me it was braised elk I wouldn’t have questioned it. I guess I had expected something more… bear-like. For dessert rhubarb crumble in a generous portion with cloud-berry liquor.

A tram passing by the train terminal in the night.

Had a wander afterwards before finally returning to the hotel around 2330.

4-day weekend city visit

The 10th of May is Ascension Day and a national holiday in Denmark. That is a Thursday – and I get the following Friday off. Apparently not even management can be bothered returning to work for just one day before the weekend.

This gives me 4 days in a row to do stuff – like going on a quick trip. One shouldn’t let four days in a row go to waste so obviously I am going on a short trip somewhere. If I go on a 3-day trip to Tallinn, why shouldn’t I utilize my 4 days in a similar manner?

10^th – 13^th of May

City visit to Helsinki, capital of Finland. Not much else to say. Fly there, check into the hotel and then spend a few days exploring the city and checking it out before flying back home on the Sunday.

… and that’s pretty much it.