A Slow Boat To Stockholm



In a few hours we'll board the Silja Line and leave Helsinki harbor to head for Stockholm. This will be the final connection with my late grandmother on this trip since near as we can tell she departed that same harbor 86 years ago to go to America.


I haven't written much about Helsinki so far, but don't interpret that to mean there's nothing to say. Helsinki is a fast city like New York. Crowds of people moving at a quick pace by day, crowds of people enjoying the cafes and bars at night. While I have enjoyed all three cities that we visited, Helsinki feels the most like home. In a good way. In that "yeah, I could live here" way that say, Chicago gives me but New Orleans, much as I love to visit frequently, does not.


Helsinki is also special because its literally the furthest I've been from home at about 4,100 miles . Oddly enough, I'm about to be 41 years old. There's a whole lot more world out there to see though, and I hope my 100 miles/year rate increases a lot before I hit 50.


Some parting images before I lose my web connection in 15 minutes:


And no, we didn't go here....besides, how can you run a whole strip joint in a limo?

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