Saturday 22 July 2006
Highlights: Finland Parliament building

This was the last day the Trafalgar tour so I really took advance of the ‘free included breakfast’ helping myself to a large hot breakfast.   I even liberated some oranges against the rules; well this place seems to be making a mint 🙂

I checked out as late as possible from the hotel before moving into a 12 room hostel room 😦 I walked out at noon and what I found was rain!!!   Yes rain after all this time and I had a 40 minute walk to my hostel with my backpack on.   Checking into the hostel I at least got the pleasure of knowing that it was part of the Olympic Stadium (used in 1952).

The hostel had a lockout between 12 and 4 pm so I made my way back to the city centre and guess what the rain at stopped!   Not really being in the right frame of mind for touring I still checked out the Parliament building (200 MPs of which 76 are female plus a female President) and the great icebreaker ships. Later in the day I watch a very high standard women’s soccer match, it couldn’t have been a local event given the standard, very enjoyable.   I finished the day with some laundry and off the bed with a very unusual group in my room (male dorm, with a few children – a first for me, and some older man who snored).   I think the luxury hotels during the Russia tour might have spoiled me.