Travelog for: Roo

Olympic Games 2008! I watched some of the competitions with Alfie. As we are guests here we concentrated on the Finnish competitors I also liked the gymnastics, the girls are so good at it! And I saw one of the girls taking her photo next to the competition area - she posed smiling widely  I think it was so sweet! It showed that being at the Olympics was a big deal for her and she wasn't full of herself 

My host made this delicious self-portrait for her own birthday - which is today! Me and Alfie sang her the song of course 

This is our new friend: Lemmy, a tiny fox. He was very interested in hearing about this family and country. Ninni (the bunny) was interested in hearing about the newest things in the world as she was to start her own voyage tommorow!

My host showed me a part of Porvoo we hadn't yet visited: the so called "Empire Porvoo". These wooden houses date back to the late 1800. They're of course modern on the inside and people live there - and part of them are schools. It is said that Nicholas I, successor to Alexander I and emperor of Russia in the reactionary age, wanted to demolish the Swedish-rule appearance of the town, and build a Russian Empire-style town in its place. Architect Carl Ludvig Engel (who also designed the buildings around the Helsinki Senate Square) was appointed town planner. The plan of the Empire-style Porvoo is a modern, regular and spacious rectangular street layout with straight roads and quarters.

My host was very upset when she noticed hadn't taken me to Castle Hill! It was like  and and   She's so funny when she's suprised  I do have seen this hill from further away but never been on it. But here I am now  In the 14th century here stood a wooden fortress. Now you can only see the hill and the castle moats. My host was right before when she said this's a good place to play Robin Hood! I wouls love to be Maid Marion  The last picture shows my host's favorite view in Porvoo. She has taken a photo here which she made into postcards! You can see almost all bridges crossing the River Porvoo from here, and the Old Town. Very cool! I'm glad my host showed me this place   

The Castle Hill sightseeing wasn't our only destination today: from there we drove to a car sales place. They had this event for families and my host had decided to take the kids there. Lemmy, Alfie and I got to draw with chalks, try the bouncy castle, eat risotto, meet Panda bear who gave us candy... That board with round thingies in different colors is there to show in which colors you can get your car. My favorite was the one in the bottom, almost at my nose, the yellowish one. I thought it was "kangaroo yellow" but apparently I'm Persian Yellow!   

There was also this guy who made tricks - with balloons too! He made those balloon animals in the last picture.  The blue one is a cat, yellow is a dog and red one is a bear. We spent 3 hours at the event but guess what... My host didn't photograph me with any of the cool new cars 

Today we visited a stable as one of the girls got to ride a horse. I didn't as they didn't have a helmet small enough  Safety first! I did get to meet other horses and ponies - and see dinosaur eggs! See, those huge white things!

On this cool but dry autumn day we took a tour to show Lemmy around. I got to be in places that I hadn't been photographed in yet! There I am at the edge of the Old Town. The last one is my favorite, we're so high up (and not even close to the other place I posed in)! My host wants to come back and take a postcard photo there. Maybe when the leaves are even more colorfull (and her camera batteries are recharged *grin*).

On Saturday I attended a postcrossing meeting in Helsinki! It was held to welcome some people and they got gifts. I also helped signing the 192 cards people wrote That pen is made by my host. Some have special "meeting pens" (and a meeting duck which you see in the first pic) and my host thought she could make a personal one. And yet she signed the cards with her username stickers...

This is the Post Museum we visited after the postcrossing meeting. It's in the main post office. I saw postcards, stamps, mail delivery etc. thru the centuries. See me on the post horse and on the old mail truck? They also had posters about postcrossing in the last hallway.

This is me in Kerava We picked up my host's sister there. We were all about to drive to celebrate their brother who turns 50!

This is where the party was held; in the area of a psychiatric hospital in Nokia. My host assured me none of the guests were mental patients And yes, Nokia really is a city in Finland. The company that shares the name comes from Nokia. You know, the one that makes cellphones (they used to make rubber boots).

The house where the party was held is built before 1900! And the decor suits the age. I loved the lake! We had a fun day - and we all fell asleep while driving back. Except for our host of course as she drove.

I got to visit a Mickey Mouse exhibition in Helsinki! It was held in Päivälehti museum which shows the history of journalism and printing techniques. The temporary exhibition Mickey Mouse on the Case shows Mickey throughout the times. In Finland Donald Duck is a bigger name. My host's favorite character is "Taikaviitta" which is probably translated as Duck Avenger. He is Donald Duck's alter ego 

We even got to make Wanted-posters of us! In the last pic I'm posing with mine. I got to choose my own reward! My nickname is Picklock-Toyvoyager  I'm wanted for stealing Daisy Duck's notes or something. I'm innocent I tell you! 

While in Helsinki I also got to see the Cathedral from the inside. I have seen it from the outside before. I hopped the 47 stairs up which was tiring. It looked very small inside, compared to the outside!

Before we took the buss back to Porvoo I saw this funfair. We didn't take any rides or try our luck in games. Neither did anyone else either it seems. Maybe it was too early for fun & games.