Helsinki!

After a long night on board our FinnAir flight, we reached Helsinki's quiet, nearly empty airport.  After a bit of confusion about the customs and immigrations procedures, we boldly and bravely elected to take a bus from the airport to the city center and back before our flight to Bangkok.
Helsinki was a beautiful place to celebrate Linny's  birthday.  The weather was a delightful upper sixties, the air was fresh and crisp, and the sky was blue.  We strolled through the train station, then walked toward the bay (on the Baltic Sea,  no less) and visited the wonderful outdoor market.  The flowers, fruits and vegetables were vibrant and glowing with color.  We bought some amazingly sweet strawberries and raspberries to eat overlooking the water, then walked to a small bridge over a river running into the bay where Linny added a lock (sacrificing one of her new suitcase locks!) to the "Bridge of Love" where hundreds of locks, large and small, have been fastened onto the fence in honor of a loved one. "Race" fans, this should sound familiar!  We fell in love with this beautiful city!

Proud of ourselves for our excursion outside the airport in an unfamiliar country, we returned to wait for our flight to...