Day 35: Sun 13 Aug: Helsinki to Stockholm

Start time: 8am
Stop time: 4pm
Weather: cloudy but fine in the morning at Helsinki and at Stockholm, 17 to 19 deg. 

Really lazy this morning, up at 7:30am for a 8am Sunday breakfast. We just wandered the streets after that as we had an hour or so to kill before we had to be at the railway station for our trip to the airport. Saw the Wooden Church and the Uspenski Cathedral, an Eastern Orthodox cathedral.  It was then back to the hotel to grab our bags and check out. 

The immaculate train left exactly on time and the Finnair check-in and security was a breeze. As Wendy is QANTAS Gold FF, we were afforded entry to the Finnair lounge and were able to have coffee and whatever we liked for free in very clean and pleasant surroundings. They even had white wine on tap; Wendy just had to sample it as this was a first for her. Take-off was a few minutes late, in a jet this time, an Airbus A321. After a 40-minute flight we were back in Sweden. 

Everything was going to plan until Wendy went to collect her checked bag. It didn't come off the belt. 30 minutes and getting stuffed around at the lost luggage section we found the bag on the "special luggage" trolley that emerged from a lift. The lost luggage mob was most disinterested and fairly unhelpful. We finally emerged from the airport to find Ken & Maree waiting patiently outside with a maxi-cab at the ready. A$140 later we were back at the Park Inn, reunited with our bikes and left-luggage. 

Dinner was at a pub a couple hundred metres down the road. Very nice too. Kate, Maree, Mick and Ken generously picked up our tab for all the planning and bookings we had done for the trip. It was our pleasure though. Sadly, Ken and Maree fly back home tomorrow while the remaining four amigos continue on to Copenhagen.




Kamppi Chapel of Silence, aka the Wood Church



"Fingers" at the City Hall


Helsinki City Hall


Uspenski Cathedral - Eastern Orthodox


Exiting the underground to the airport

Finnair Lounge

The Airbus 321 from Helsinki to Stockholm

Back to Stockholm


Room 1012 Park Inn by Radisson Hammarby


Quiet Sunday morning in Helsinki

At least one is happy

Street sculpture, Helsinki



A bit to eat and something to drink at the Finnair Lounge


Finnair Lounge


Nothing to see below as we left Finland.


The canal while we were walking back from dinner


The Team back in the foyer of Park Inn for a final photo before we split up tomorrow

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