It’s Cold, It’s Wet, It’s Finland
We arrived in Helsinki, Finland, early Sunday morning. We left our luggage in some lockers at the ferry station and took our backpacks with a change of clothes.
Upon arriving, it immediately was evident that it was going to be a cold, wet day. It was pouring rain outside. So, that means that every one of my pictures is a little bit blurry/drippy/foggy. Just pretend that it was an artistic choice and not a result of circumstance, okay?
We walked around in search of food and then settled for muffins at a convenience store. Once I was no longer hangry, we wandered the city. Aside from the weather being uncomfortable, it was a great day. Helsinki is a cute city with a great vibe.
The Church of Silence and the Temppeliaukio (Rock) Church
The first sight we checked out was the Church of Silence. Inside is a wooden room that is completely silent. Every step you take echoes through the room. It was a great place to sit and embrace the silence. Being in that quiet room cleared my mind and I forgot everything that was troubling me. I think we often distract ourselves and never take the time to sit in a quiet, peaceful place. We should all do that occasionally, especially the anxious, OCD people, like myself.
We left the church feeling completely relaxed. The next place we visited was the Temppeliaukio (Rock) Church. It is a church buried under a pile of rocks. It really is something to behold. Mass was being held at the time, so we had to come back later.
Jordan, Elizabeth, and I wandered the city until it was time to eat. We opted for the Golden Rax Pizza Buffet. Yes, it’s about as good of quality as the name suggests. The food was pretty overpriced for what we got, which was a gut full of indigestion. Okay, maybe I was the only one who experienced that part, as is my life. Either way, it was semi-decent food and it filled my stomach, which was the goal.
We ran into Bailey and Alexa at the buffet, so we went back to the Rock Church with them. It was a really cool place. The church feels more like an amphitheater than a church. There was a choir singing when we arrived, which made the atmosphere even better. The acoustics in the church were amazing.
Everyone met up at Senate Square and then wandered over to the Kruununhaka Cathedral (please don’t ask me how to pronounce that). We couldn’t go inside, but it was nice to look at from the outside. The whole region was fun to explore. There was so much to see, with so much history and amazing architecture.
The Haunted Island and the Semi-Concerning Hostel
After the cathedral, the group hopped on a 20-minute ferry to Suomenlinna, Finland, where our next hostel was located. Upon arriving, I thought the island was cute and charming. Bear in mind that we arrived when the sun was still up. Once the sun went down at 4:00 p.m., it was a different story. The island suddenly took on a completely different vibe. For starters, our hostel was formerly a schoolhouse, and the bedrooms looked like something out of a weird horror movie. The only guests in the hostel were our group and a few other random guests.
Jordan and I decided to check out the island before it got too dark. Granted, it got dark immediately after leaving, but who’s counting that? At the beginning of our trek through the island, I thought it was just a cute little place. There were some adorable little houses and it was pretty secluded. As I walked through the area, I began thinking that I wouldn’t mind having a little cottage here someday. I definitely changed my mind on that one, though.
First off, this island was home to the Naval Academy. There’s also a submarine with a machine gun strapped to the top of it, docked on the other side of the island. Really, the whole island had a weird vibe to it. Initially, I was really drawn to the place, but the further I traveled, the more (seemingly) ominous it became. After a while, we decided that the island was too dark, and the island’s vibe too funky, for us to continue exploring. Honestly, this weird little island reminded me more of something from a scary movie, than just a charming Finnish isle.
Upon returning to the hostel, we compared notes with the others in our group. The consensus was that the place felt creepy. So naturally, we Googled information about the island. According to Google, it is (allegedly) haunted. There was a prison on the island with public executions back in the day. Google also told us that the island messes with people’s technology, which is probably a result of it not getting good cell reception. Amazing what can happen when they don’t put one on the island.
We asked the hostel owner the next morning if the island was haunted. His response? “Oh, I don’t know about the whole island, but this hostel is definitely haunted.” The hostel owners don’t even live on the island because they are so creeped out by it. Super comforting, right?
Allow me to backtrack here. That night, we were rooming with some weirdos. Okay, it was one weirdo. I kid you not; he looked exactly like Smeagol from Lord of the Rings. Luckily, I didn’t have to interact with him very much, but he was a weird one. He kept talking to Bailey, and she was entirely too sweet to tell him to get the heck away. Oh, he also slept nude…in the bed next to me, and under Bailey’s bunk. The next morning, he asked Bailey for her Facebook information. She was wise and said she didn’t have Facebook. No one wants to be friends with Smeagol on Facebook. Honestly, naked Smeagol was probably the biggest threat to everyone, but we were all hopped up on the “haunted” aspects of the place, rather than the potential predator sleeping near us. Sound logic, I know.
The following morning, you know, the one where we asked the hostel owners if the place was haunted, we gladly left the island. Although there were some weird things about Suomenlinna Island, it really was fine. I know I talked up the “creepy” and “haunted” aspects of the island, but really, I think it was more circumstantial than anything. We were tired. It was foggy and dark, and the inhabitants of the island (at least the ones we interacted with) were weird. I’m not one to believe in ghosts or ghost stories, but I’ll be the first to admit that I get spooked easily.
Still, our time on the island was fun. Our group spent time talking and laughing. We shared Lion cereal out of a massive cooking bowl, and we have ample stories to tell about Smeagol and the haunted hostel for the rest of our lives.
Upon returning to Helsinki, our group explored for a short time, taking in the last views of the fog-covered city, before hopping on a ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.
All my love,
Madison
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