Marg's 2nd entry - Watch your coccyx!
Moi
Since my last entry work at uni has become very busy. I've sat my Finnish oral and written exam, handed in a few assignments and started work on two larger projects. Before I was looking for extra subjects to take and now I'm looking for extra time.
Despite the increased work load I'm still making sure I do something 'touristy' each weekend. A few weeks ago Helsinki had a good covering of snow so four of us jumped on the bus, headed to Vantaa (an hour out of Helsinki), found a hill, built a jump and down we went. After making the jump bigger for the third time it was my turn again. I decided to start a bit further up the hill so I could get some speed and make the biggest jump, which I did, excellent! Except for one thing, I landed directly on my coccyx! So I sat out for a bit until I couldn't resist temptation any longer and had another go. Big mistake as I came off the jump at a strange angle and landed in the same spot again, I'm still sore two weeks later. Oh well, it was worth it and a lot of fun!
Two of my good friends visited from London last weekend for my birthday and it was great! We had a fantastic time seeing sights, eating traditional Finnish cuisine (including Rudolf... who is very tasty!) and drinking Finnish beer. One particular highlight was on Sunday, going to Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall. It was opened in 1928 and still retains the 1920s architecture and classic appearance despite renovations in 1997.
Traditionally people swam naked however bathers were allowed in 2001 although only a handful of people wear them as it's best to go without. They have separate times for men and women and two floors to choose from. We went to the second floor which was slightly more expensive (12/6 Euro adults/students) however much nicer. We were given a towel, robe and small room with a bed to rest in. We had access to wood, steam and electric saunas and the pool, fantastic! We spent the maximum 2 hours going from shower, to sauna, to shower, to pool, to shower, to steam room etc etc. Clearly no water restrictions in Finland! Afterwards you feel amazing, so clean, relaxed and sleepy. I've fallen in love with Finnish sauna so going to Yrjönkatu was a real treat and the perfect way to end the weekend.
The next month there's a trip to Lapland planned which should be great. I'm really looking forward to some serious snow and ice! Fingers crossed we're lucky enough to see the Northern lights too.
Until next month,
Nähdään,
Margs