Well we’re starting to get excited now! Zhaoyang finished her finals and so she has more time to spend thinking about the trip. We’ll be flying to Helsinki on a Tuesday evening and arrive late in the afternoon on Wednesday. This is the farthest north I have been in a long time. In June, the sun doesn’t set until almost 11pm!! So we’ll still have plenty of daylight after we arrive. I hope there are dark curtains on the windows because sunrise is at four in the morning!
We’re staying in AirBNB’s throughout the entire trip which gives us options to stay anywhere we like. We’re in the Kalio area of Helsinki, which looks more residential but not a far walk from the city center.
I just got my International Drivers License, which I am sure will be totally unnecessary, but I figured I might as well. It’s issued by AAA and basically just says that I have the ability and am legal to drive in every major language … but of course the key is to not get pulled over in the first place. That reminds me of a story about driving in different states. I haven’t been pulled over for speeding since I got my BMW in 1993, so its been 25 years. A few years ago we drove up to Washington State and on the same day about 5 hours apart, I was pulled over twice!! I got a ticket from the first cop and the second one let me go with a warning. What is with those Washington police?