Helsinki standards

This has probably been our quietest day since we've been here. We had a lot of catching up to do today, and we seem to have managed it. Usual laundry nonsense (sharing facilities is the worst bit about living here - really doesn't make sense when you are our age but we have no choice....) this morning, plus some unexpected malfunctioning on the part of our newly functioning local card. We'll need to check with the bank that it is going to do the things we really want it to do. For most of our upcoming travel bookings, we found some sort of work around.

Afterwards, into town on the tram to visit John Lewis on steroids Stockmann, for a few essentials (using said local card). We also had to get Mr A a new watch - the old one didn't have a dud battery. It was just dud, we discovered. I was feeling photographically uninspired, so thought I would snap this view from the tram stop where we waited literally about 15 mins for a Number 2 tram (longest ever wait) and in the end one didn't come, but a Number 1 did (and that's not its route, so search me as to what was going on, but we got home in the end, so fine...).

Anyway, here you have a Helsinki standard (Stockmann), showing the famous revolving clock which is the classic meeting point in town. In the background you can see one of Helsinki city centre's numerous modern, and architecturally uninspiring, 1980s shopping centres (where we'd just been to find a new watch), and then behind that Torni, which is now a hotel (in which I have stayed) but just after the war was the headquarters of the Allied Control Commission. The Ateljee Bar at the top is rather fun. I've taken a blip from there in the past.

Well that was probably today's highlight. Unless you count watching quite a good rugby match. An early night beckons.