Helsinki
Well, out of the blue Cass and I decided to take a random trip to Helsinki. The Finnish capital is close, cheap to get to and we heard it was quite nice. We took a cruise ship with Viking Lines. I am a member with them, so the entire trip was pretty cheap and a lot of fun.

The m/s Gabriella....our method of transport to Helsinki. The room was small on board but very cool nonetheless to take a ship across the Baltic Sea.

A view of the Baltic from the Gabriella. Yes, it is frozen and yes we are driving through it. The ships are specially designed to break the ice in winter. The whole thing really does make for a truly amazing view and experience.

The Captain of the m/s Gabriella........YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

This is the Russian Orthodox Church in Helsinki. This also happens to be the first thing we saw and visited when we arrived. The beginning of the trip was a little rocky, as I cut my hand on the Church door and then slipped down a flight of stairs with all my luggage (thanks Aunt Mamie!!!!). Cass had a really good laugh out of the whole situation though, so I guess it was all worth it!!!

The White Cathedral in downtown. This is the main tourist attraction for Helsinki; it is very pretty on the outside but not so impressive inside...

The Government Palace in Helsinki.......

The Canadian Embassy!!!!

Cool shot of the Cathedral....

Univerisity of Helsinki main gates.....cool to see because I am studying with some Finns who go here!

View of the Cathedral from Senate Square........

View of Senate Square from the top of the Cathedral......

Hey Hey!!! They really are the most popular team in the world!!!!

Helsinki City Hall @ night............

Awesome shot of a church at night........

The Operah House @ night........

Olympic Tower: The site of the 1952 Summer Olympics. VERY COOL to see where the Olympics have once been held.........especially in Europe.......

Next door is Finnair Stadium where they play pro soccer games...........

Finnair from the top of Olympic Tower............

View of Olympic Stadium from the top of the tower...........

Pics from the top of the tower.................

Inside of the Stadium..........

You aren't actually allowed to go on the track, but Cass and I decided to go for a lap......

On then next leg of the trip, we went to a hockey game at Hartwall Arena. Pretty cool to see a pro hockey game in yet another country. Swedish fans are more die-hard though.....well, at least the ones from Stockholm.

The flags come out when Jokerit (the home team) scores a goal. Jokerit beat Lukko 6-1 in a drubbing during this game.

The Jokerit mascot!!! He wasnt that exciting though, he basically kinda just.........walked around a little bit

Some action shots............

Central Station in Helsinki..........

A view from a street close to our hotel in downtown Helsinki.........

Finally, just a shot of the stairs leading up to the Olympic Stadium