This was our last day in Helsinki. We had a sort of free-day after checking out of the hotel, until 4, when we had to get on the train to Jyv skyl . We (Becky, Shandra, and I) went down to the street market and looked around, and since the weather was looking crummy (sunny and rain-free days in Finland are highly elusive things) we decided to go to the Lutheran Cathedral (again), took a more extensive look inside, and went down into the crypts, which, sadly, were not as cool as they sounded. They were being used as an art gallery and cafe, and exited out onto street level at the back of the cathedral. We then went up to the Orthodox Cathedral, and back down to the market again.

On our way back down to the market, we heard a band, and managed to see the tail end of the Finnish Prime Minister (or some equally important Finn) arriving at one of the palaces. After the excitement, we went and ate a quick snack (Finnish crepes are VERY good), and poked our heads in the old market hall. It started downpouring, so we went back to the station to wait for the train.

The train was very neat - first one, excluding metros and trams, that I'd been on. At one point it was going over 200 km/hr; not as fast as the bullet trains we'll be riding later, but still FAST.

We arrived this evening in the town of Jyv skyl , which is further north than Helsinki, and about 80,000 people.