Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Day Two: Getting to Know Helsinki

For photos of our first two days, click https://picasaweb.google.com/107623788813119326976/HawksInFinland2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCOzrpMyJgYubDw#

After a good, and much appreciated, night of sleep for most travelers, it was time to get our bearings and get to know our hosts. The host families dropped their charges off at the Hilton, and everybody piled onto two busses for a tour of Helsinki. Each bus had a tour guide who explained Finnish history, sites, and culture. The boys were very well behaved--okay, some of them may have dozed off during the ride--but when the busses pulled up to Helsinki's picturesque Senate Square, the siren call of the snow (of which we had seen very little in Philadelphia this winter) was too much to resist. The travelers disembarked to see the square, and soon, the snowballs were flying, even as the parents tried to take photos of the Hawks players in this famous spot. These are, after all, 13-year-old boys!

The tour guides continued to point out the striking architecture of Helsinki, with a dose of the interesting history of the country, much appreciated by the adults at least. After a while, we came to the other stop on the tour: the incredible Rock Church, carved into the natural bedrock, with a dome of copper wire. Snowballs flew again (outside, don't worry), but it is a measure of how cool the Rock Church is that the boys settled down for a look--and, again, some photos.

When the city tour finished, the busses deposited everyone at Helsinki's Government House. There, we were met by eight of our Finnish hosts, and divided into groups of about nine. Half of the travelers went to lunch in Helsinki, and the other half toured Government House, where Finland's Parliament meets, and learned a bit about how the Finnish government works. After an hour, the two halves switched. Then, with the official tours and lunch behind us, our Finnish hosts led our small groups back to the hotel, stopping at sites along the way according to what the groups wanted to do. Many went to the top of the Hotel Torni, which features the highest spot in Helsinki, 14 floors up.

As the travelers straggled into the Hilton after this fun and informative day, everyone had a very brief chance to catch their collective breath. Then it was time to head to the ice rink. Parents and players alike were escorted by our hosts to the Metro station, where we all took the subway to Vuosaari. The Viikingit ice rink is brand new--it just opened this fall--and is about a 15-minute walk from the subway stop. Through the cold and snow, the intrepid Hawks travelers followed the guides and were proud to make it to the rink in time for the Hawks to have joint practices with the Vikings. At last, some hockey! The ice was humming with activity, as the parents relaxed in the pleasant coffee shop between the rinks. (The setup is similar to the rink at Oaks--but much, much nicer. And the parents were delighted to find that the wi-fi signal is very strong!)

After the practices ended, the boys (who, yes, showered at the rink) and their families were met by the boys' host families, who were hosting their extended group of guests for dinner, mostly in their homes. What a special evening--the Finns are such gracious hosts, and more than willing to settle in for a long Monday night with the Americans. At the end of the evening, the parents again said farewell to their boys, then headed back to the Hilton to share stories of the day.

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