Day Two - Helsinki & Bus to Jyvaskyla
We would like to officially welcome you, Ole hyvä, as they say in Finland, to our 2014, Finland and Estonia blog! After a very long day of travel, we all managed to make it to to our very nice rooms in the Helsinki Hilton Airport Hotel, where most of us were able to get a decent nights sleep. This entry will be brief, as we are currently sitting, eating a delicious breakfast of delicious fruit, and all sorts of other breakfast goodies. In about an hour, we will be loading up on our bus, going sightseeing in Helsinki, and then driving to Jyväskylä where we will be meeting up with Vox Auria, and staying them with the next few days. We will be updating shortly! Stay tuned!
We loaded up the bus with all our luggage, and our first stop was the Sibelius Monument, a monument dedicated to Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer, where the kids had a lot of fun taking pictures, both group and individual of this very neat place. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibelius_Monument_(Helsinki). While we were there, we were serenaded by the sweet sound of the trumpet, playing Sibelius' very famous melody, Finlandia. The trumpeter was all of about 12, and he wowed both the choir kids as well as the many other tourists visiting that day. Bob took quite a liking to his tone and asked if he could play us a few more pieces, which he did. He continued with Amazing Grace, followed by the theme song from the Flintstones. Anything remotely American! We in return sang "Heaven Somewhere," at the monument, where the crowd then stopped what they were doing to take pictures and video.
We gathered everyone up, and headed to the Uspenski Cathedral, an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral situated up on a hill overlooking the outdoor market as well as some other beautiful Finnish architecture. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uspenski_Cathedral,_Helsinki. We all took a look around, listening to the beautiful music that was being piped in. The kids enjoyed taking some pictures and looking at the beauty of the cathedral. Unfortunately the church wasn't quite set up for us to sing in to test the acoustics, however I am sure they would have been great.
It was lunch time, and all the kids immediately found their "bankers," received some of their own spending money, as well as provided lunch money and then spent the rest of the very overcast afternoon enjoying the outdoor markets, doing some shopping, as well as buying some delicious lunches. Sarah purchased a beautiful "S" charm in a carved wooden box with her name engraved in it. The charm had a stone that was native to the area. She was quite excited. Emma bought a beautifully framed, pressed flowers, and many of the girls, Rachel, Ruthie and Olivia bought fleece, moose printed headbands to keep warm. Kay and Claire were very adventurous, trying some salmon soup, which they said was delicious. Others were dining on crapes, Belgian Waffles, salmon, berries and other fresh fruits from the markets, as well as buying some great souvenirs to take with them to remind them of their journey here. This area not only had great food and souvenirs, they also had this vicious flock of seagulls who were literally ready to swoop down and take food out of someones hands! Both Shauna and Rachel are lucky to have all five of their fingers after nearly losing one as one of the birds swooped down to take both the Belgian Waffle and fried calamari right out of their fingers!
Our meeting time was 1:45 in order to board the bus to head to Jyväskylä. Many took this opportunity to rest, but there was a decent amount of singing and laughter that filled the bus during the ride.
After a long, beautiful bus ride, taking in the country side, with these beautiful, placid lakes and rolling green hills, we safely made it to our destination, Jyväskylä, where the singers were greeted by their overly welcoming and excited hosts and hostesses, the members and parents of the choir Vox Aurea. We unloaded the bus and sang one of our favorites, "Johnson Boys," and Vox Aurea, in return, sang a South African song, hoping to bring warmth and sunshine to our stay here for the rest of the four days. Smiles were had by both Vox Aurea and Piedmont as they were called to meet their host families, and head home for the next few days. Bob, Sue and Suzie went to one flat where they would be staying for the next few nights and Marisa, Shauna, Katrina and Chris went to another. The four of us were graciously invited to join Big Ben, Little Ben and Andres for dinner with their host families. Upon arrival, the three boys in their yellow shirts were playing outside with their host brothers and sisters, who were ecstatic to have their new guests in their home. We enjoyed a delicious meal of salmon, rye bread rounds, potatoes, a green salad, as well as some meatballs. To top it off, their host family made this delicious meringue cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. All were full and happy. As the chaperones were leaving the house, all the kids sat around the TV playing Donkey Kong racing games, laughing and having fun. Turns out music isn't the only universal language, video games as well!
Click through the slideshow below to view some highlights from today:
