Arrive in Helsinki

We spend Thursday on board Superfast VII admiring the flat calm Baltic and enjoying Mediterranean weather. Andy read Cormac McCarthy´s The Road - a beautifully written and thought provoking work. We arrived in Helsinki this morning and plan to cycle round the city before catching the Tolstoi sleeper to Moscow tonight.

BY THE WAY - if you wish to sponsor Isla on the cycle back to Edinburgh (see first post), do please send her an email at isla@sweetypops.net saying how much per 100km (we expect to cycle around 1500 - 1600km).

In Berlin

The DBahn sleeper to Berlin was lovely - air conditioned, private shower and toilet, and a bunk in the ceiling for Isla. No problems with bikes or stroppy guards - just polite and efficient German railway staff.


We arrive in Berlin 0835 in the new railway station which is very impressive on 4 levels. Andy´s dad wants photos (he´s an architect). Can´t upload photos at this computer but will do soon. Another bus tour to see the sights of Berlin - a city we visited in 2000 but which is now much changed as as a result of reconstruction. We spent most of the day in the new Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind.

The building houses a very moving exhibition which documents the history of Jews in Germany from the Medieval period to the present day. An interesting special exhibition looks at cliches of Jews (and other groups such as gypsies and Native Americans) and finishes with a quote from Hegel, "What is 'familiarly known' is not properly known, just for the reason that it is 'familiar'".

We finish here and get back to the station to catch the evening train to Rostock on the Baltic where we check in for the Helsinki Ferry and board at the unsociable hour of 0015 (0115 Finnish time and climb into our comfy beds for the sail in Superfast VII.

A Paris

In response to the first comment on our first post - "Why did the cyclist from Moscow win the Tour de France?" We think it was because he was Russian.....!!

A hot day in Paris - early morning walk up the hill to visit the Sacre-Coeur. Very impressive. Then we took the city tour bus to see the other main sights of Paris - the Opera (Academie de Musique), the Ritz, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais, Place du Trocadero, Tour Eiffel, Ecole Militaire, Hotel des Invalides, Musee Rodin and the Musee du Louvre, where Isla and Cathy paddled in the fountain pools by the pyramids. We didn´t have time to go inside any of these, but Isla managed 5 minutes of busking underneath the Tour Eiffel, before some very polite policemen said that it is illegal for anyone aged under 18 to busk in France. Then we walked along the Seine to Notre Dame and peeked inside. We finished up our tour by taking the Metro back to the Gare Du Nord, picked up our stuff from the hotel and then boarded the sleeper to Berlin.

Busking earnings:- £2 + €3.50 (ín 5 minutes - see above.)
Kilometres cycled: - 0 (haven't started yet).

Train to Paris

We arrived at Waverley Station at 0910 and waited for our train where we were told (at the wrong end of the platform!). The train arrived and we got to the other end where the bikes stay. Nobody was there to open the doors until 0925, when the guard came. Andy struggled to get the bikes on and panniers off, when the guard shouted, "We're three minutes late!" Then he told Andy to get off the train. Andy protested that he still had to pack and secure the bikes. The guard got angry and shouted that Andy was f-ing nuts! Andy protested that the bikes were not secure, and the guard said he would throw Andy off the train if he didn't get off. Andy abandoned the bikes to their fate and we enjoyed an overcrowded journey to London, with cancelled seat reservations.

Eurostar was a different kettle of fish, going from the new, swanky St. Pancras International Station. Staff were attentive, polite, helpful and efficient. We enjoyed a fast, 200 km/hour journey to Paris, where we met our old friend Doug and his girlfriend Sylvie, on her birthday! We had a lovely meal at a Lebanese restaurant, which was great for vegetarians and vegans. Today (Tuesday) we're going for a tour of Paris and Isla's first busking.

Thanks, Jo, for your comments. We don't know why the cyclist from Moscow won the Tour de France. We'll think about it on the sleeper to Berlin tonight!