Man feet

Yesterday in Vienna I was walking in a t shirt and sneakers, trying to find some shade because it was so warm. Today I am back in my woollen layers, hat and long coat, and it snowed as I walked from the train station to my hotel in Helsinki. Such a contrast 🙂 I have only been in Finland for a few hours but I really love the vibe here, and I am excited to start exploring tomorrow. I’ve booked a 10 day adventure tour and have my fingers and toes crossed for snow.

This morning I found a hole in my boots, and as it is going to be cold and wet (and hopefully snowy) for the next few months, I invested in a new pair that will be suitable for the winter. I must have giant feet compared to the rest of the female population in Finland, because boots don’t come in my size and I had to buy a mens pair! but at least my feet will be warm and dry. I was eyeing up a second (more feminine) pair as well, but the salesman said to me ‘I could sell them to you, but I think the ones you have are perfect, they look good, and there are nicer things you could buy yourself’. He put it so nicely that I couldn’t disagree 🙂 So I took my man boots and my huge feet to the sushi place next door, where another nice person said ‘you look tired, can I suggest a wine and some food for you?’. Yes you can!

It really is the people you meet on your travels who make your experience awesome, and I have met some really lovely people with great stories. Yesterday I met Vladan, who is Italian but lives in Vienna with his wife and their young son. He is a fine arts professor, and offers interesting walking tours of his neighborhood in Vienna. He first met his wife when he was 14 and she was 12. She had come with her parents for a holiday to Italy, and they hung out and held hands and shared their first kiss. 29 years later, his marriage had ended, they connected on Facebook, agreed to meet on a train platform in Rome, spent a weekend together and got married soon after. “That’s amazing”, I said, “what are the odds of you both being available and getting together after all that time”. He said “I know” with a big stupid smile on his face. 🙂