Hello.....Helsinki......Kiitos......

I could not believe that it is May already! The past two months had been hectic but pleasant.  Busy schedule yet calmness prevailed. In April I visited Finland for work. First hop at Helsinki the capital, and then to Turku in the eastern shores of the Baltic coast. From here one can take a cruise to Stockholm.   
When I landed in Helsinki the April showers welcomed me.  The driver gave me a bright smile and we proceeded to the hotel in the city. The tall conifers looked like soldiers standing still on either side of the guard rails on the road.  On the way the driver pointed at a  retirement community full of Russian immigrants.  Finland was once occupied by the then Soviet Union and one can see the influence. Helsinki is hosting the design month and the city center was full of tourists in spite of the rain. One can easily walk around or take  a tram to visit the museums, art galleries, and the cathedral in the senate square. I did not miss the Finnish sauna in the Hilton.

The sky was clear and blue when I travelled to Turku on the east coast of the Baltic sea. Turku is a small town by American standards but one of the ancient towns located at the cross roads connecting Sweden and Finland.  The famous castle at Turku is its landmark. Finnish are very hospitable and happy when I said "Kiitos" which means Thank you.  My Finnish colleagues took me to an authentic Finnish restaurant Brahen Kellari in the City Center.  I got a very nice vegetarian dish along with Parmesan potato puree and French beans salad. The chef was happy to give us details of the Finnish history when the land was consistently under occupation by Sweden and then Russia.  He said the restaurant was named after General Brahen and kellari means cellar.  

 I walked back to the hotel from the restaurant. The land, the people, the language, the culture looks different but when one takes a few minutes more with non-judgemental compassion, one realize that it is the same universal principle that guide us all.  The chill breeze lulled and I looked up to see the clouds running fast in the starry lit sky reminding me about the meetings tomorrow yet asking me to stop and enjoy the stars.

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