the train back from joensuu was like a party train and somehow the australian woman and i figured out how to give an old woman who spoke only finnish directions to her train car (6) and the guy from west indies who only wanted to talk about cricket learned how to play baseball and basketball on a ps2 and, anyway, i'm back in helsinki and god knows how i found the hotel but somehow i knew it would be a stop on tram two öäåäöåäöåäöåäöåä ok i'll stop that now.

€€€€€€€€€€€€

alt gr gets you to useless symbols like @ and yes, i'm tired. thanks lucia and loria for the russia info -- at this hotel they have cnn international so i was able to catch up and it sounds like, yeah, all the trouble is down south (isn't that always the case?) so i should be ok but it is a little weird going into the craziness.

tomorrow i'll ferry over to tallinn estonia for the day, you know, check it out. then on saturday...russia. a strange feeling of homesickness caught up with me yesterday...a €60 bill awaited me this morning...