A Great Deed!

A few days ago, I posted about a lady who is blind and wasn't getting help to get to the bus or off at the proper stop.
Well, I'm happy to let you know - that a couple of days ago, I noticed she was walking quickly towards her stop and a young man who was biking by, waved down the bus, then waited to make sure the bus driver would stop and wait for her!!!
I was so pleased at this genuine act of kindness - I admit - I teared up a bit.

Oh and in case you're wondering, regardless of your age or disability - you have to pay to get on the bus.  (This applies to Jyv�skyl� at least).
In Halifax, those that are legally blind - do not have to pay to use the bus.  And they may bring their guide dog as well, who also gets on for free.
No other pet (unless in a cage/kennel and is small, like a cat) is allowed on the bus.
I don't know if they've changed this rule yet - because I remember reading about people with other disabilities were disappointed they couldn't get on the bus for free and it wasn't considered very fair.  (This was prior to me moving to Finland - I have yet to read anything else on the matter online).

On a funny note, because you're allowed bringing your dogs (on leash) on the bus in JKL, a young man brought his Australian Shepherd puppy (blue-eyed, brown and white patches - aka adorable!) and all 8 high school girls sitting ahead of me squealed/screamed "IHANA KOIRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Lovely dog! - Ihana is like a "cutesy" term too.)
I'm pretty sure I may have lost a fraction of my hearing and the bus driver would've crashed had we not been stopped and pulled over.

And dude, just an FYI - it was written all over your face that you only got the puppy to use it as a chick magnet.

Buses

Here in Finland, the buses are all equipped with a bit of space near the rear entrance (middle of the bus) to allow passengers with strollers or walkers.
Depending on what city you live in, you may or may not have to pay if you have a young child in a stroller with you.
In Helsinki, if you take the tram (sometimes known as an electric street car) with a young child - it's free.
In Jyv�skyl�, you do pay and it's increasing twice a year or so...currently it's 3,10� one way!  (Although your ticket is good for 1 hour - so you could transfer to another bus or take the return bus back if you can do this in time).

Here's a link I'd like to share about the buses in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  In the bus schedule book, it does state that you have to remove the child from the stroller and hold them in your lap, fold your stroller and prop it upright- to make space for others to sit.  Fair enough.  However, quite often, those buses are packed to the brim with both sitting passengers and standing (not to mention the odd 2-5 of them with strollers of a variety of sizes) - it's difficult to do this!
And if you don't own a stroller - quite often they are your savior.  I mean, your child is asleep in their stroller - and who wants to wake up a sleeping child (that is desperately in need of their afternoon nap?!)...there's usually a basket to hold some of your groceries or your coats and diaper bag....so who wants to remove all of that and occupy even more seats or floor space with all of those items?!

So I guess I'm saying, Finland has a way better bus system than Canada.  I've been able to squeeze in beside another stroller (without really squeezing) on a bus in Finland and not have a problem.  Thankfully, the bus routes I do take (occasionally) - are not very long, so someone usually gets off before another parent and their stroller need to get on!

Some photos of Nova Scotia,Canada

Another cloudy day....this is the clock tower near the top of Citadel Hill (Halifax, NS)

Bud The Spud has new owners (previous ones retired) and is a fry stand!  They're parked along Spring Garden Road, closer to Barrington Street -outside of the Library

Public Gardens is a popular spot for formal photos (i.e. prom, weddings etc.) and is nice to walk around and also has a duck pond.

Part of Public Gardens

Bologna and Kraft Dinner

This is sort of what a poutine looks like...It's not the best (go to Qu�bec for that!) but it's alright!

Where I'm from...this sign is new (it wasn't there in October) and the funny thing about this sign is that the North End of Dartmouth is known for its violence, drugs and crime. (Homicides too -but hey, that's another story.)

I wrongfully called this a zoo...The husband jumped down my throat...

Sometimes you have to laugh at the blind guy...

*Please be warned I'm laughing at what the blind guy did - NOT AT HIM BEING BLIND!*

Today Tim and I met with a friend, toured around Public Gardens in Halifax...we took the bus back to Dartmouth and sat near the front (as the buses don't have an empty gap for the strollers like Finnish ones)...a young blind man came on the bus and sat down.
He asked the bus driver several times where we were located and then he whips out his cell phone.

*Please note I try and not to eavesdrop...however, because I understand English...and this fellow was yelling...it was hard NOT to!*

He greets his friend with "Hi, so what's going on with that guy? Because I seriously don't think biting you should be part of friendship....No really! You just don't bite your friend - it's not part of the definition of friendship!.....Well if you sleep with him and turn your back...you know what'll happen.  HE'LL BITE YOU IN THE BACK!...Yeah! It'll be an all-night biting war!!  Yep....no really you just don't do that....You shouldn't take the word of a stranger over a good friend! I wouldn't do it to you!!!...Nope this biting has to stop.  I would put a muzzle on him!  Oh even better...get his teeth out...or put soft caps on his teeth!...Well, I guess I'll be seeing you in the next life time!  Oh and doesn't he like it up his butt?!"

This was a lengthy conversation (some swearing was in there and some other insiginicant blah blah) and I was laughing so hard that I needed a tissue and I was shaking so much that I was positive he'd realize someone was laughing at him!  (Despite having a seat between us - however the bus was thankfully noisy and busy!)

There was a fellow sitting across from me and he was listening to his cell phone or iPod...well after I heard about the biting - I started choking up and the tears were streaming down my face.
Well, by the time I managed to dig out my tissue - he was curious as to what I was laughing about - because the husband was reading some academia journal and was also chuckling.
So he popped out his ear phones and started listening and was having a grand ol' time laughing...the bus driver was snorting...

I'm surprised the bus didn't crash.

Day 1.5 of being in Estonia...

Okay, we're renting a flat in Estonia (yay washing machine!) as we're not going back to Finland right after our stay here...nope.  We're going to mosey on over to Paris - hence the need for a washing machine.
And unlike the Sweden trip, we have access to a speedy internet connection - so I'll blog as we're going around Tallinn, Estonia.  (Then post it when our trip is done..or whenever!)
Our friends were supposed to take a tour with us of Helsinki and Estonia but had to bail out unfortunately - so we figured we'd skip Helsinki ourselves and trek on to Estonia.
 
Estonia recently accepted the Euro as their currency...whew! Thank goodness! Saves us on converting or having to exchange cash.  (It was in effect as of January 1st, 2011).

So Estonia is across the Baltic Sea and it takes 90 minutes by ferry from Helsinki and is relatively cheap (about 20� per person).  There are a variety of different ferries (in terms of length wise) you can take - but we went with "Linda Lines" as it was cheaper and just as convenient as any other.

Once we get off the ferry, there is a lady standing there with Tim's name in bold, black lettering on a piece of paper.  She was very friendly and manages the properties that tourists can rent during their stay in Estonia.  She had a taxi waiting and we drove about 7 minutes to our flat, which scared the crap out of me.
The building on the outside, was lifeless.  It's a stone white building and looks like death.  Inside as we maneuvered the hall ways (which were painted a somewhat cheery green- like the last buckets of paint anyone would ever buy because they're on sale ...that kind of "cheery green"), I got really worried that we were staying in a seedy apartment.  
The property manager who drove us to our flat and showed us around was very friendly and was able to speak great English.  So she gave us some information (but not too much to overbear us) and offered to pick us up (10�) and take us back to the ferry on the date we were moving out.

FYI Hotels are super cheap here as well and very lovely.  They're all within walking distance from the ferry or offer a shuttle service...we just needed the flat for the washing machine and Tim really wanted to "live like an Estonian" and cook food (not like he cooks mind you! :P)...and not feel so much like a tourist by living in a hotel.  Fair enough!
(I continue...)

First of all - it takes a metal key fob (metal circular disc thing) to open the outside building door (to get out you have to push a button)...then you go up to the designated floor and you need a key to get into the door NEAR your flat's door.  There's 2 apartments behind this door.  Then when you close it behind you, you need to lock it again with your key.
THEN you need 2 keys to get into your flat.  Needless to say - I feel quite secure and Tim said it's a good thing we're not here to drink...because there's no way a drunk person could remember which key is which!

So, we enter the flat and it's gorgeous!  We rented a studio flat but it's bigger than most!  A beautiful little kitchen (but with wiggle room!), an up-to-date stove (those glass flat top ones) and a stainless steel oven door...I am in love.  There's a large kitchen window that can be opened on the side and the bathroom...HAS HEATED FLOORS!  Shower only, a basic washing machine, a fan for the bathroom (no window) and then there's the living room/bedroom.  Very spacious and lots of light!  There's lots of house plants around to give the place some color, the living room windows open wide, there's an extra pull-out cot and a desk with a great internet connection.
Talk about a surprise to me!

Last night was the first night and we decided to find the town square and eat out for supper.  We found it alright...lots of outdoor eating space available for various restaurants and all of them offered heat lamps and blankets for your lap while you dine.  (It was getting a bit chilly- although most of the snow IS gone).
We ate at a restaurant that offered a meat platter for 2 and it came with fries.  Great! Somehow the bill came to 50� (and you can tip in Estonia where as Finland you don't)...they charge a pretty penny for a glass of destilled water (no tap and ice cubes here!) approximately 2,70� for a glass of water.  No free refills either.  Pop is about 2,90� and Tim splurged on a tall and fat glass of beer and it was almost 5�. 
All menus are in: Finnish, Estonian, English and Russian.
The only thing I did not like about eating in the Town Square: was that they have the hostess in the front of the outdoor eating area, asking you for your business.  They were polite and handled "No thanks!" very well - but I just like to look and then to make my decision.  Seeing as there were so many options and the weather was fantastic - I just see no reason to try and hustle customers into your restaurant.  Then they really get you by showing you a menu (often what's posted is just the condensed version) and offering you a seat.
Tim said this is common in Montreal!

We snagged some groceries at a nearby corner store - which I was expecting would cost us an arm and a leg...but for a little over 11� we got: a pack of sausages, a huge package of 7 cinnamon/sweet buns, a big box of juice, some potatoes, 3 or 4 cartons of yoghurt and a couple bananas.  Oh and some soap.  Prices here are just so much lower than in Finland!

Today (Easter Sunday) everything was open as per regular hours.  The stores were closed on Good Friday, but Easter was not treated as a "close your stores" holiday.  How weird.
Anyway, it worked for us!  So we went back to the Old Town of Estonia and walked around a lot.  We saw lots of panhandlers but they just sit there quietly with a cup or a hat....not like the ones in Halifax that offer to open the door for you (Spring Garden Road!) or that spit and curse at you if you don't give anything.  Similar to Finland's panhandlers from what we've noticed.
There were so many restaurants and cafes everywhere!  And as well, many souvenior shops too.

The most popular items we noticed in souvenior shop windows were: things made of amber, glass, crystal, woolen sweaters/hats (knit with fabulous and tricky patterns) and some black smith items too.  Also there are many little figurines too.

There's lots of wooden carts that sell sweet almonds - but perhaps I'll try those tomorrow.

The great thing about Estonia - lots of playgrounds (similar to that of Finland), parks to just sit and enjoy the scenery and no dog poop!  In Finland, there's a lot now that the snow is gone!

There's also a "knitting corner" in Tallin filled with yarn shops...I didn't make it there today - but perhaps Tuesday!  Tomorrow we're hoping to make it to the Open Air Museum and to the Tallin Zoo!

What we did do today, would probably make most people terribly ill.  We climbed up the St. Olaf Church Tower.  Not with ropes or free-style...but up a kajillion stone stairs (I didn't count but my thighs say at least 300)!  Most stairs were of different heights, and in a spiral stair case fashion...but � way - there's some benches for you to take a breather.
Did I mention this is a narrow stairwell and it's 2-way?!  Holy difficult when there's people to pass!
So when you get to the top (you do this all at your own risk and the tickets are 2� per person) you can go for a walk outside....at almost 123.7m high.  The stairs alone, take you up 60m.
(My thighs are killing me the day after)

Last night we went to a huge shopping district and popped into Prisma (it's in Finland too) and we picked up some small groceries and a couple shirts for V�in� as I forgot (how I don't know) to pack them.  The food is still cheap in the big grocery store and their alcohol section (usually nothing more than a small percentage of alcohol - aka nothing more than a cider or beer) was huge.  It was the size of a regular liquor store in NS.  Freaky.
Turns out this Prisma was around the corner (about a 15-minutes walk) from the flat we're renting from.

Oh and in terms of language - Finns can get around Estonia easily enough.  Many speak Finnish and a lot speak English.  The Estonian language and Finnish language are part of the same group - so many words are quite similar.