Saturday, August 9, 2008

August 8 - Helsinki

August 8 – Helsinki
We arrive in the morning to overcast skies and rain. And I'm supposed to go on a 7 mile nordic walk this afternoon. I'm ready to chicken out, but I meet a friend who convinces me to try it. She says “It's not a competition; what's the worst that can happen – you'll get wet.” True, true, and I call Oregon home. It's not like I've never seen or walked in the rain before. By the time 2pm rolls around, the rain has stopped and it's down to an occasional sprinkle. Temperature is above 60 degrees. Everybody but me shows up in long pants and layers of shirts and jackets. Me, I'm in a very lightweight water-wicking shirt, lightweight shorts, a hat, and a light jacket. It's not that cold out so I stow the jacket in my backpack (more of a light rucksack). Do they know something I don't?
We are taught the technique for using the nordic walking poles. They are very lightweight but strong because they are made of carbon fiber. Their use definitely makes a big difference – the whole upper body, shoulders, triceps, abs are all affected. Your breathing changes and your stride gets longer but you don't feel the change in stride.
Seven miles is a long way, but we stop several times during the walk to talk about the area of the city we are in, the buildings, the history, future community plans, and even discuss the economics of the country. We have a great guide.
About halfway through the walk I comment “Am I the only person in all of Helsinki wearing shorts?” Everyone, I mean everyone that I have see is wearing long pants and sweatshirt or jacket. I am not cold at all. About half our group answered saying they wish they had worn shorts as well. We're caught in a light shower, and while everyone else is wet, my clothes have pretty much self dried. Thank you REI!
I was worried that I might have trouble doing seven miles. I was actually the one who was the most capable. I was up front most of the time and only dropped back so someone could stay next to the instructor. They would just as soon have me up front. I didn't mind; it gave me more time to chat with the guide about all sorts of topics – Finland, economics, power (wind in the west, water in the north, coal in the south, and their movement toward nuclear), urban renewal, nordic walking history and popularity. When we finished I wasn't even winded and felt I could have done another seven miles without needing to stop. It was great exercise.
After the walk, I had a hot shower, and were pleasantly surprised to get a call from one of the ship's specialty restaurants that had been fully booked (we were on a wait list). They had a cancellation, so we were able to have dinner there with our friends after all.
A perfect end to a perfect day.

1 comment:

ClaireWalter said...

Just a couple of days ago, I wrote a post on my Nordic Walking blog about this Helsinki shore excursion. When I read your post about your first-hand (first-foot?) experience, I quoted a bit of it at http://nordic-walking-usa.blogspot.com/2008/08/shore-exursion-in-helsinki-with-poles.html, including a link to your post.