On Saturday morning we waved goodbye to Helsinki, a city we thoroughly enjoyed for its ease of living. We even got brave enough to swim in Vanhankaupunginselkä (or the bay that formed the gorgeous view from our apartment). We had just assumed the water would be freezing because, after all, it is very far north, but when we got to the swimming dock, a couple told us the water was 27 degrees C (80.6 F). Plenty warm! I’m very glad we got brave. All over Helsinki, people were sunbathing and swimming. Simply enjoying the warmth and sunshine for as long as it lasts (which isn’t very long).

One evening we headed to Roskapankki — a dive bar that the guys that we met in Svalbard recommended. The place is a smelly old dive bar in an area that is getting gentrified, so we loved it. It was a perfect evening and we sat outside on their patio, had a drink and watched the people and trams go by. Of course we sent them photos to prove we made it.

We also walked to Raka‘s (the website is in Finnish but the pictures are delicious), a bakery owned by a couple, both of whom have doctorates from U.S. universities. The woman is Indian and the man is from Karelia (now a part of Russia). They decided the academic life was no longer for them because there is too much scrambling for grants and trying to write and publish in an environment not conducive to study for the sake of discovery. They moved to Helsinki and bake a delicious combination of savory and sweet items inspired by their grandmas’ baking. Among other items, we tried Karelian pie (Karjalanpiirakka), which apparently is a Finnish favorite

That evening, I went to a photo club shoot and got to meet a bunch of nice, friendly people. Too bad they only meet once and it was a day before we were leaving. I always enjoy meeting new people and hearing their perspectives on life.

Above are the accommodating models who worked the photo shoot for the members of the Helsinki photo club. I don’t usually take photos of people, but they made it easy.

And suddenly, it was time to pack up and move on. Saturday morning, we got up bright and early for our flight to Prague. Why do we call it Prague when it’s called Praha? The Germans called the city Prag, so there you go.

Our new place has beautiful high ceilings and faces a large park. We did our usual of unpacking, checking what provisions were already supplied and headed to the grocery store. We were spoiled in Helsinki, where there were two great markets 5 minutes away and we could get pretty much everything we wanted. The supply here is a bit more limited, but it’ll do. We’ll be checking out the farmer’s market this week, so we’re hopeful that we’ll find excellent produce.

Update: We went to a different supermarket of the same brand (Albert) and it was MUCH nicer. It’s a bit further away, but the return trip is downhill. The farmer’s market is small, but had some nice looking produce and baked goods. Now we just have to get brave enough to try to communicate in Czech.

After putting away our purchases, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. On the way back, we decided to stop in what we thought was a wine bar, but was really a prosecco bar. Sorry Steven! It was relaxing and the prosecco was nice and dry, so it all turned out well.

Sunday, we headed into the Old Town to go to the Franz Kafka Museum and the John Lennon Wall. Did you know that sometimes it rains in the summer? Eek! Luckily, we at least had our rain jackets, but we did end up spending a bit of time in the threshold of a building. Did you also know that tourists overrun Prague in August? Well, they do! Throngs of oblivious people taking selfies everywhere. Nevertheless, the city is beautiful, the museum was interesting and the Lennon Wall was worth the visit. (somewhat disappointingly, the Kafka museum is laid out in a reasonable, orderly and efficient manner, I was expecting something closer to one of his books.)

Finally, we had lunch at an Italian place and headed back to the apartment for a well-earned rest after our first hectic weekend here.