Catch That Train

"I don’t mind the station.
I don’t mind going underground.
I kind of like the symphony.
Of a thousand different sounds.
In another 20 minutes
We’ll all be country bound.

So catch that train…"
- Dan Zanes









To get the boys geared up for our train ride this weekend to the Arctic Circle...we took a train 40 minutes north of Helsinki to the Finnish Railway Museum. Wow, Wow, Wow...this place is amazing for any visitor, but especially for boys who love trains!





The extensive collection consists of a historical passenger coach of the Russian Czar dating back to 1870 (the only one remaining in the world today), 25 steam locomotives (14 are on display)with the oldest from 1868, 8 coaches and wagons, and a few rail cars. Each has been restored to perfect condition. With ramps leading to decks at the window of each car, you can view their interior. Upholstery is worn, a few curtains are torn...if only these walls could talk!






For the young at heart, there was one car open to the explorer, dreamer, and pretender. They could drive, ride, deliver, push buttons, make calls, etc. In other rooms, stairs guided you to pathways under the locomotives, a switchboard was present to play on, and other stations allowed imaginations to soar. The small 3 hour window the museum was open today did not allow us to discover the exhibits outside or the Engine Station, Roadhouse, or Worker Building...only leaving us a reason to return.

Telly's Aquarium

"Golden fish with long, flowing tails.
Leafy plants growing in red gravel.
Two cute snails crawling through the water.
And a buuuuulging treasure chest.

We all live inside of
Telly's aquarium!

No cats or dogs or kangaroos,
Chickens, zebras or cockatoos.
Nothing up there lives in here.
This watery lair we find so dear..."
- Sesame Street


Pebbled paths outlined in magnifying tanks, led us through Helsinki's Sea Life. The boys were able to feel 'part of their world' as fish, sharks, eels, rays, and thousand of other marine life swam passed. The rooms are dim, allowing you to drown yourself in the 40+ aquariums. We watched sea horses, jelly fish, turtles, and "Nemo" go about their daily routine in the best man-made habitat I have ever seen.


The aquariums are all placed at eye level for the youngest of visitors. Even a few tanks are overhead like the underwater shark tunnel and a herring ring, which is a round aquarium designed for herring schools (a Baltic Sea native). After an hour of touring the tanks and a time-out for arts and crafts, we enjoyed a picnic lunch. Then we submerged ourselves for one last escape through the aquarium.

Down On The Farm

"You can have a lot of fun
in a New York minute,
but theres some things you can't do
inside those city limits.
There ain't no closing time.
There ain't no cover charge.
Just country boys and girls
gettin down on the farm."
- Tim McGraw







Today's outing led us to the Helsinki Children's Museum. Located 12 km north of the city, this museum resides in a building built in 1790. Once used as a dairy house and workshop during the 19th century, then as a manure store and sauna in the 20th century, the Children's Museum was opened in 1992.






Set up with 3 exhibit rooms and a 4th dedicated to reading, arts & crafts, and building blocks, the museum creates a nature trip into the environments where urban animals live. Beginning in the River Vantaa and Gulf of Finland, children explore the waters depth. The ceiling is decorated as the water's surface. Along the walls you can see large fish and other marine life in action.






The second room is decorated with a look out tower equipped with cardboard binoculars. Within the trees, birds of the city are perched. Inside the tower, children can push buttons that play recorded sounds of each native bird.






The final room is a mid-19th century Helsinki house. Here you can milk Rosita the cow, ride in a horse drawn carriage, produce a puppet show, or hop on board a merry-go-round. After an hour of running through the museum, coloring, climbing the look out tower, riding the merry-go-round, and all the other activities provided...we headed outside for some spring-like weather. Picnic lunches were enjoyed on the steps of the main museum then the kids ran though the yard and around the gazebo. With horses grazing in the distance, a tractor hauling bailed hay, and cottages on the horizon, city life was forgotten.

Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year

"Spring will be a little late this year.
A little late arriving, in my lonely world over here
For you have left me and where is our april love old.
Yes you have left me and winter continues cold."
- Carly Simon








As the temperature steadily remains above freezing, our once snow covered ground has disappeared in the city center. Even though Helsinki is a wet mess, the sight of grass makes me smile knowing spring is not too far away.





Simply by leaving the city, you can still find snow. This weekend we headed up to Paloheinä, located at the northern end of Helsinki's Central Park. Paloheinä has a ski slope and the best known sled slope in town. Since we knew it would not be long until the cross country ski trails became running paths, we played in the snow one last time!

Secret Gardens

"Secret Gardens of the heart.
Where the flowers bloom forever.
I see you shining through the night
In the ice and snow of winter."
- Judy Collins




Our second stop today was to meet some friends at the Helsinki Botanical Gardens. Part of the Finnish Museum of Natural History, the gardens are located in the heart of the city, just north of the train station. As the exterior gardens are in a dormant phase from the winter weather, the inside is flourishing with life. The Palm House, Rainforest House, Desert House, Water Lily House, South African and Mediterranean Houses all offer a variety of plants, flowers, and vegetation.


Flowers and leaves were examined with a magnifying glass while we explored. As a learning project we used eggshells, soil, beans, and water to plant our own garden. The boys took turns filling the shells, planting the beans, and adding water from the fountain. The egg crate now sits in our windowsill, gathering sunlight. We will watch them grow...hopefully! Then we bought rubber snakes from the gift shop and hid them in each garden as the children went to seek.