Sunday, January 9, 2011

Brown Shag and Brilliant Bones

As I mentioned before, the first stop on my journey was Helsinki.  While I have flown through this city several times, I have never actually stayed there for an extended period of time.  My friend Anna (a fellow Breakthrough teacher) studied in Helsinki for the semester, so it was great to finally spend some time with her while exploring the city.

We got an early start in the morning, and headed over to the Natural History Museum.  I was not entirely sure what to expect from this museum, but walking away, I can say I was thoroughly impressed.  Each case contained a dynamic display of animal interactions.  The circle of life was brought to life with animals leaping, prowling, hidingeverything was eating everything.  From the brown shag carpet in the jungle room to the glowing eyes in the Australian night room, the museum drew its visitors into the action.


Not only were the exhibits dynamic, but small surprises could be found throughout the museum.  Take, for example, the cabinet.  What looked like an innocent brown cabinet in the corner of the room turned out to contain a human skeleton in sitting position.


What made our visit even more adventurous was the fact that all labels were written exclusively in Finnish and Swedish.  When looking at the petrified bird of prey in a box or the triceratops sinking into the mud, Anna and I were left to guess at what might be the significance.  Such postulates brought this museum visit to a whole new level.

And yes, I did just mention that there was a triceratops sinking into the mud!  The third floor of the museum contained an excellent display of Paleozoic remains.  With purple lighting overhead, the tyrannosaurus rex and shunosaurus lii dominated the center of the room with small specimens surrounding.

After a luscious time of frolicking with the dinosaurs, it was time for lunch.  Anna and I went to her favorite stopthe soup kitchen.  With just a sip of the soup, I quickly understood why she loves this place.  100% deliciousness.  The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around Helsinki's Christmas markets before heading home.  While warming up with milk tea, Anna and I finished off the day by making a Finnish Paleozoic Christmas card for our fellow BSP teachers.  I couldn't have asked for a nicer day in Finland's capitol.

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