Similarly, it is difficult to get lost in Helsinki. For a capital city it is rather tiny. I think I could have walked the perimeter in an hour. Instead I meandered through it in the hopes of stumbling across things. It wasn't hard to do - it is charming, full of pretty old buildings (and some ugly new ones). Located on the water, it is a thriving port for both fishing boats and huge cruise ships. An interesting fusion of old and new. It was also cold. Having packed for the Middle East and Asia, and carrying only my on board luggage, I was a bit under-dressed, making my meander more of a brisk walk in search of POIs (points of interest) to peek in (or thaw out in), and avoiding shady side streets for areas of sunshine. Helsinki feels familiar. There is something comforting about arriving in a European country, because they all all have a shared ambiance. And the people seem to have a similar outlook on the world. However, there is something distinctly different about Helsinki. The language is absolutely unfathomable. Their words seem like they could be longer than our sentences, and usually contain multiple double letters and three and more vowels in a row. It's a good thing everyone speaks English here.
It's a quick puddle jump to Istanbul now, where I'm sure I'll be overwhelmed by all differences and will most likely get lost. This is just to let you know that I am still alive (if not slightly delirious). More to come.