Wild Goose Chase

One of the things I looked for on my Europe trip was the interesting shot of the buildings in each city. Some had that perfect look, the one that simply looks European. I like the one here because it shows the multiple tram wires overhead, the location of our wild goose chase.

We signed up for a shorter tour, which was wonderful, because it would drop us off downtown with some time on our own. A Samantha Brown visit to Helsinki on Travel Channel had clued us in that the multiple tram lines were easy to use as transit OR as sightseeing, but there was one particular sightseeing tram we just had to find. Sparakoff, the local beer, sponsors it and it offers a 45-minute circle of the downtown area with views of all the sites. The Beer Tram also has a bar aboard, and everyone is invited to have a cold draft. Sounded exciting, and it was.

Trying to speak English to Finnish people was not very successful. Most understood we were asking about trams but none knew about the Sparakoff or the Beer Tram. We walked, we tried to read schedules, and we finally found our way to a tram terminal where we located a tourist information office. One with an English speaker. She knew the Beer Tram and in fact gave us the flyer shown here. She also knew where and when it ran.

It does not run on Sunday. So the wild goose chase was over and in a way it was as interesting as if we had gotten aboard. Trying to talk to people with helpful looks on their faces, walking and looking: it was a tiring but enjoyable event in its own way. And if we ever get back to Helsinki, we will try to be there on a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule.

Next post will be on to Hamburg.