I lost my Treo. Up until the day I left LA I was deciding whether to bring it. The cell phone wouldn't work in Europe but I'd become dependent on the calendar, notes, time zone map, etc. so in the end I took it. Biagio says I had it when I got back to the room at 3am, but around 9:30am when we were gathered to leave I realized it wasn't on my belt, and I couldn't find it back in the room. It looks like insurance covers $250 of it (half the original purchase price) and I backed up all the info before I left, but it's a pain not having it and a little irritating to know that someone has my address book. Fortunately the battery needed to be replaced, so if anyone tries to use it, it won't be for long.
My elbow hurt this morning. Unexplained drunken injuries rule! Just like my bruised hip in Florence, which coincidentally also followed a night of drinking too much wine too fast. I reportedly banged my elbow when I fell in the bathroom. Other things that reportedly happened: I spilled a drink on Broges, spoke to Rob in French for an hour, danced, stole Becky and Nancy's drinks, and had to be pulled off Kristie. Too bad I missed all of this. In my wallet I found a receipt for a "gimlet" which I do remember ordering. I spent about €30 on drinks, which I guess is about right given the time span.
After leaving the Serenade and my Treo behind, we saw the sights in Helsinki:
Dome Church.
Sibelius monument. Composer Jean Sibelius is alleged to be the most famous Finn ever. I would have gone with Tony Halme, former WWF Superstar (as Ludvig Borga) and current MP who called President Tarja Halonen a lesbian.
Temppeliaukion Kirkko, a church carved out of a rock.
Uspensky Cathedral.
Some us took a ferry to Suomenlinna, the fortress situated on 5 interconnected islands.
Us. Ferry.
Later in the day I did go back to the boat looking for a lost & found desk, but it had already started boarding for the next trip.
This day saw the debut of the yellow leader's jersey, hereafter known as the Boob Shirt, given to the boob of the day. Despite my misfortune, Bushy was the first recipient for losing his wallet on the boat.
At dinner we got a preview of the group that would be merging with ours. There were 30 people finishing that tour, and 15 would be continuing on with us. We didn't get to mingle with them at dinner, but, as I announced on the coach, "I read on the Internet that they're all losers."
The hotel had no bar, and I wasn't quite ready to resume drinking anyway, so I was in bed at 10:15pm. Sunset wasn't till 10:28, which made for an odd experience.