The Architecture in Helsinki

8:54 AM in Helsinki, fresh off the bus from St. Petersburg, and fresh indeed: maybe it's my imagination, but the air feels fresher and crisper here. My first impression, footsteps echoing through empty streets (a city that sleeps in until 9 AM?), is CLEAN. And, glancing in the upscale store windows, luxurious. That, and the architecture really is worth naming a band after.

As the sky started lightening at about 8:30, I realized that this city reminds me strikingly of a ski resort. There's a similar sort of quiet charm and tidiness, only on a grander scale and with less pretension. Maybe it's all the people wearing Scandinavian hats. Or the fact that nothing's open yet.

Now I'm going to get cozy with Venedikt Erofeev's Moscow to the End of the Line, just started last night and the antithesis of all thigns clean, sober, and Finnish, and wait for my friend Gordon to meet me. I can't guarantee a live feed, but updates are promised and forthcoming.