Welcome to Helsinki

And so ends my first international leg of this journey. Whether it be meeting Julia and bonding over the fact that, thankfully, the middle seat of our aisle was empty, beating all of the seat-back Angry Birds game with three stars on every level, watching the artificial aurora as Finnair dimmed the cabin lights, catching up on rest, finishing 2048, or getting some real reading in, the flight was in almost every way, delightful.

Landing in Helsinki, I first connected to the airport WiFi so that I could notify my family and others that I had landed safely. My phone promptly died. I had a charger for it, of course, but it was USB-C, and not the regular USB that was installed in the seats. The six percent I left the plane with obviously did not last long. I made my way through border control, where the agent stamped the very last page of my passport. I wandered about relatively aimlessly in search of a charger or adapter, but all I could find were duty-free liquor stores and shops selling glass pottery. After I had just about given up hope, I found the perfect store, where a friendly Finn helped me find an adapter.

I write this now so as to give myself a bit of leeway and let my phone charge up before I go on my real adventure: See, I have almost eight hours of layover here in Helsinki, and U.S. citizens don't need a visa to enter the Schengen Zone. Noting this, I'm promptly going to find a currency exchange, get myself some Euros, and explore Finland for real before catching my flight to Delhi.

Here's to hoping that adventure goes well!