9:30 AM - Helsinki Airport
Is it too early for a beer? No. It is not. For one thing, it’s 2:30 AM in New York. Also, it’s totally hopping in here. Of the thirty or so Finns that are in the bar, only two of them have carry-on luggage, which makes the Oak Barrel seem like a typical neighborhood haunt, regardless of its location in Terminal 2 of the Helsinki Airport. Do Finns hate the idea of carry-on luggage or are commuter flights typical here?
The radio station is playing 80s and 90s American pop. It is interrupted occasionally by a Finnish DJ. As weird as it is to hear Sophie B. Hawkin’s “Damn! I Wish I Was Your Lover,” I wonder how weird it would be for Sophie B. Hawkins if she heard it halfway across the world.
There were four die-hard Florida Panthers fans on my flight. Three of them were wearing jerseys. The Panthers open their season this weekend with two games against the Chicago Blackhawks here in Helsinki. The leader of the Panthers fans tells me, “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” I’m a casual NHL fan and I haven’t heard one word about these games in Finland, but I’m infinitely more surprised that I’ve now met a die-hard Florida Panthers fan.
I’m on a five-hour layover for a 30-minute flight to Tallinn. I’m pretty sure I could have just swam.
