Les Miserables, Helsinki, and BRITNEY SPEARS!!!

On Thursday I went to Åbo svenska theater and saw Les Miserables. It was quite amazing to sum it up in a few words. Considering that I have never seen/read or even knew the story and it was all sung in swedish, I got a lot out of it. Luckily I had read a summary of the plot before I went to see the play. It helped me understand. Also something that really helped me understand was that they had subtitles in swedish and in finnish throughout the entire production. I basically watched the swedish subtitles the entire time and translated it in my head. Going into the play I knew that I wouldn't understand much of what they were saying, but I actually understood a lot more than I thought I was going to. I understood probably two thirds of everything that they said. And the swedish subtitles helped a lot. But also because I knew what they were singing about, that also helped me understand what was happening. Overall it was a very very good production, I was completely blown away by how incredible the cast's voices were and it was very very good. But I think what I enjoyed the most about the evening was the fact that I understood what they were saying.

Then yesterday My host mom and I took a trip to Helsinki to see Britney Spears in concert. We left home at around one. Then we drove for two hours east until we reached Helsinki. We did some sightseeing in the downtown of Helsinki. My initial impression of Helsinki was that it was much more of a city than Turku. It had much bigger of a downtown and much more the city feeling. And you could tell that there were a lot more people that lived there. So we saw the most famous places in Helsinki, though we went by them really quickly. We had to see them all in like 30 minutes. We saw where the president lives (though I don't think that she was there since one of my friends said that they saw here at Åbo svenska theater seeing Les Miserables THE DAY AFTER I HAD GONE THERE! Haha, what are the odds?) and then we also saw the Cathedral and the parliament building and the harbor and a few other famous things. I really liked Helsinki, it was one of the coolest cities that I have been too. It has such a unique and amazing atmosphere that is impossible to describe as anything more than awesome! Defiantly one of my favorite cities!

The president's house!

Still the president's house 

Helsinki Cathedral

The last Csar of Russia!...with a seagull on his head...

That is me in the brown 

Finnish Parliment building, a bit more impressive in person

 Then we went and met my oldest host brother who is studying in Helsinki. We went and saw his apartment and then we went and had dinner at a restaurant that was a restaurant where students learned how to be in the restaurant business so it was cheap but really good food. If anyone wants to know it was called Perho. I really was full after that meal. Then we drove to the place where the Britney Spears concert was and it was seriously incredible. The most awesome thing ever! She played mostly all of her greatest hits and a lot from her latest album and it was totally awesome! I bought a concert t shirt and even though it was a bit expensive, it was defiantly something important to get. Overall it was a totally great day in Helsinki!

Dinner 

Dessert 

Where Britney was, also an ice hockey arena 

When the lights were on and everybody was coming in

It was pretty intense 

And I also saw my exchange student friend from France and our host parents also knew each other somehow, so that was cool to see her there.