Slept in a bit today (finally), but first things first: checked on the missing bag report… and shocker! Still nothing. 🥲 At this point I feel like I’ve entered a new era of life where I simply don’t have belongings.

Determined not to let that ruin the day, I headed out to explore more of Helsinki. I wandered through some of the main squares and eventually made my way down to the Old Market Square, where I got a bowl of salmon soup by the water, and not to be dramatic, but I might get it again before I leave. It was very tasty!

After browsing a bunch of stalls, I picked up a Helsinki postcard for €1. I’ve decided I want to continue collecting either a small painting or a postcard from every city I visit (ideally something that looks artsy enough to pass as decor). Haven’t found a painting yet that’s within budget, so postcard it is!

Once I made it through the whole market I hopped on a ferry, which, fun fact, is included in the public transport ticket here (USA could never). It was a quick 15-minute ride out to Suomenlinna, a giant sea fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site. I spent about two hours walking around and listening to a virtual tour I bought that gave both historical info and directions (which saved me because I 100% would’ve gotten lost otherwise). The whole island was beautiful and way more peaceful than I expected.

After I caught the ferry back to the mainland, I grabbed a coffee by the water and then headed over to the Old Market Hall, which is basically an indoor version of the market I was at earlier but with mostly food vendors. I grabbed a traditional Finnish pastry that was so good I briefly considered going back for seconds. Zero regrets.

Still no updates on my bag at that point, but the Finnair online chat told me I should go talk to someone at the airport directly. So I made a little detour and swung by the Helsinki Cathedral again, this time climbing the huge staircase to get the full view (worth it). I also wandered through the University of Helsinki Botanical Gardens for a bit before hopping on the train to the airport; about an hour ride.

Cut to: me standing in line at the airport for another full hour only to be told by the Finnair rep that there’s nothing more they can do. Cool cool cool. I walked over to the Air France counter to double check and got basically the same answer, so either the online chat lied or everyone’s just passing the buck at this point. Regardless: still no bag. And I leave for Stockholm tomorrow!

So yeah, I’ve been wearing the same clothes for three days, clinging to hope that my bag will show up before I have to buy anything new (mostly because I literally don’t have the space to carry more stuff once my backpack does show up). But at this point I might have to give in and do a tiny emergency shopping spree tomorrow before I leave. We’ll see.

To end my day, I grabbed a dürüm from a food truck on my way back from the airport and brought it back to the hostel. Currently horizontal and manifesting a miracle bag arrival overnight.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode of Where In The World Is My Luggage?