Flying into Helsinki, we could see hundreds (thousands) of small islands. Who knew? Anyway, Finland is the land of around 180,000 islands and maybe 130,000 lakes. Everyone has a “cabin” on a lake or an island somewhere (except me!). And generally, you can count on those places to have a sauna, since it is said there are more saunas in Finland than anywhere else on earth. And they’ve thought of unique places for them as well - even on the Ferris wheel! (Just one gondola - do you see it?)
Our hotel of course had a sauna, and we were able to book it for an hour (nearly every evening) for only about $30 - possibly the only reasonably priced thing in Finland. The hotel was formerly the prison, and they kept the look inside. Even the doorways were the same small doorways from prison times. Our room was nice but small and yet, it was basically three former prison cells put together. No, I don’t want to go to prison in Finland!
We arrived late in the afternoon so after a brief walk we came back to the hotel for a light dinner (prior to our sauna). Here we had our first of several salmon soups. Oh so good and oh so simple. Fish broth, leeks, potatoes, maybe some onions, and lots of salmon. And usually served with some dark rye bread. Awesome!
Since we were going to be here 5 nights , we decided to buy the HSL multi-day ticket for local transportation. It was cheap and covered the trolley that stopped right in front of our hotel as well as buses and the local ferries. A great way to help you see more of this city.
The city is beautiful and very easy to get around. We joined a Guru Walk that gave us a chance to see many sights including the huge Lutheran Cathedral, the waterfront markets, the Central Station, etc., and to get a bit of the history of Helsinki. Always a great way to get to know a new city.
One of our favorite stops was at the Public Library. This place was amazing! In the library you can use 3D Printers; sewing machines; musical instruments - you name it. There are studios that you can book to record music, and even a kitchen you can book for an event. Or, check out tools to take home. A great concept for sure.
Did I mention that Salmon seems to be its own major food group here? If you’ve ever seen Forrest Gump - remember Bubba talking in the trenches about all the ways you can cook shrimp? Well here it’s very similar with salmon (and reindeer - but let’s not go there!). Our favorite though was salmon soup - and we ended up trying it on maybe 3 different days. Fabulous at every place.
We also decided to take a day trip to visit the city of Tallinn in Estonia. Just a two hour ferry (almost like a cruise ship) across the Gulf of Finland, this was a great way to see a little of another country.
Tallinn is a beautiful city with one of the best “Old Town” areas we have visited. The lower city is surrounded by the walls from the 13th century. And Tallinn is famous for the Legend of Dannebrog, where in 1219 God dropped the red and white (soon to become) Danish flag from the heavens to help the King secure victory. (Don’t know if this link will work, but if not, just Google the Legend of Dannebrog.). Our tour included a couple from Denmark - a son and his older mother - who specifically came here to see just this specific place.
https://nordics.info/show/artikel/the-dannebrog-in-danish-culture
We enjoyed our long day visiting Tallinn - now back to Helsinki for one last salmon soup and of course one more sauna - p.s. - don’t mess with this guy!
Now it’s time to head partway home - to Iceland.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.
Take care,
Tim & Eileen