We’ve arrived! 20 hours or so flying time with a stop over in Singapore, we have made it to the land of the Finns. The weather was warmer than Melbourne, a cosy 16 degrees at 6am welcomed us like a semi warm hug and the fact it was already bright, it was going to take a few days to acclimatise.
As we whipped through customs and boarded a bus to the city centre we were greeted with a geek luxury – wall-to-wall (almost) WiFi connectivity on the journey to the city.
Once arriving in the city centre we started to make our way down to the hotel – about a 1km away. Through cobbled streets and impressive buildings we walked and stumbled through some heavy gothic doors into the hotel. We were extremely early for check in so reception pointed us in the direction of a local café – Gran Delcato – to get a few millitres of caffeine pumping through the system. After recharging, we were off to explore.
The city itself is stunning, no real skyscrapers, but the buildings themselves oozed character. Every turn was a photo opportunity. Add to the mix the sun that we were greeted with, the cameras were ready to go.
After walking past a few shopping malls, we hit Esplanade park – a little oasis sandwiched between two main roads – the walk down the centre brought us to Market Square. The park itself was a little boulevard of park benches that lead through the centre of town. Locals flocked to the park and there was an abundance of street performers. It’s a great spot to people watch or to sample an ice-cream from one of the many kiosks scattered in the park.
Market Square holds a great little outdoor market with fresh food, flowers and souvenir stalls. The colours and smells were fantastic, the range of berries though to Lappish food – the aromas greeted us like a hit to the face. After a couple of laps, we sat down to enjoy some Vendace (see below) – breaded mini fish that reminded me of the taste of whitebait from some Chinese Yum Cha.
We continued on from market square then into the old part of town near the docks and started our own photo walk.
Cathedrals? Helsinki’s got a few of those – both equally impressive.
Upsenki Russian Orthodox Cathedral, which towers over the east end of the city, and the more central Helsinki that towers over senate square.
As the legs grew weary we headed back to the hotel and the steam ran out at around 7pm so it was dinner at base to recharge the batteries. I think a lot of walking on little sleep (plus the time difference) was a struggle.
Full on first day, more to come.
– CTP
