- Helsinki is for walkers. Be ready for the regular jaunts and start with a good breakfast. While the Pohjoisesplanadi is the heart road, there are several excursion specially the ones towards Sibelius Park and Rock Church that will beg a long walk.
- Soumenlinna and Valsaari are islands accessible by frequent ferries. In summer they are open till late and hence one can plan them even in the second half of a day.
- Most happening place is the Helsinki Cathedral and nearby market. City park is not far where you can see approaching and leaving giant cruises.
Helsinki had the typical Scandinavian air - crisp and cold - when we came out of the Helsinki airport. A regular Finnair bus service took us to the city centre. It took us some time to figure out direction to our hostel and then some. It was a long journey from India hence we settled for a short nap. When we woke up it was still bright day and we were ready to explore the city.
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| Helsinki Cathedral |
The pleasant weather in this part of the world means you can walk long without getting tired. A McDonalds was close by, offering some vegan options which we settled for. Further into the city we first came across the city centre and a mile later, a second hub of Helsinki, closer to the port. It was here we understood the concept of a summer day in Helsinki - it is as long as 16 hours. We decided to cover Soumenlinna.
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| Yatch Bay, Helsinki |
Next day we went first thing in the morning for the Sibelius Park. It was a pleasant couple of miles walk from our hostel and in the early morning sun the walk was fun. We went through suburban Helsinki and watched the newly built houses. They were spacious and modern with a touch of old Finland. Sibelius Park itself is unremarkable yet graceful, resplendent in the bright sun. We came back by another route just to enjoy the suburban.
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| Sibelius Park, Helsinki |
After a break and a light breakfast we went for the intriguing Rock Church. It is an unorthodox church made on a carved monolith with open dome and a circular base. Entry is as one enters a cave. The place was crowded with tourists. We sat for a while and then moved out. The road that leads to Rock Church is a busy one. Taking it, we walked all the way to Helsinki Cathedral.
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| Rock Church, Helsinki |
It is an imposing structure near the harbour visible from the sea. There was an army exhibition at display on the front. We were allowed to enter the tank from back. There was hardly any security and it was probably an exercise to generate interest. Nearby the Esplanade Park was buzzing with crowd. Beyond that was the City Park where we went next. Huge ships leaving the harbour were visible from here for a long time and it was surprisingly satisfying to watch them at length.
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| City Park, Helsinki |
We decided to walk back to hotel slowly. Buying bananas on the way helped and with couple of breaks we covered the two miles with ease. We tried the malls near the station on our way but that was just to see what people buy in Finland. Next day was going to be hectic as we planned to visit Tallinn by sea.
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