Helsinki

Soumenlinna - Helsinki - Tallinn - St Petersburg - Moscow

• 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.

Helsinki Cathedral

Soumenlinna, Finland

Soumenlinna - Helsinki - Tallinn - St Petersburg - Moscow

• Soumenlinna from one end to another would be at least a mile long and given detours, one need to travel at least 3-4 miles to cover the basics. Be ready for these long walks.
• There are beautifully placed restaurants and cafes within the fort walls that tempt you to just settle after a long walk. Do that.
• The periphery throws great views of the sea and parts of fort island. Make sure you walk along the edges to cover that.

Soumenlinaa & Vallisaari are two islands south of Helsinki in the Baltic Sea. It takes €4 and half hour to reach the islands - cheap for the rustic life one witnesses here. It was the same day we reached Helsinki that we ventured for these islands and loved what we saw. Clearly the brightest gem of tourist spots in Helsinki, that were a perfect start to our visit to Scandinavia.

Fortress of Soumenlinna

Sarnath

Trip: Delhi - Lucknow - Varanasi - Sarnath - Delhi

• Best time to visit Sarnath is November-February. The site demands long walks and summers can be sweaty.
• While the main stupa and remains of Ashoka Pillar are significant attractions, the star attraction is the head of Ashoka Pillar preserved in the Archeological Museum next to the excavation site.
• The adjacent Digambar Jain Temple is dedicated as birth place of 11th Jain Tirthankara Shreyanshnath and has beautiful artwork on the walls.

Sarnath treasures some of the most vital symbols of Indian heritage and it was a pleasant surprise to witness them during the few hours we stayed there. Less than half hour from Varanasi and home to one of the largest buddhist establishments in the world, Sarnath is part of history textbooks. The highlight of our trip was the archeological museum which has as good a collection as I have seen across the world.

Stupa @ Sarnath