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Joe and I both came back with "I 'heart' Finland" t-shirts (heart designed with the Finnish flag). I have to say we were not sure what to expect, and I asked myself why we planned a trip to visit a place that was even more frigid than London; but we left with a very positive impression of the city and it's people -- and we definitely came back full (ate a lot!).
Walking around, it's hard to imagine that such a small and quiet city once hosted the Olympics. I guess it didn't help that we were visiting during Easter, so a majority of the stores were all closed except for Saturday. And I would emphasize the word 'day', because when night came -- it was a different story.
Finnish people are avid party-ers to say the least (might have something to do with the long winter nights, and long summer days). All clubs close at 4am. Thanks to our friends Steve and Lisa, we were able to hit up some top spots re-viving some of Joe's dance moves from his early 20's :). Finnish peppermint liqueur shots (100 proof) and Montecristo cigars (Cubans) spiced things up a bit. The first time I heard 'Suomi Pop' (Suomi = Finland in Finnish) was at Onnela, a big club among the many in Finland. The high energy dance tunes (sung in Finnish or course) charges-up the locals to dance on wooden benches and tables. They installed bars bolted to the ceilings to prevent the somewhat intoxicated youngsters from falling off the tables, which works for the humans - but not glass cups or bottles. You can honestly hear a glass breaking every 5 minutes, but no one seems to mind.
On Easter Saturday, we gathered with many of the locals for a bonfire on the island of Seurasaari. The children dressed up in costumes and sang children songs while they burned this enormous mountain of pine. We didn't really understand the significance of the event (unfortunately), but did enjoy the walk through the island, some great turkey sausages, and a splendid sunset over a frozen bay. Funny enough, it was mating season for the mallard ducks so parts of the island were fluttering with males competing for female ducks. We dubbed it 'Club Heslinki'.
The best part of the trip was exploring Suomenlinna, five interconnected islands home to a sea fortress erected to protect the city from a Russian invasion. It was mesmerizing to see our ferry charge through the still somewhat frozen sea, sometimes breaking through 10 inch thick chunks of ice that you could probably stand on.
Food-wise, Finland loves there meat! Reindeer and bear were popular menu items and were popular amongst our group of adventurous friends. And boy oh boy do they know how to cook potatoes and make some delicious bread. Joe and I think the bread may be comparable (and maybe a bit better) to the bread in France. We would walk into a seemingly dingy cafe and have the best ciabatta sandwich ever! Since Russia borders Finland, there are a few Russian restaurants around the city. I was very excited to try a blini, a salty pancake drizzled with butter and eaten with caviar, chopped onions, sour cream, egg white and egg yoke bits. Yum!!
The Finnish language is a funny thing. They played English movies on TV (phew) with Finnish sub-titles. Joe and I came to the conclusion that because Finnish words were so long and convoluted, they couldn't dub Finnish over English movies because the timing would be entirely off. It would take them twice as long to say everything :).
Other Finnish things I luved: Moomin (Finnish cartoon), Karl Fazer chocolate, Marimekko (great textile designs), Temppellaukio Kirkko (church made out of a hill of rock).
(Click photo to view full set)
Kiitos! (Thank You in Finnish)
::Helsinki Recommended List:: (Just in case you ever happen to go :)
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Food:
Saslik - Neitsytpolku 12, tel: +359-09-7425-5500 (Russian, you must try a blini)
Savotta - Aleksanterinkatu 22, tel: +359-09-7425-5588 (Finnish, try bear or reindeer)
Kappeli - Etelaesplanadi 1, tel: +358-09-681-2440 (Finnish cafe/restaurant in an atrium setting)
MBar - Mannerheimintie 22024, tel: +358-09-6124-5420 (Cafe during day, bar at night)
Bar/Lounge:
Mecca - Korkeavuorenkatu 34, www.mecca.fi (Great DJ's and fancy food)
Studio 51 - Fredrikinkatu 51-53, +358-09-612-9900 (Busy dance club)
Onnela - Fredrikinkatu 48, www.ravintolaonnela.fi (Your chance to dance to some Finnish pop music, top 40, and some heavy metal all in the same club)
Hotel:
Crowne Plaza Helsinki - Mannerheimintie 50 (Short cab or tram ride away from the city center, and walking distance to a few museums and sites. Spa, sauna, and pool.)
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