We hit Helsinki, Finland at 6:15am and the pilot cheerfully announced that the local temperature was –3°C (ahhh!). I was sitting at the window so I saw a marvellous purple/pink sunrise and noted as we came in that Finland has an array of muted brown colours (Russia had looked intensely snowy).
We breezed through customs. Our British passports mean that we’re part of the European Union (…until the UK officially cuts all ties with the EU whoops) and we had nothing to declare. Our bags were actually the first out at the baggage carousel (I think because they were the last on at Singapore). The toilets we encountered were a little different. In Finland, they don’t seem to have bidets but each stall comes with a water hose (I was later informed that these are called “bidet showers”).
The taxi to the city centre cost over 50 euros. I tend to avoid trains if I’ve come in from a long-haul flight. I was worried we might not find the nearby car rental place, but instead laughed when I saw that it was practically next door to our hotel! Our taxi driver was lucky – as soon as he dropped us off, people with suitcases emerged from the hotel!
Unfortunately, it was 7am and our room would not be available until 10am. So we put our suitcases into luggage storage and ventured out into the cold, vastly unprepared and me in one light jacket (the Uggboots did not help there!). Brrr!!
We ambled around, a little lost and a bit unsure and very cold!! We spent a lot of time finding warm buildings to hide inside, including Helsinki Central railway station.
We attempted to find a place selling hot chocolates, but amidst the menus promising “coffee”, “chai latte” and something called “kaakao”, it seemed no one had them! We eventually found a place in a shopping centre that advertised “hot chocolate”, though what we received was more on par with an Argentinian submarino (a piece of chocolate is dropped into hot milk and allowed to dissolve and flavour the drink – in this instance, it was frothed milk).
The receipt The Husband took proved useful – A) he needed it to get his hot chocolate they’d forgotten to make, and B) it revealed that a hot chocolate is known as “kaakao” in Finnish. Hilariously, the places we had ignored for lacking hot chocolates had been selling them all along! Oh dear.
We returned to the hotel to laze in the sun streaming through a window in the foyer. That was very nice. But then we were allowed into our “executive suite”, which came with free chocolate and water – The Husband is a platinum member of this grouping of hotels. We also get free fast wifi! And a shower, badly needed, restored us for more adventuring.
Armed with a basic map aimed at customers of a tour company, we set out again. We meant to find the Finlandia Hall but instead stumbled across Villa Hakasalmi. It is also known as Villa Karamzin because Aurora Karamzin lived there until her death at 96 years of age. It is a free museum with space for exhibitions, but there is nothing showing there for a while. It is also undergoing a “facelift” so its looks left much to be desired. But it was a lot more charming than Parliament House, which seemed to be a combination of facelift and war zone. Instead of attempting to figure out that mess, I took photos of the National Museum of Finland (and the passing trams for my brother, Cazy).
In an attempt to find another attraction, we ended up down near the Opera House (used by the Finnish National Opera and Ballet company) and were halfway lost, but we made it in the end. Our destination was Temppelliaukio Church (aka Rock Church – Lutheran). It was completed in 1969 and is built into the natural rock. The structure is round, has a dome and its exterior wall is made from a neat circle of rocks. Certainly a unique building – though it did bring to mind the parking structure near Finlandia, which was also built into an enormous rock. Well, if the natural geology is that large and impressive, you might as well incorporate it into your building! We didn’t go inside the church, but the Internet tells me that an ice-age crevice serves as the altarpiece.
We bought souvenirs nearby, then traipsed back to the station for lunch (we went to a hot dog place and managed to order food without too much embarrassment). Afterwards, we aimlessly wandered (the map wasn’t very helpful) and found ourselves at a rather impressive building that commanded our attention.
This gorgeous white behemoth filled the sky – the very blue sky – and filled my photos with the colours of the Finnish flag. Its identity soon became obvious: Helsinki Cathedral. What an imposing sight. The cathedral is 165 years old – older than the nation state of Finland!
We descended the steps out the front into Senate Square, which was surrounded by lovely buildings. Quite a few of them (Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, part of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland) were designed by the same dude, Carl Ludwig Engel, in the 19th century.
On the way back to the hotel we grabbed some drinks from the station. I reached for a Coke Zero – and found that they all felt too warm! Ugh. Then I realised my fingers were colder than the fridge. Whoops!
Now I am Coked, watered and very, very chocolated (Panda is the first brand I’m trying and I’ve learned that “suklaa” is Finnish for chocolate). A little tired. The Husband is napping – it’s 3pm here but 10pm in Sydney. I slept more than him on the plane.
Meeting S tomorrow!!! My Finnish “sister”!
Well, technically we met for the first time over a decade ago...but was online. This will be our first ever in-person meeting. :D
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