Finland August 2019
August 13-18
the main reason we were heading to finland was for a friend’s wedding but as i had never been to finland before we decided to extend the trip so that we could see more of finland.
Day 1 August 13
HELSINKI
we arrived in the city late in the afternoon, so after checking into the hotel and taking a little rest, we then decided to take a walk around and explore the city. as we were staying right in the middle of the city center it was quite easy to walk to the sights. we walked through a nice park called esplanadi then wandered to Senate Square to the helsinki cathedral then to market square. since the weather was really nice we wanted to enjoy the most of it, so we stopped for a quick drink at oy majakkalaiva ab which has a great view of the USPENSKI cathedral by the water. we continued to walk to the uspenski cathedral and the waterfront. as it was our first night in finland, we wanted to try some traditional finnish food so we were RECOMMENDED by the hotel restaurant savotta. the food was quite good. the starter we shared had a good variety, a little bit of everything. the reindeer and the smoked salmon were also very delicious. however it was very touristy, so i am not sure how authentic or traditional it is. but i guess it is a good start, i would either get there early or make a reservation especially during peak season, all the tables were taken by the time we left and they were not letting anymore people in. it is also a bit pricey, so it is either a tourist trap or just normal expensive for helsinki.
Esplanadi
Monument in the middle of Esplanadi
Helsinki Catherdal
Inside the Cathedral
Organs in the Cathedral
View of Uspenski cathedral
Drinks at Oy Majakkalavia Ab
Uspenski cathedral
View of SkyWheel
Supreme Savotta: Assortment of best Finnish appetizers from land and water at Restaurant Savotta
Roast of Reindeer with pine tar flavored celeriac puree, cranberry sauce and root vegetables at Restaurant Savotta
Smoked Finnish Salmon with goat cheese barley risotto and season vegetables at Restaurant Savotta
Day 2 August 14
HELSINKI
this was our only full day in HELSINKI so we tried to do and see as much as we could. we started walking towards the kamppi chapel. on the way i was amazed and fascinated by the unique architecture of the buildings, a lot of art deco style and russian influence. we then arrived at the kamppi chapel also known as the chapel of silence located right in the middle of the city. the idea behind the chapel is to calm people down from busy city life. we had gone inside and actually had a moment to sit down and enjoy the beauty of the building and the complete silence. a great peaceful getaway in the middle of the city.
after that we walked around the design district and ended up at the design MUSEUM, which had an interesting exhibition called secret universe. it is about two designers who had traveled the world to understand different traditional craft techniques and manufacturing skills and then to showcase what they had seen in these different regions and cultures. the museum isn’t that large so it doesn’t take long to see but there are plenty of other museums in the city to explore depending on your interests and time.
after that we walked back to the market square as we wanted to take a ferry to suomenlinna island, but before that we had a quick lunch of fried fish, fried potatoes and calamari, i guess you would say this is finnish fast food. it did it’s job but i would recommended to eat something at the market hall nearby, they will definitely have a better selection.
Kamppi Chapel
Outside the Design Museum
Secret Universe at Design Museum
Secret Universe at Design Museum
Secret Universe at Design Museum
Secret Universe at Design Museum
DeliDeli Ranskalainen Herrkukauppa
Quick and Cheap Lunch by the water
there are three islands in which you can explore: lonna, vallisaari and suomenlinna. you can either buy a ticket to island hop which is 10€ or you can just buy a round trip ticket to one of the islands for 7€. suomenlinna island is the largest island and an unesco heritage site, so we decided to check out only that island. there is quite a lot to see and explore on the island, there are guided tours but i find it more fun to explore on your own. they have a map that shows you all the sights and most of the major sights are on the blue route. they have several different museums, each with different entry fees. they also have plenty of restaurants, cafes and even a brewery to enjoy. Suomenlinna was an 18th-century sea fortress that was linked to to the near by 6 islands for military defense. there is still quite a lot of military and ARTILLERY and several museums that explain the history. it is definitely worth a visit if you are in helsinki, it is a nice quick escape from the city center, you can easily spend half a day or even a full day there. we did not go to the other islands they are smaller but look quite interesting.
if you want to take more of a leisure approach, they also have a variety of different boat cruises that includes more island hopping and even a dinner or lunch on the boat. so there is a little something for everyone. they say the best way to see helsinki or finland is by boat as the country is mostly made up of water.
View from the Ferry ride
Suomenlinna Island
Toy Museum at Suomenlinna Island
Toy Museum at Suomenlinna Island
Cafe at the Toy Museum
Vesikko Submarine
Jetty Barracks
Inside the Suomenlinna Church
Bastion Zander
Bastion Zander
Bastion Zander
King’s Gate
after a long day of sightseeing we took a short break at the hotel then it was off to a fancy dinner of finnish tapas. link to come soon for our dining experience at juuri.
Kamppi Chapel
Simonkatu 7, 00100 Helsinki
suomenlinna island
https://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/
Day 3 August 15
HELSINKI —> Tampere
As the breakfast at the hotel was very expensive we then looked for another option and found a traditional bakery and cafe within walking distance. they had a breakfast buffet of 12.90€, half the price of the hotel breakfast. they even had gluten free bread.
after that we made our way to Temppeliaukion Church. this is definitely a must see, this is where all the tourists were. if you are not part of a tour group then you need to wait in line to buy a ticket but the line does move pretty fast. except once you get inside you see the sea of people. the building itself and the ARCHITECTURE are very unique as it isn’t something you would expect to be a church. it was built directly into a solid rock with a copper dome roof. i am not sure if it is still used as a church today as it seems the amount of tourists that come every day would make it difficult to hold any kind of service. but it is a must see.
after that we walked back to the hotel and finally our weather luck ran out as the rain started to pour on our way back. we quickly dried off and started to make our way up to tampere, but before hitting the highway we stopped by another sight, sibelius monument. it is a Monument dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. a very interesting looking monument with a great photo op.
Ekberg Cafe
Breakfast at Ekberg
Temppeliaukion Church
Inside the Church
Inside the Church
Inside the Church
Sibelius Monument
Sibelius Monument
Sibelius Monument
after about a 2 hour drive we arrived in tampere, we quickly checked into the hotel then did some research on what there is to see and do in the city. moomin seems to be the national treasure of finland, so we had to go and learn more about this cute looking character at the moomin museum. there are two floors the first floor takes you through the first few books then you DESCEND down the stairs into the darkness layer to learn more about the other and more current books. the earlier versions of moomin and supporting characters were actually quite strange and spooky, the stories too were a bit depressing and scary. it was interesting to see the evolution of the stories and characters from the beginning to now.
we then walked around to see the various industrial brick buildings then later stopping at the tampere cathedral. this had to be the most decorated cathedral or church that we had seen in finland. most of the other ones were quite bare, no decorations on the walls or ceilings just a few large CHANDELIERS. we had a small tour and a quick explanation of the cathedral and about the artist that had painted the FRESCOES inside.
Moomin
Spotted a Rainbow
Moomin Museum
Moomin Museum
Vapriikki
Tampere Cathedral
Inside the Cathedral
Inside the Cathedral
Inside the Cathedral
then it was off to a lovely dinner with an amazing view at Periscope. post to come soon about our dining experience.
Temppeliaukion Church
Lutherinkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki
https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/artikkelit/helsinginkirkot
Sibelius Monument
Sibeliuksen puisto, Mechelininkatu, 00250 Helsinki, Finland
Day 4 August 16
Tampere —> Tahko
After breakfast we then started on the long drive to tahko, a small town outside of kuopio. the finland countryside is beautiful, lots of trees, forest and many many lakes. it is the country with the most lakes, 187,888 of them. we were staying in a cabin near one of these lakes. so after settling in and having a bite to eat, we walked around until the rest of the guests arrived.
Day 5 August 17
WEdding Day in Tahko
View from the Top
Starter of Meat, Cheese, Smoked Fish and Handmade Focaccia
Salmon with Root Vegetables and Chanterelle Sauce
Even Sofie the giraffe was there
Pulled Pork with Beetroot Cake and Roasted Vegetables