No surprise here, but I'm long overdue for an update! I just finished a nice vacation back in the US and finally found some downtime to update my blog. Here is a quick recap of a trip I took to Helsinki, Finland in April for a conference. Not only the capital, Helsinki is also known for its world-renowned design, emerging gastronomy scene, and extreme changes in hours of daylight between winter and summer.
Although the weather wasn't warm by any means (high of ~50 deg F), I was happy that the darkness of winter was long gone, with an average of around 14 hours of light per day while I was there. The day I arrived was sunny with clear skies so I took full advantage, roaming around the port and the city center. I was surprised to see how "new" the city felt compared to elsewhere in Europe due to the large abundance of 18-19th century neoclassical buildings.
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| Helsinki Port. |
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| Government buildings along the port. |
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| The Helsinki Cathedral. |
On my second day of tourism the weather wasn't as cooperative. It was cold and windy, with the occasional sprinkle added in. However, the gloomy weather gave me the chance to check out the free sauna included with my hotel stay. I'm convinced this is how Finnish people actually survive.
After warming up, I braved the elements and headed to Töölö, a western neighborhood of Helsinki. My first stop was to find the Sibelius Monument, a large monument consisting of pipes meant to honor the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
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| Sibelius Monument |
Next on the list was the nearby Café Regatta, a little wooden hut sitting right on the sea, famous for its cinnamon buns and grill-yourself sausages.
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| Lines out the door! |
There are only ~4 tables inside, so the majority of people sat outside, keeping warm by the bonfire used to grill the sausages or with a blanket provided by the café.
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| Locals enjoying their lunch bundled up at Café Regatta. |
I wasn't quite ready for lunch yet so I ordered a coffee and cinnamon bun, grabbed a blanket, and went to sit outside. While I was sitting there clutching my hot drink and bundled up in the blanket, I noticed two older women off in the distance…in their bathing suits…getting into the sea! These two women calmly lowered themselves into the water, swam around for about five minutes, then calmly walked back to their house. No towels. This is why I could never be Finnish. PS Later in the day I saw people walking down the street eating ice cream!
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| True Finns don't let a little cold get in their way. |
I continued my tour of Helsinki by tram, checking out some other neighborhoods, then headed back to the hotel for the start of the conference. Not much to elaborate on there, but I will say that it was the first conference I've attended where I was distracted from the talks by cruise ships passing next to the event center windows.
After my conference duties, I fit in a quick trip across the Gulf of Finland on the Viking Express.
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| First time on a cruise ship! Can you guess where I was headed? Here's your hint... |
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Figure it out? Estonia!
Per recommendation from my favorite Duke professor (yeah, you read that correctly), I went to Tallinn, Estonia for the day. This country is one of the least-populous in the European Union, but is highly developed and one of the most "wired" in Europe. The Old Town of Tallinn, Estonia's capital, is even registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is a quick recap of the 4h I spent in Tallinn before catching my boat back to Finland.
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| Tallinn's Town Hall Square. |
Amazingly, significant portions of the medieval wall and buildings from the 13th-16th centuries still remain. I was also impressed with the seamless integration of new construction. Note the towering "Viru Hotel" in the background below, where the KGB housed a secret radio center on the 23rd floor during the Soviet era (now a museum). Here is a Smithsonian article about the museum if you'd like to read more!
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| Medieval wall surrounding Tallinn's Old Town with the Viru Hotel in the background. |
The Russian influence in Tallinn is also clear in the architecture, as seen with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
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| Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral, completed in 1900. |
This was about the point where I decided I would love to return to Tallinn. Four hours is definitely not enough. But, I didn't want to miss my boat so after a stop at Tallinn's oldest café, the Maiasmokk (1864), it was time to say goodbye.
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| Hand-painted marzipan figurines sold at the Maiasmokk café. |
I then headed back to France, where the weather is decidedly warmer, but I think I'm still going to miss that daily sauna ;)
A+
Danielle
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