A Definite Favorite
"I love Helsinki! If my husband believed in bumper stickers I’d have this plastered all over my car.
The first time I visited Helsinki was in 2000. It was a huge family trip on my husband’s side to visit his grandparents and aunt and uncle. His parents and all of his siblings had planned for 3 years to make this happen. So 13 of us (including one baby) made the trans-Atlantic flight to one of the most wonderful places I’ve ever been to. And it was incredible!
My husband’s pseudo-cousins (their mother is my mother-in-law’s foster sister) picked us up from the airport, and from there it was one fantastic thing after another. It would take pages for me to ennumerate all of the amazing things this trip entailed, so I’ll stick with just a few of my absolute favorites.
1. The downtown tori (marketplace)
What a great place! It’s just an open cobblestone square, but in the summer it is filled with an endless array of fresh fruits and vegetables, hand crafted jewelry and crafts, and fun souvenirs for the tourist. I love just walking amidst the tables and looking at everything the locals have set out. One of my favorite tori finds is a hand painted pocelain doll dressed in traditional Lapland costume. One could very easily spend a couple of hours walking around the tori. And if you get hungry, I suggest a lihapiirakka (meat pie) from one of the tori vendors. Very good. And for dessert, wander across the street for a fabulous ice cream cone from the ice cream vendor cart. I can never remember the name because it’s like 15 letters long, but I think it begins with Valio. Regardless of the name, it is some of the best ice cream you will ever have. I regularly wish I could get some of that ice cream in the U.S.
2. Suomenlinna
From the downtown tori, you can hop a ferry right from the water’s edge to Suomenlinna, Helsinki’s castle fortress. Suomenlinna looms across the water from the tori, and gets more and more impressive looking the closer you get to it. One could literally get lost on Suomenlinna, so be sure you keep close to your loved ones and have a meeting place set in case someone gets lost. There is so much to see on Suomenlinna! Be sure to find the man that does glass blowing and watch what amazing creations he can do. And don’t miss all of the photo ops available. I have a picture of me and my husband next to a WWII cannon. Very cool. Go early and enjoy the day there-and it will very easily take all day. Before you go, read up on the history of Suomenlinna and the part it played in the war. It’s fascinating and will give you a good background of what you will be seeing.
3. Street performers
It is a fairly quick walk from the downtown tori to the train station, unless, of course, you stop to spend some time listening to the street performers that can be found there. When I was there in June/July of 2000, we ran across the most amazing quartet of street performers. They all were playing large xylophone type instruments with large mallets. They were very skilled, and I was thrilled when they hammered out some very wonderful classical pieces on their instruments. They were amazing! I am actually surprised they haven’t received some world-wide acclaim for their talents. And down in the train station we found a man playing a didgeridoo. I loved all of the street performers-they were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Definitely plan a little extra time to wander the streets of Helsinki and just enjoy everything from the shops to the street performers. It’s well worth the time.
I could go on nearly forever about Helsinki and the sights and what I love the most about it, but I think it would be the most beneficial for you to experience it yourself. If you ever have the chance to visit Helsinki, do it! You will not be disappointed. And if you decide you’ve had enough lihapiirakkoita to last you for a lifetime, you can always visit the local McDonald’s.
