This will be my final post about Helsinki!
It feels like a fitting way to wrap things up because I’m going to give you a photo-heavy (hopefully text-light?) rundown of what we did when my brother and sister-in-law came to visit from Denmark over an extra-long weekend.
They had been to Finland briefly before, but never to Helsinki. So, when they heard we were going to put down roots in the Finnish capital for a month, they decided to book some inexpensive flights over the Ascension Day holiday. Side note: in Canada, many workers get Good Friday and Easter Monday off, but in some parts of Europe they get all the post-Easter holidays off.
My brother was just getting back from a work trip and had kindly brought home a souvenir to his wife: a head cold. She debated delaying her trip to Finland but in the end came along. I was just getting over a cold, so we were able to be miserable together.
They arrived around supper time on Wednesday evening, and I have zero pictures of that first dinner together. They stayed at an apartment a few minutes’ walk from our own, so after dropping off their bags, came by our place for a meal.
Thursday morning dawned crisp and cool, but sunny.
Our first stop was Helsinki Cathedral. It’s the most iconic building in the Helsinki skyline and is visible from just about anywhere. I’ve already posted oodles of pictures from this spot, but here is one with us climbing the steps. I seem to be gesturing wildly with my hands, no doubt imparting some information I gathered off a plaque at some point.
The stairs provide a very cool optical illusion and Indy was keen to make the most of it with his tree pose. It looks like a sheer drop behind him, but I can assure you it is not!
From there we walked by Uspenski Cathedral. There were Ascension Day services going on, so we didn’t go inside, but admired the exterior for a few minutes.
I have zero pictures, but John and I, along with the kiddos, pieced together an inexpensive lunch at the outdoor Kauppatori Market stalls, and I tried reindeer for the first time. My brother and sister-in-law weren’t hungry, so they grabbed some sandwiches for later from the Old Market Hall.
(Their picnic did not include pricey caviar.)
Our next stop was Suomenlinna. I’ve written a whole post about the history of the island so I won’t rehash any of that information. (You’re welcome!)
The lighting on this bridge was pretty terrible, but it’s a very pretty spot en route to the King’s Gate.
Indy is always on the lookout for fish.
My brother and sister-in-law.
In case you didn’t know, cannons make great climbing gyms. Indy wanted you to be properly informed and is even willing to demonstrate his best technique…
Suomenlinna is wonderfully walkable and very photogenic. Because it was a holiday, there were a lot of people enjoying picnics or eating outside on cafe terraces.
On a warm, summer day this would be a great little stretch of beach with young kids.
This reminds me so much of the Nova Scotia provincial flag!
Can you spot Indy?
The King’s Gate.
The submarine, Vesikko.
It was about €10 for adult entry tickets, but kids under 18 were free. So Belle and Indy went on the submarine and explored for a few minutes. They thought it was interesting and I could tell they appreciated getting to see something that was off-limits to their frugal parents 😉
Belle discovered a long tunnel system and after Indy had explored it he came to find me and INSISTED I check it out. It was unmarked, but just off to the side of the King’s Gate. At points, the tunnel became pitch black. Very cool!
Before we headed for home, my brother treated us to incredibly delicious hot chocolates in one of the little cafes on the island. I am now determined to buy some clear mugs when we get home because they elevate every hot drink!
By the time we got home, had dinner, and chatted, that was the end of the day.
John had to work on Friday, and neither of the kids were overly enthused to revisit places. So I headed off with my brother and sister-in-law.
We popped our heads inside Helsinki Cathedral (where I took this picture of a statue of Martin Luther; it is a Lutheran Church after all), and then we walked across the street to the National Library of Finland (here’s my full post about a previous visit).
It’s lovely and completely free, so I highly recommend stopping by if you ever find yourself in Helsinki.
Next we took a bus to Seurasaari, the island open-air museum. Yup, I’ve got a post all about this spot, too!
We wandered around for an hour, but didn’t buy tickets to enter any of the buildings.
We had packed a simple lunch of sandwiches and veggies, and eventually sat down at a picnic table to enjoy that.
We took our time exploring the coastline all the way back to the Sibelius Monument.
Of course, I had to take them to Cafe Regatta. (More details about this famous cafe—and the Sibelius Monument—here.)
I had visited with the kids on a cold, blustery week day. On this particular Friday (many Finns had opted to take vacation time to create a long weekend) it was PACKED.
We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather.
I had to laugh at the handle on the bathroom door. It’s an axe. I felt like my woodsy father would approve.
I met up with John for a quick sushi date while my brother and sister-in-law did a few things by themselves and then we headed back to the Rock Church. There was a free concert and they were supposed to play Finlandia! This is the most iconic song in Finland (and a portion of it includes the tune to the beautiful hymn Be Still My Soul).
It is a stunning church. Hearing such talented musicians gave me goosebumps.
They did indeed finish the concert by playing Finlandia and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. One of the highlights of my time in Helsinki, without a doubt.
John and Indy had ducked out at the intermission and walked home. My brother and sister-in-law took public transit back to their apartment, and Belle and I opted to walk together. It was gorgeous outside and, because it’s light so late this time of year, we were treated to a beautiful sunset at about 10:45 pm!
Another day! The kids had REALLY wanted to go back to the Helsinki Winter Garden (lots of pictures and details here) and this time they wanted to be prepared with a picnic.
So that’s what we did. It had rained overnight so everything looked extra green and vibrant.
I didn’t take any pictures of our little picnic setup, but it’s a lovely place to visit and a great place to bring snacks and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
From the time they had arrived in Helsinki, both kids were trying to convince my brother to visit Linnanmäki and ride on the Taiga. (Here’s a post full of details about visiting this amusement park.)
Eventually they wore him down. My sister-in-law opted to split up and go check out an artsy neighbourhood she had heard about and wander/get a coffee.
Now, my brother has been on one rollercoaster in his life. A small, wooden coaster that was at a little theme park near our house growing up. It is a GIANT leap to go from that to one of the fastest coasters in the world, but he was game.
We didn’t buy bracelets this time, just a batch of ride tickets. It’s still pricey, but because we weren’t planning to spend a lot of time at the park, it was still a better bang for our buck.
I sent everyone onto the Taiga and sat with the bags.
Belle, being the adrenaline junkie that she is, INSISTED they wait for the front car. So here’s my brother about to go on his first true rollercoaster ever and he’s going to be riding in the most exhilarating location.
When I saw him after the ride he just said: Well, that was intense!
It sure is, and Belle wanted more. So while Indy and my brother took a break, Belle and John got back in line… for the front car of the Taiga.
And there they are, zooming past us with their arms in the air.
We did a few more rides, including a water feature that had just opened for the season.
We had just enough ride tickets left for everyone to go on the Taiga one last time, so that’s what we did! An epic way to finish off an afternoon at Linnanmäki.
After the amusement park, we walked to Oodi Library to meet up with my sister-in-law. Some people were craving a treat, so my brother found the top-ranked gelato store in the city which happened to be a few metres away. How convenient! I got the pistachio flavour and it was amazing!
At this point, John, Indy and I parted ways with the rest of the group. We took public transit back to our apartment, and Belle and my brother/SIL walked.
My brother made a delicious homemade supper of curried chicken and veggies over rice. So good.
I called in dessert with our favourite prefab Mud Cake from the Alepa grocery store, topped with ice cream and a fruit compote whipped up by my brother (we were trying to consume everything in the fridge/freezer and had a bag of frozen raspberries that needed to be used).
The next morning we took transit to the waterfront and wandered for a few hours. My brother and sister-in-law were flying out around supper time, so they had a fairly lengthy stretch of time to fill.
Some of us explored playgrounds… this contraption rocked front to back in the smoothest motion I’ve ever seen!
We happened by a slightly dilapidated building surrounded by fences and security cameras and clearly empty. Turns out it’s the Russian Embassy…
Indy found a tree to climb.
And of course had to do a tree pose in a tree.
Our last scheduled stop was Huvilakatu which is famous for its colourful townhouses.
It was beautiful, but parking spots are on the street so the view is very obstructed. It reminded me a bit of Rainbow Row in Charleston, SC.
I smiled when I spotted a Jesus loves you sticker on the back of a traffic sign.
Back at our apartment, my brother and sister-in-law made a sandwich for the road and headed off. We had plans for the evening—dinner out at the home of one of John’s colleagues—so we left at the same time.
And that’s a wrap on adventures in Helsinki!!!!
(One quintessential Helsinki activity we didn’t repeat with our visitors was a Finnish sauna. Earlier in our stay, Belle and I booked a session at Löyly Helsinki, where we alternated between the saunas and dips in the Baltic Sea.)
Your turn.
- Do you like showing visitors around when they come to visit?
- When’s the last time something like a beautiful work of art or piece of music gave you chills?
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Tree pose in a tree!!! Indy drops the mic yet again.
Bravo to your brother for his first roller coaster ride. I’ve always said roller coasters are on my Never Will I Ever list, but if he can ride the scariest seat for his first ride, maybe I can reconsider.
I’m in a place called Red River Gorge this weekend, and yesterday’s adventures included driving through a very narrow old train tunnel and taking a ski lift style ride to the top of a cliff. So I can match your tunnel and make a very weak tea comparison to the roller coaster.
Ha. He does what he can 🙂
Birchie, you should definitely tick roller coaster off your list. I’ll gladly come along. Better yet, invite Belle. She’d love to join you… in the front row.
I curious to know if your brother (and other siblings) are frugal too?
We are all frugal, to differing extents and in different ways.
I would say my parents were incredibly frugal out of necessity and all of their kids are frugal by choice. That said, we definitely all spend out on travel; as in, we travel. We try to do it economically, but we prioritize experiences with our families and that does end up costing money.
Thanks for the reply!
I wrote a comment that mysteriously disappeared… but I don’t want to leave the same comment twice by mistake. I was saying that I’ve become (mysteriously) an expert on Helsinki and have been advising friends who want to travel to Europe next summer, but don’t want to be too hot. I have the perfect place for them!
Ha! I will admit that Helsinki is not as glamorous as lots of the other European cities, but it definitely does have much cooler temperatures!