I’m almost done with recapping our time in Helsinki. One more post—which I’ve yet to write—about the long weekend when my brother and sister-in-law came to visit.
Until I get around to that… here’s a second catchall of random pictures. (Catchall 1.0 is here.)
One day we headed off to Oodi Library, with Belle in tow this time, to try to print off a 3-D keychain. We were greeted by a giant sign announcing that the 3-D printer is closed for maintenance every Monday from 8 am – 4 pm. Foiled once again. I give up. (Spoiler alert: we never did end up 3-D printing a keychain in Helsinki.)
At least we got another great picture in front of the city sign.
That same day, we stopped by Amos Rex. It’s such a fun spot to explore. Though I wasn’t interested in running hither and yon and got cold fast.
Indy didn’t have the same problem…
By the time we left Amos Rex, it had started to rain. So we stopped at a popular (inexpensive) coffee shop to wait for the storm to pass by.
It never did stop raining, but at least we were caffeinated.
I thought it would be fun to check out Old Market Hall. As the name might suggest, it’s the oldest market hall in Helsinki, and has been a go-to spot for locals and tourists since the late 1880s.
It’s a bit pricier than the nearby open market (Kauppatori), but it was a great spot to explore on a cold, rainy day.
I told the kids we could each get one thing to try. We walked the entire perimeter checking out the options, and Belle went first.
The deal was that whatever we chose, everyone got at least one bite of it.
This peanut butter square was a GREAT choice from Robert’s Coffee Company.
Indy spied some gelato and so we made our way back to that stall next. It was delicious! And it was actually cheaper than a lot of the options we’d seen in the city. Ice cream is expensive in Finland.
I had wanted to try the traditional blueberry pie, and so our final stop was Way Bakery.
It was good, but my least favourite of the sweet treats we tried. That said, it’s an iconic dessert and so it wins major points for ticking that box. While I preferred the other items, this wasn’t exactly hard to choke down.
Reindeer are not just for pulling Santa’s sleigh in Finland. They’re for eating. Not sure how I feel about that, but elk, reindeer, and moose meat/jerky is everywhere!
Switching gears. Behold my Moomin mug. I read that every Finnish home contains at least one Moomin mug and I love what I selected for our cupboard back home. I figured there was no reason to wait: it’s going to be my go-to mug for the rest of our trip.
John and I have had four sushi dates and I love them. The company, and the food.
Speaking of sushi, we found a go-to inexpensive sushi shop a few minutes away from our place with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating! John and I went four or five times on date nights, but one afternoon Indy and I took advantage of the even more cost effective lunchtime menu. He approved… and it was fun to have this mom/son time together.
A view from close to our apartment.
A trip to the local grocery store, stocking up on things that are on sale!
I had wanted to see the interior of the Rock Church (Temppeliaukio Church), but didn’t feel inclined to pay an entry fee to visit as a tourist. Plus, I wanted to see the church in “action.” I looked at the events page and discovered a free music recital. The kids weren’t particularly enthused to tag along, but the interior was lovely and I got chills when the musicians—all kids—played Ave Maria.
While he might not have been overly enthusiastic about classical music, he was singing a different tune when the concert wrapped up and he could let loose on the rocky outcropping over top of the church. (You can spot the glass and copper dome poking up behind his head.)
And that’s a wrap of random photos from my camera roll. Well, at least from Helsinki!
Wait. I lied! I found another tree pose photo. Indy had a few spare minutes while we were waiting for a metro one and didn’t let it go to waste.
Your turn.
- Have you ever used a 3-D printer?
- Can you do a tree pose?
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What a variety! Living there you really got to experience a lot of high points! Rock Church is astounding!
I have two 3D printers in the house -my son has made some wonderful creations and practical things. One is a tissue box cover- i dont like the patterns on most tissue boxes, so the pretty cover he made me hides the box. I had him print little dragons and lizards to put in goody bags for a Halloween party. Lots of uses!
The Rock Church is stunning and a functional church (services every week, all in Finnish).
A tissue box cover = genius. And I love the idea of making 3-D printed items for treat bags.
I personally have never used a 3-D printer, but I’m the only member of my family who hasn’t. My husband got a fairly nice printer last year, and the big project was that he printed “Shaun the Sheep” TP holders after we saw them at a friend’s house.
Indy is king of the tree pose! All that the rest of us can do is to look on in wonder.
I remember you showing a picture of the TP holders at some point. What a fun, whimsical idea and a great use of a 3-D printer 🙂
I haven’t done a single tree pose on this trip; I let him do it for the both of us!
I’ve never used a 3D printer. They are cool though! I did just get a coil binder which I am excited to try out. It seems like homeschool curricula are moving to pdfs that one just print out and then you have to manage all the paper somehow. My kids destroy papers in 3 ring binders so coil binding it is and I’m tired of paying staples an outrageous amount to do it.
Indy’s tree poses are fabulous and very impressive!
A coil binder sounds like a wise investment for a homeschooling family! I hope it keeps things wonderfully organized.
So it costs money to see the inside of the Rock Church, but you were able to go for free AND hear music!!! Sounds like a win. I’ve never used a 3-D printer. I can do a tree pose, but not balanced on all the tiny things like Indy!
Such a win. The acoustics are incredible!
He definitely enjoys doing tree poses on the tiniest thing he can possibly find!! A solid, flat surface is getting too boring for him, haha.
I made a snowman Christmas ornament with a new 3-D printer at work back in 2015. I remember it took a couple of hours to complete. I still have it! I can do tree pose, but not with Indy’s finesse! How fortunate to be able to see inside Rock Church for free – it looks amazing!
What a unique Christmas ornament. It is really quite incredible what people can create with 3-D printers and with new technology, it’s only going to get more and more impressive.
The Rock Church was a highlight for me, but I think only because I got to see it in “action” with music. Spoiler alert: I went again and it was even more wonderful.
I’m sorry you didn’t get to make a 3-d keychain in Helsinki. Maybe you can find one in Wales? I’ve never played with one. We have one at our local library, but I’m clueless about what to do with it.
Tell Indy that his foot goes above or below his knee, just not on it. He can injure himself this way and then he wouldn’t be able to play soccer.
I have coached him on technique a few times and he… sometimes adheres 🙁
I’ve never used a 3D printer, but one of my friends has one and has printed some very cool stuff with it!
I love the Helsinki potpourri and I hope you make a book of all of Indy’s tree poses in different places around the world! So cool!
I know, right? I need to have some pages in the photobook devoted just to tree poses. We have a lot to choose from 😉