Helsinki

Although it would have been only a very short flight from Stockholm to Helsinki, we booked a cabin in a cruise ship to return to Finland so that we could see the Stockholm archipelago as well as the many islands off of the Finnish coast.  While we did ooh and aah over the stunning ocean front homes on the Swedish isles, for the most part the 12 hour boat ride did not deliver the expected sightseeing extravaganza.  Spending all day on the ship was fantastic, though, because it gave us a bit of a break from being non-stop tourists. We read, napped and dined, and finished the day fully recharged to explore Helsinki during our final day and a half of the trip.  Never underestimate the importance of relaxation as part of your travel itinerary! 

Support of Local Businesses.  I mapped our Helsinki itinerary while AD attended a morning meeting to wrap up the business part of his trip.  He didn’t suspect a thing when I presented the list of our objectives for the day. He just shook his head when we rolled up in front of the store of a local designer. And he thought I chose to walk through the Design District because???? I say one shop in over more than two weeks of traveling is admirable, if not miraculous. Besides, a local designer focused on sustainably sourced materials? It would be irresponsible tourism not to have a peek at his store.  I loved the collection and the fact that the designer himself assisted my shopping efforts.  Unfortunately his creations don’t fit me quite right, so I had to leave behind a pair of pants that I will pine over for quite some time. On a more positive note, his jewelry fits all sizes and shapes…

Restaurants.  Never mind the cuisine, Helsinki restaurants permit dogs inside the dining room!  A slightly unruly boxer accompanied two of our neighboring diners at lunch and this guy was in our dinner restaurant: 

This lab wasn’t a therapy dog. He was just out with the family.

I find it so civilized that no one freaks out that dog germs will somehow irreparably contaminate restaurants. In Vancouver, the health department won’t even permit dogs on outside café patios. Not surprisingly, I prefer the Finnish approach. 

What the?? As I admired the broader minded approach to dogs in Finland, we chatted with AD’s Finnish friend about our respective pups and the Finn pulled out his phone to show us a photo of his.  The photo, taken within a day of our viewing, was not just a dog. It was a dog and a snake that the dog found in the yard. It’s cold in Helsinki right now. Not parka cold, but winter coat and gloves cold. The possibility of snakes never crossed my mind.  Am I safe nowhere? 

While apparently there is a reptile risk in Finland, at least your stuff is safe.  People are incredibly nonchalant about keeping their belongings from being stolen.  In our very busy dinner restaurant, a woman seated at the table closest to the door left her laptop all by its lonesome and went who knows where for an absurdly long time.  I’m a New York girl at heart so I won’t even leave my phone too far out of reach on the table while I’m seated next to it.  Who gets up and walks away from a laptop? By the door? I kind of had to keep vigil because the whole thing made me nervous.  And then after dinner we walked AD’s friend back to his bike a few blocks away smack in downtown Helsinki. While he had a flimsy cable lock run between the back wheel and the frame, the bike wasn’t attached to anything, and I’m pretty sure my nail clippers could make short work of the cable. But, the bike was still there hours later for me to witness this phenomenon. 

While Helsinki may not be my favorite city I’ve ever visited, I have to say that these experiences made me realize it is absolutely lovely. How wonderful to live where theft is such a low concern and your faithful dog can accompany you most anywhere.  They need to sort out that snake thing though.

Most Unique Churches Award.  If you go to Europe, you visit churches. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not, it’s just what you do to experience the architecture and history.  Helsinki offered up some of the traditional style of churches that were beautiful, but it also boasts the very original Chapel of Silence and Church of the Rock.

While technically a protestant church, the Chapel of Silence is mostly meant to be a place of calm within the busy city and everyone regardless of his or her religion/background/philosophy is welcome to come benefit from the silence.

Outside of the Chapel of Silence.

AD and I looked at each other and whispered, “It looks like a sauna.” True, but it is incredibly peaceful, and not nearly as warm.

The Church of the Rock is also a protestant church that is carved directly into a mass of, well, rock. 

Apologies for the less than fantastic photo but an iPhone camera is no match for streaming morning sunshine.

I must also applaud the Church of the Rock as one of the most thorough churches ever.  Churches frequented by tourists often provide their religious pamphlets in several languages. Languages like French, English, Spanish, German – you get the idea.  The Church of the Rock seems to aim to cover ALL languages:

I had to look up Amharic because that one was new to me – it is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia, in case you are wondering.