Finland March 2014 (Part 1)

What better place to celebrate my second St. Patrick's Day in Europe than in Helsinki, right?  Ok, maybe not.  But it was a good time to for me to take a work trip - LBJ did not have any evening lectures this week, and she had a day off from work.  So a trip this week produced minimal disruption, in theory at least.

After 2 days here, I give Helsinki a thumbs up despite mediocre weather.  The city has a lot of nice architecture, friendly people, lots of coastline, and plenty of things to do.  I did a lot of outdoor sightseeing my first afternoon as the sun was shining and the wind was gentle, if cold.

Helsinki Cathedral

Senate Square 

First stop was Senate Square, with the statue of Tsar Alexander II (who was much nicer than Alex #1).  Photos don't really do it justice - my guidebook calls it "one of the finest and mist harmonious urban spaces in Europe."  The Helsinki City Museum (visited on day #2) had an interesting display of photos of the square from the late 1800s to today.  No occupy Helsinki photos, though.

Since the forecast wasn't as good for later in the week, I did the one "must-see" activity on my list - the ferry to Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was pretty awesome, although cold - temperature around freezing.  Still, I did the main walking trail along the islands and thoroughly enjoyed it, although I didn't read ALL the signs (despite being a sign-reader in general, as my family knows all too well).

Suomenlinna Church

Suomenlinna in Spring

My only disappointment was that the brewery on the island was closed on Mondays.  So I took the ferry back to Helsinki.  A quick web search found a nice casual restaurant for dinner.  Or so I thought - turns out that it started life as a food truck, and the location was where the food truck parks for the summer.  But I stumbled upon a French-themed bar (gastropub?) complete with French-language music on the speakers.  The sign out front advertised quiche for 6 euros.  It was so yummy that I had to try the creme brûlée as well (equally yummy).  I asked the barman for any Finnish beer, and he recommends a beer from the brewery that I tried to visit earlier.  It was fate.  I had a nice conversation with two other patrons - they are opening a bakery across the street and wondered how a tourist found their favorite neighborhood bar.  Apparently, I found an up-and-coming part of Helsinki.

I'll close this posting with a housing update - looks like we have agreed upon a price, so hopefully we will be homeowners in the summer!