Helsinki, Finland

Hello Hivers

I recently had the opportunity to visit Finland, when a friend who is working there invited me for a visit. It's an impressive city, clean, large green areas, public transit is world class, and seems like a comfortable, pleasant and very livable city.

Waterfront Trail

With 5.5 million people in Finland it is surprising to find out there are 3 million saunas. The public one we attended required a swimsuit, but in private going au natural is the norm. This one is right on the Baltic Sea and a dip in the frigid water was quite refreshing after a while in the sauna. A reservation was required and although we arrived 15 min early, we were informed we the reservations were strickly enforced.

Loyly Sauna

An interesting structure, made of wooden slats, with a number of saunas inside, a restaurant and a few decks to sit in the sun.

The market was interesting, seeing and tasting the local cuisine is always recommended while travelling. Our lunch consisted of salmon soup, a popular dish, and on display was reindeer meat, lots of caviar, pickled herring, and everything looked appetizing.

Salmon Soup

The market is a must see, and a great stop for a meal, or snack.

Finns seem to have a very strong sense of nationalist pride, and they have a lot to be proud of, the museums are very informative and a must see.

National Museum of Finland

One evening we went to "Lappi", a restaurant with a traditional Lapp menu. The reindeer on mashed Potatoes with lingonberries was amazing. Lapp are the Indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, but they prefer the name Sami.

Reindeer and Lingonberries
Not a very old city like most in Europe, Helsinki was founded in 1550, and there are some nice architecturally interesting buildings and sites to see.

Upenski Cathedral

Overall a very nice city, you feel safe, easy to get around, interesting culture and an enjoyable place to spend a few days.
I hope you enjoyed my post as much as I enjoyed Helsinki.