Hannah's Guide to Helsinki
I don't want to end up one of those people who have to put their significant other into every update and eventually drive my friends list insane. I don't need to talk about Bam to show how much I love him. I don't want him to become a bragging tool or whatever. This isn't competition, it's love. Our relationship is for us, not you. Justified to nobody..enjoyed by us.
So I decided to bring you my guide to Helsinki. I've been here so many times I can find my way around the city blindfolded..maybe. Either way, I realize I just randomly toss out place names and things and expect you all to know what the hell I'm talking about. That's not very fair of me. Anyways, I figured I'd tell you about a few of my favorite places to visit, complete with pictures and links. Maybe you'll get an idea why I love the place so much. Boring? Possibly. But better than anything else I could possibly update with at the moment. Trust me.
There's a beautiful park called Sibeliuksen Puisto and at this park there is a monument to the great composter Jean Sibelius, the voice of Finland. Sibelius monument. The leaves are extra pretty in the fall, as you can tell by these pictures. If you want to know more about Sibelius, read here.
Located on Senaatintori Square (Senaatintori Square literally translated meaning Senate Square. It is Helsinki's "official" centre. It was designed after the finnish capital was moved in 1812 from Turku, which still holds a grudge to this day, to be closer to St. Petersberg.) is a beautiful lutheran church called Tuomiokirkko. It was originally finished in 1852 under the Russian tzar Nicholas I. The chief architect was Carl Ludvig Engel. The statue in front is tzar Alexander II who, incidentally, sold Alaska to the US in 1881. Another park I enjoy walking through when I visit is Kaivopuisto. (give it a little time to load and drag your mouse over the picture). The view over the cliffs is breathtaking and the park itself was once home to a popular spa that drew people from all over. They destroyed all but one of the spa structures, turning into a bar/resturant called Kaivohuone. I've only been to the resturant once but I would definitely say it's worth checking out.
There are so many things I could sit and tell you about but I would put you all to sleep so I'll try to speed it up here. There are many wonderful resturants with all sorts of different cuisine. Russian, french, Thai, chinese, italian and of course finnish. You can try things like ox, reindeer, bear soup, salmon pudding. My favorite places to frequent include Cantina West, Lost and Found, Tavastia Klubi among others. There is a cute little cybercafe called MBAR that I go to when I'm sick of hiding in my flat on my laptop and need a little bit of human contact. Papa Giovanni's has the best italian food and Kosmos was the first place I ever tried reindeer fillet. (needless to say I never tried it again, but I'm willing to try anything once.) And of course there are the spas, which speak for themselves.
The one thing I want to do that I haven't yet...is visit Casino Ray. I am afraid of gambling away all my money though. I seem to gamble everything else away so easily.
Yes Johnny, I find Salmiakki good. And I can so picture your face after reading that. haha. But it's true. Anyways, that's a little glimpse into Helsinki through my eyes. I could walk around the city and never get tired. In fact, I end up doing that a lot, admiring the buildings and scenery. You should try it sometime.
If you're still reading this and feeling extra ambitious (read: nerdy) check out the history of Helsinki.
So I decided to bring you my guide to Helsinki. I've been here so many times I can find my way around the city blindfolded..maybe. Either way, I realize I just randomly toss out place names and things and expect you all to know what the hell I'm talking about. That's not very fair of me. Anyways, I figured I'd tell you about a few of my favorite places to visit, complete with pictures and links. Maybe you'll get an idea why I love the place so much. Boring? Possibly. But better than anything else I could possibly update with at the moment. Trust me.
There's a beautiful park called Sibeliuksen Puisto and at this park there is a monument to the great composter Jean Sibelius, the voice of Finland. Sibelius monument. The leaves are extra pretty in the fall, as you can tell by these pictures. If you want to know more about Sibelius, read here.
Located on Senaatintori Square (Senaatintori Square literally translated meaning Senate Square. It is Helsinki's "official" centre. It was designed after the finnish capital was moved in 1812 from Turku, which still holds a grudge to this day, to be closer to St. Petersberg.) is a beautiful lutheran church called Tuomiokirkko. It was originally finished in 1852 under the Russian tzar Nicholas I. The chief architect was Carl Ludvig Engel. The statue in front is tzar Alexander II who, incidentally, sold Alaska to the US in 1881. Another park I enjoy walking through when I visit is Kaivopuisto. (give it a little time to load and drag your mouse over the picture). The view over the cliffs is breathtaking and the park itself was once home to a popular spa that drew people from all over. They destroyed all but one of the spa structures, turning into a bar/resturant called Kaivohuone. I've only been to the resturant once but I would definitely say it's worth checking out.
There are so many things I could sit and tell you about but I would put you all to sleep so I'll try to speed it up here. There are many wonderful resturants with all sorts of different cuisine. Russian, french, Thai, chinese, italian and of course finnish. You can try things like ox, reindeer, bear soup, salmon pudding. My favorite places to frequent include Cantina West, Lost and Found, Tavastia Klubi among others. There is a cute little cybercafe called MBAR that I go to when I'm sick of hiding in my flat on my laptop and need a little bit of human contact. Papa Giovanni's has the best italian food and Kosmos was the first place I ever tried reindeer fillet. (needless to say I never tried it again, but I'm willing to try anything once.) And of course there are the spas, which speak for themselves.
The one thing I want to do that I haven't yet...is visit Casino Ray. I am afraid of gambling away all my money though. I seem to gamble everything else away so easily.
Yes Johnny, I find Salmiakki good. And I can so picture your face after reading that. haha. But it's true. Anyways, that's a little glimpse into Helsinki through my eyes. I could walk around the city and never get tired. In fact, I end up doing that a lot, admiring the buildings and scenery. You should try it sometime.
If you're still reading this and feeling extra ambitious (read: nerdy) check out the history of Helsinki.