Helsinki

As I mentioned, I spent a couple days in Helsinki over the weekend. I had printed out a walking tour to do in Helsinki and the author wrote that Helsinki is a city of second glances. You don't fall in love at first site, but when you take a careful look, you really like it. I think that was an accurate description. It doesn't have the glamour or charm of Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen, but it's an interesting city and it has a lot of character.

I spent a lot of time walking around and looking at the interesting architecture in the city. The city is known in particular for both its Art Nouveau and more contemporary buildings. There is also a design district, with a lot of stores featuring Finnish design. I had a list of stores to visit, and enjoyed seeing their wares. Going to the different stores was almost like visiting museums devoted to Finnish design.

The other main thing I did in Helsinki was visit Suomelina, a large former fortress on an island outside the city. The fortress has been held by Russia, Sweden, and Finland and had an interesting history. I enjoyed the museum there as well as just walking around the vast fortress. At one point, it was the second largest town in Finland.

I enjoyed my little trip to Helsinki. I love seeing the subtle differences between the different Nordic cultures and appreciated the Russian influences on Finnish culture. I loved walking and running around the city and experiencing Finnish design.