(In Helsinki, Peace is a woman).
Helsinki is a relatively new city. Much of the architecture is from the 1930s. Turrets everywhere. The city is on a peninsular that was very nearly an island. It's a walkable city - we only needed public transport to get to and from the airport and when we had luggage.
However, it's a very...decentralized...city. And I'd note I have a European concept of walkable. Many Americans (and anyone with mobility issues) are going to want to take advantage of the good deals on transit cards. There's no tourist area, the National Museum is a long way from, for example, Suomenlinna. Good restaurants are tucked away into random neighborhoods (look for Restaurant Kannas, which is lit. in a random neighborhood, is excellent, and has the feel of a good English pub).
It's also very much what I call an extrovert city. Public space is spread through the city, hostile architecture is rare. Public restrooms are common (and free!), especially in the waterfront parks and city beaches. Having a short summer seems to make the people of Helsinki appreciate it more and spend it all outside.
Be aware that Helsinki is a slightly formal city - unlike England or America, you can't get away with going out to dinner in a t-shirt. But it's also cosmopolitan enough that if Finnish food isn't to your taste you can get just about anything else. Albeit for city prices. The restaurants on the islands are very expensive and we didn't try them on the grounds that they were probably not that great. We also avoided the American paddle steamer with "American BBQ" that, per the menu, involves such gems as "Texas Chili & Toast" (Am I wrong in thinking Texans don't eat chili with toast?). We ate Finnish food because we can get the rest anywhere... Get the sauteed reindeer, which is a very old recipe and delicious with lingonberries. Well, everything is delicious with lingonberries.
And as you can see from the photo, the weather was beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment