HELSINKI, FINLAND
Finland Fun Facts:
The first inhabitants of Finland were the Sami (Lapp) people who stayed in Sampi. Sampi is geographically 30% of Finland, but is home to only 3% of the population.
The Midnight Sun is a normal phenomenon in Finland, where the sun does not set for 73 consecutive summer days.
With a population of 5.4 million, Finland has over 3 million saunas.
Finland offers free education at elementary, secondary, and university levels.
Finland was the first European country to give women the right to vote.
There are more Heavy Metal bands in Finland per capita than anywhere else in the world.
PROTIP: "Trip It!" is a nifty convenient website to use when booking flights, hotels, trains, excursions, and more! You sign up with Trip It using your email address. It gathers all your travel information along with confirmations, and neatly packages them ready for you to navigate when you travel! Just download the app and it will update you on all delays, offers maps to your destinations, as well as keeps all contact information for the area or excursion you are going to in case you need to use it! Also, it is free!
Kauppatori
I started off the morning on an adventure to the downtown main square, Kauppatori.
It just so happened to be hosting a large festival that day and the town square was packed with little vendors through each corner, rows and rows of hand crafted souvenirs, delicious street food, and a line of ships parked in the harbor nearby. One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to souvenir shop so I was in heaven.
I noticed most of the souvenirs were combinations of antlers from the reindeer in Lapland along with many wooden items. It was mind blowing how creative they were with different ideas to use from the antlers. Bottle openers, wine stoppers, Pukko or hunting knives, butter knives, Kuksa drinking cups, key chains... you name it.
I loved them all but my favorite was the Kukas as it is a type of wooden drinking cup made by the Lapps (Sami people) in Lapland. They have one or two openings for the fingers and often come with a reindeer leather strap. They can be used for hot and cold drinks and are traditionally made from birch bark or burl.
I decided to try the most popular dish at the festival, as there was a line throughout the area waiting to get into the tent. I found out it was a plate of fried and salted little fishies, muikku, with other vegetables. Vendace was the name of the dish!
Helsinki Cathedral
One of my favorite things to do in a new city, especially in Helsinki, is to always check out the churches nearby. This is Helsinki Cathedral. One of the most well known buildings in Helsinki and an icon for senate square. It’s gorgeous white columns only measure half of what beauty lies within. It is known to bring in 350,000 to half a million visitors each year. It is a Lutheran church built, completed in 1852, but it still actively holds services and weddings! There is also a crypt to visit that holds a smaller chapel and offers a neat cafe called Cafe Krypta!
The Chapel of Silence, Kamppi Chapel
In this little underground church off of the busy streets of Helsinki, I found myself admiring the purest wooden pews and smooth walls during the intense moments of silence.
This chapel is one of a kind as it welcomes everyone, no matter religion or background, to come together and admire in silence. I really enjoy this concept as it is a testimony, with this world being torn from religion to political views, that there are places like this where none of that matters because everyone can enjoy one another without actually speaking. Like a concert. But quiet.
Concerts to me, are an expressive way to release emotions, feeling ecstatic with likeminded newfound friends all around. Everyone is there for a certain reason, and they all have one connection altogether, the musical artist. I feel the similarities this way, here, in the Chapel of Silence. Although our similarities maybe a curiosity or perhaps a travelers mindset in this setting.
It was a chilly autumn morning when I made my first steps upon Suomenlinna.
A sea fortress covered in wonder and enriched in heritage.
Many explore for picnics near the seaside, bike rides in the sunlight, or visits to the museums nearby.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this little island and exploring all its hidden nooks and crannies amidst the windy October day.
If you ever visit Helsinki, this is a must do!
A sauna is a small room where one can experience dry or wet heat sessions.
There are multiple types of saunas including infrared, steam, and smoke
sauna. The traditional saunas (smoke saunas) are ones the Finnish use regularly. It
is traditional for smoke saunas to burn large amounts of wood, 6 to 8 hours, and let the smoke out before enjoying löyly (the Finnish word for sauna
heat).
In Finland, there are built-in saunas in almost every home and they are set to 102-140 degrees with low humidity. Water is thrown onto the hot
stones to increase the heat. It is also common to fully disrobe and use a bundle of birch twigs with fresh leaves to slap the skin to create stimulation of
the pores. Many fins race from the sauna to a dip in a cold lake or shower to cool off, and back to the sauna. It is the norm to partake in a sauna
session at least once or twice a week year round!
If you ever visit Helsinki, I highly recommend this sauna to visit! It was built in 1928 and has been actively functioning as a traditional sauna ever since! It is known as being the most authentic sauna in the Helsinki area - (Also, it’s BYOB!)
