Helsinki bound
Trip Start
Dec 08, 2011
1
12
Trip End
Dec 31, 2011
Helsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
I made it safely back to Helsinki & checked into my hotel, which is conveniently located in the centre of the city. I wandered down to the Esplanade & found the Marimekko cafe. It has a great retro vibe with classic Marimekko pieces in use, plus the cappucino was excellent. I think it's a bit of a hidden gem as it's behind the Marimekko shop, away from the crowds of tourists!
There are several other iconic stores on the Esplanade, including Iittala & Pentik, plus Stockmann is on the corner. As it was getting dark, the lights along the Esplanade were really pretty. I made my way down to the Market Hall, which is full of food stalls such as fish, cheese, bread etc. I also found the Tourist Info centre & collected lots of brochures. I haven't worked out what I'm going to do for the next 2 days yet....
A bit more walking took me past the Cathedral, where they are setting up for the New Years Eve celebrations. Before I knew it, I was back at the shops, which are open till 9pm. So a little bit of shopping (including buying a new carry on suitcase with hard edges for my glassware) before returning to the hotel. Dinner was Reindeer sirloin at the hotel restaurant, it was really nice. Reindeer is something we can't get in Australia, but it's similar to Venison. It was a long day, so I had no problems falling asleep.
