Helsinki (Part I)

The Easter weekend came and left like the searing winds in Helsinki. We are finally back in London - tired but happy. The four days of travelling in Helsinki and Stockholm were almost non-existent. Helsinki started really slow that we were wondering if there are things to do over the long weekend and it suddenly switched to us leaving Stockholm in a rush, almost missing the taxis that were to fetch us to Arlanda Airport.

I had mixed feelings about this trip because the experiences in both cities were totally different. In Helsinki we spent more time in the cafes and had more desserts/coffee breaks than what we would normally have done during a month back in London. In Stockholm, we were literally rushing from point to point just so to catch as many sights as possible and that included walking in heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures.










Our trip did not get off to a good start from the moment we left our hotel (Grand Scandic). The town seems so "dead" that we were wondering if we were in the right place. As we approached the marketplace, a TV crew (Channel 4) came over to interview us, asking why we are in Helsinki. He went on to explain that there are not much activities in Helsinki over Good Friday and his programme is probably to highlight travellers that visit Helsinki over Good Friday (cue idiots) and taking a piss at us. We were then faced with a hail storm that emerged out of no-where and were left scuffing for our lives.










Though we had less stuff to do in Helsinki, the coffee and desserts were great. Even Andy, who's from the Swiss-chocoland, exclaimed in sweet wonder at the quality of the chocolate desserts (rum & chocolate, bailey's, lemon and chocolate, white choco with peach and so on). We also had our first try at reindeer meat, a taste that crosses beef and mutton. Our first and last.

We also called on Kynsilaukka Ravintola, an all-garlic restaurant that myself and Xueyan were hesitant about visiting. It ended up a wonderful experience (maybe our expectations were low). The food was fantastic (though the portions were weird-sizes). I must say garlic beer is a no-no for those who are ever curious.










There were not many sights to see but you can't miss Suomenlinna, a sea fortress. As Francine (our Helsinki "tour coordinator") kindly explained that this is the second-best sea fortress in the world, we were left scratching our heads (and hairs) over which is the best. Gibraltar, anyone?

We also met several Singaporeans on our cruise to/fro Suomenlinna and it always goes:

"Are you guys Singaporeans?"

"Yah, why? And how do you know?"

"Oh, from your slang!"

Well, you can always take a Singaporean out of the heartlands, but you can never take the Singlish out of him. ;)