2018: Helsinki
Where cheap airfares guide me, so I follow. This late summer trip to Helsinki was primarily precipitated by a discounted flight, thanks to Finland's tourism board subsidizing airfare (in an effort to drum up tourism — it clearly worked). Though it was promoted as a short 8-hr layover in Helsinki, I turned it into a 3 day stop, on my way to Berlin.
Day One
I began my trip armed with a list of recommendations from my coworker, who has lived in Helsinki and lives for its design culture. Fittingly, I started my trip at the Iittala & Arabia Design Centre. It’s a bit north of the city center, between the airport and the heart of Helsinki, so it was on the way in.
From there, I made my way to Kahvila Siili, the only place in Helsinki to use Heath dishes. It is owned by a couple who splits their time between San Francisco and Helsinki. The lovely young woman working the counter gave me the tip about the HSL app and helped me navigate to my next destination. Getting there was a nice journey through a suburban area, complete with a field of sunflowers and surprisingly wooded forests.
Day Two
The first full day without internet. I had previously thought I had a great sense of direction, but this day saw me more turned around than a hula hoop. Between not getting much sleep due to jetlag (when I say not much, I really mean none) and the buckle on my shoe breaking around 9am, it felt like a cursed day.
Started the morning at Teurastamo, expecting to find a lively market, or at least a slowly waking market. It was dead, save one cafe. Thankfully, the nice barista gave me a few recommendations about how to spend my morning and warned me that Helsinki is not a city that rises early. I walked to Puu-Vallila, a small cluster of wooden homes, then kept walking to the south waterfront (I started the day very early and had a lot of time to kill).
The sun struggled to break through the clouds as I walked along the water. After a strange bus mishap (a non-English speaking bus driver and I spent some quality time together, alone on his bus, while he took his break in the most desolate part of the city), I made me way to the western part of the city, to visit the Alvar Aalto Studio and House. The ticket included a warning to arrive early, but upon arrival I was curtly told to wait outside, as they don’t let in visitors until closer to 5 before the start time. By this point in the day, this was feeling par for the course. The sun had still not come out. Once finally allowed in the house, it was an inspiring visit. Expect to start 5-10 minutes late and for the first half of the tour to be guided and to be on your own for the second half — you can retrace your steps, explore wherever, and take all the photos you’d like.
Next, I stopped by the small Didrichsen Museum, a funny little bit of California Modernism on the Nordic coast. It didn’t take long to make my wake through the Svenskt Tenn exhibit, and to then make my way to EMMA, Espoo’s Modern Art Museum.
From there, I made my way back to the Central Rail Station in the heart of Helsinki and wandered around. Honestly, I was looking for something, anything that would catch my eye. The city so far had felt undecipherable. I stumbled upon a handful of galleries, open late because it was Thursday, while wandering around otherwise deserted neighborhoods. I finally found a casual place to grab dinner (falafel), before heading home in defeat.
Day Three
The need to have internet was made apparent to me the day prior, so I set out Friday morning with the novel ability to access my map of interest points, anywhere, anytime. After a casual breakfast of porridge, the (apparent) Finnish classic, I popped into a variety of shops and then headed to the Design Museum, Art Museum, and Finlandia Hall.
The true highlight of this day, however, was my evening visit to Kulttuurisauna, a Japanese-style sauna on the shores of the Baltic Sea. I alternated between steaming in the sauna and swimming in the chilly waters of the sea. It peaceful and revitalizing, and the perfect ending to a strange few days.
Saying Goodbye
I spent the last night at the hostel on Suonmenlinna. It was easy to catch the ferry there and back and was the perfect place to burn off some early morning energy before heading to the airport to catch my flight to Berlin.
General Thoughts
I had read that public wifi was so readily available, you didn't even need to secure internet access. This is not true. After one painful day of only being able to access the internet when I was at a restaurant or cafe (I can't tell you how many times I got turned around, went the wrong direction on a bus, or was simply lost), I paid for data via my Verizon plan. At $10/day, it's not a great value for an extended trip, but for the one day I had left in Helsinki, it was worth every penny.
Public transit (along with most services and goods) is incredibly expensive. But, you get a slight price break by paying for tickets through the HSL app, rather than using cash directly on the bus or at ticket machines. The app is the best transit app I've ever used. In one place, you can plan your trip, buy your tickets, check full transit routes, and more. And it is all connected! So if the trip you are embarking on needs a different ticket than what you have bought through the app (for instance, you are changing zones), it tells you on the main navigation screen. To use in practice, simply show the ticket screen to the bus driver when you board.
Interestingly, I never saw anyone checking for tickets on the trains and there is no payment gate (the way there is on BART or NYMTA). But the buses seemed to be more heavily regulated — you have to board at the front and either pay, swipe a card, or show a valid ticket.
I wouldn't describe Finnish people as terribly friendly, but they were helpful when engaged.
I didn't pick up the Finnish word for "thank you," kiitos, until the last day I was there. A sign of lack of gratitude? Or lack of small talk?
Unlike most of western Europe, Helsinki had relatively few smokers. Interestingly, I noticed overweight people closer to the scale you'll see in a coastal American city. Possibly related?
