HELSINKI IS WHERE MY HEART IS. (Helsinki)

Member Name: purplegirl1989

Product:	Helsinki
Date:	10/06/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: People, Nature, Shopping, Bars, musuems, culture, history, market place

Disadvantages: ( For me, the vegetarian) the food which consists of lots of meat.

I'm slightly reluctant to write this review if I'm honest, as I quite like the idea of keeping the wonders of Helsinki a secret.
What's so special about it? Everything. Well almost- I'm not quite into Finnish cuisine but then I'm a vegetarian so it's no wonder. Even then, most restaurants do a damn good pasta dish. To me, its the perfect place because its by no means too big and crowded like most European capitals but at the same time it has so much life buzzing in it, it's impossible to be bored. If you don't run by Finnish logic then it can be rather hard to navigate through the first few times but that's no big issue. I love how the history is a huge part of Helsinki's culture- its a fairly new city but its Swedish and Russian influences make it a work of art in itself. The buildings are wonderful and there are many statues, some reflecting the past and some just there for plain humour.
I have never experienced one day the same in Helsinki. For me, it just gives off an atmosphere where anything can happen. One minute you can be soaking the sun in one of the amazing parks, then shopping in the extensive range of shops, bumping into rockstars in the street, drinking on Sunday nights, the list goes on..

OK, so you have a week to spend in Helsinki. What can you do? Well first of all, you must ensure you visit the symbol of Helsinki- Helsingin tuomiokirkko (Helsinki Cathedral.) This spectacular building overlooks Helsinki and is most probably the main feature on the postcards. You have to be quite fit to be able to actually get up the stairs to it, but believe me, you'll be glad you did. Not just a pretty view, the Cathedral offers an atmosphere of complete peace and that's just on the outside. It's especially brilliant at night time, just don't choose a saturday night, as the steps outside are where the underage drinkers gather to party. I've never actually seen inside but as I'm not religious I prefer to admire it on the outside.

The Cathedral overlooks the historic (in Helsinki-terms anyway) Senate Square which features a tribute statue of Alexander II of Russia who helped to establish the Diet Of Finland. One of the University of Helsinki buildings is also situated here. Once you've seen the Cathedral, a few steps across the road directly in front of it and you come to a fantastic free museum, part of the Helsinki City museum which really gives you an insight into the tough times that the city and its people have had to endure in the past.

Other tourist attractions which you could visit are the Church In The Rock- Temppeliaukio (pretty, but if religion doesn't interest you, then this won't either) and The Sibelius monument which is situated in Sibelius park dedicated to Finland's most famous composer- again interesting but not spectacular. I personally loved the little cafe next to it, over looking the waterfront with amazing Finnish cinnamon buns. I'd also suggest walking along the coast line because, you wouldn't really think so, but Helsinki does have very nice beaches!

Actually, there are two must do 'Museums'- well museum parks anyway. Firstly, going to the docks by Market Square (an interesting visit in itself) and hop on the regular ferry to Suomenlinna- the historic fortress which has seen through the occupation of the Swedish and Russian forces before Finland finally gained independence in 1917. Not only does it give you the chance to be a 'kid' again and go exploring through the dark tunnels, some which you can crawl through but it has an interactive visitor centre which gives you the run down on its history in all different languages. The island itself is also great for a nice walk and a picnic on a sunny day. My favourite however was Seurasaari Open- Air museum, situated on an island to the west of Helsinki. Easily accessible by bus from the centre, this Island is dedicated to showing visitors just how the people have lived in Finland through history. Set amongst the forests, wooden houses have been constructed all laid out as it would have been and in most of them visitors can walk through each room. Its not just the scenery though, actors in traditional outfits roam the premises doing various things. If you're lucky enough you might stumble across a house where they play the accordion and other traditional instruments and singing in Finnish. It was fantastic.

Ok, so that's the main historic sights- well there are many more, but for that you can invest in the Lonely Planet guide ;) Now you want to have some real fun? Well if you're a big kid (like me) you'll love Linnanmaki Amusement park. Ok so it's not Alton Towers/ Thorpe Park but its great for a few laughs, especially try the Ferris wheel where you get awesome views of the city. You could also buy a tram ticket and hop on the 3T tram, its still a mystery to me where that goes but hey its good fun anyway! You could also hit the shops, the 'Forum' is quite a good shopping centre with one of my favourite shops in it, Sepalla, which does awesome colourful clothes (though quite expensive) and above the bus station there is a main shopping centre too which is brilliant.

Although drinking is ridiculously expensive, it is well worth doing in Helsinki- see my review on the 'Fever' Club. Helsinki is very big in the Rock/Alternative music scene (it's often referred to as Hell-sinki) with many clubs dedicated to it. There's always a rock show going on in the Tavastia or The Semi-Final (smaller club, right next door to it.) Although I've not yet been myself, the club 'On The Rocks' is very well known in the City and has many famous regulars.

There is so much more I could say on Helsinki, but in truth its better to experience it first hand and one person's experience in Helsinki is most likely to differ from the other. One last thing I would say though is that to really get the most out of your trip and to get the respect of the locals, it is a great idea to learn the basics of Finnish even if its just: "Hello" ('moi/hei'), "Thank you/ please" (Kiitos) and "Do you speak English?" (Puhutteko Englantia?) They really do appreciate it and certainly don't expect you to pronounce it right, it just impresses them as many foreigners don't make the effort. However, should you forget, the majority of Finns I met in Helsinki are more than happy to help a lost foreigner. One lovely couple even got on the bus with us and asked the bus driver to tell us when to get off.

That's why I love Helsinki; it really is the people that make the place.

Summary: One of my favourite places in the world.