Hello from Helsinki! Here are the votes:
1 point goes to shopping on a Sunday. It's so strange but practically nothing is open on Sunday. We dragged out jet-lagged selves out of the hotel & down to the harbour a little after 6am & again down that way after a bit of sightseeing but no shops were opened! The only things that seemed to be opened were the odd supermarket, Chinese restaurant, kebab shops & the fish/souvenir market.
2 points go to searching for dinner on a Sunday night (see 1 point above).
3 points go to the cobblestone streets of Helsinki. Guess that's pretty much the go all throughout Europe, but those cobblestone streets were a pain to drag our luggage around from transport to accommodation. Unless you spring for a taxi, of course.
4 points go to the Helsinki Rautatientori (Central Railway station). Aside from its very Communist/Soviet exterior, it also lacked essential seating for those waiting for trains. Its choice of shops were also quite limited.
5 points go to Tuomiokirkko (Helsinki Cathedral). It looks very much like the Vor Frue Kirken in Copenhagen.
6 points go to the Moominshop in Kamp Galleria. Choc-full of everything to do with Moomin. If you have time & patience though, you might find the same products in other shops that are cheaper (like the cake tin that I bought). Variety, however, is bound to be better at the Moominshop.
7 points go to eating ice-cream at the Karl Fazer cafe. Not only was the ice-cream delicious, the setting of the whole shop was also exquisite. It looks more like the David Jones food hall in Sydney than just any old chocolate specialty shop.
8 points go to the Kauppatori (Market Square). The food stalls open very early (we were there before 6:30 hoping to catch the sunrise & a couple were already opened with a couple more just setting up) while the souvenir shops of mink hats, wooden things & spectorlite were all opened by the time we got there again 10-ish.
9 points go to the Wanha Kauppahalli (Old Market Hall), perpendicular to the current Kauppatori (see 9 points above). It was closed when we were there (Sunday) but its charms lie in its exterior. It was dated 1888 and adorned with beautiful brick works.
10 points go to the Uspenskin katedraali (Uspenski Cathedral). It sits a few stone steps above the Helsinki harbourside and like Sacre Coeur of Paris you can get a good view of the city from many angles around the Cathedral. Although you're not allowed to take pictures/videos inside the Cathedral itself, it's well worth a peek into it and see all the beautiful interior decorations, especially those directly above your head!
And finally, 12 points go to seaside walk along Merisatamanranta. We were there in the morning and not only was it a relaxin walk but the views were also excellent from many angles.
See you in Tallinn, Estonia!
1 point goes to shopping on a Sunday. It's so strange but practically nothing is open on Sunday. We dragged out jet-lagged selves out of the hotel & down to the harbour a little after 6am & again down that way after a bit of sightseeing but no shops were opened! The only things that seemed to be opened were the odd supermarket, Chinese restaurant, kebab shops & the fish/souvenir market.
2 points go to searching for dinner on a Sunday night (see 1 point above).
3 points go to the cobblestone streets of Helsinki. Guess that's pretty much the go all throughout Europe, but those cobblestone streets were a pain to drag our luggage around from transport to accommodation. Unless you spring for a taxi, of course.
4 points go to the Helsinki Rautatientori (Central Railway station). Aside from its very Communist/Soviet exterior, it also lacked essential seating for those waiting for trains. Its choice of shops were also quite limited.
5 points go to Tuomiokirkko (Helsinki Cathedral). It looks very much like the Vor Frue Kirken in Copenhagen.
6 points go to the Moominshop in Kamp Galleria. Choc-full of everything to do with Moomin. If you have time & patience though, you might find the same products in other shops that are cheaper (like the cake tin that I bought). Variety, however, is bound to be better at the Moominshop.
7 points go to eating ice-cream at the Karl Fazer cafe. Not only was the ice-cream delicious, the setting of the whole shop was also exquisite. It looks more like the David Jones food hall in Sydney than just any old chocolate specialty shop.
8 points go to the Kauppatori (Market Square). The food stalls open very early (we were there before 6:30 hoping to catch the sunrise & a couple were already opened with a couple more just setting up) while the souvenir shops of mink hats, wooden things & spectorlite were all opened by the time we got there again 10-ish.
9 points go to the Wanha Kauppahalli (Old Market Hall), perpendicular to the current Kauppatori (see 9 points above). It was closed when we were there (Sunday) but its charms lie in its exterior. It was dated 1888 and adorned with beautiful brick works.
10 points go to the Uspenskin katedraali (Uspenski Cathedral). It sits a few stone steps above the Helsinki harbourside and like Sacre Coeur of Paris you can get a good view of the city from many angles around the Cathedral. Although you're not allowed to take pictures/videos inside the Cathedral itself, it's well worth a peek into it and see all the beautiful interior decorations, especially those directly above your head!
And finally, 12 points go to seaside walk along Merisatamanranta. We were there in the morning and not only was it a relaxin walk but the views were also excellent from many angles.
See you in Tallinn, Estonia!
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