20th August, Helsinki
We overslept a bit and woke up around 10:30 AM. After a quick shower, Pritha had everything planned for the day. In the meantime Eeva started messaging me as she and her German friend wanted to see us. We discovered last night that I have lost my 48 hr tram pass and hence needed to buy a 24 hrs one for 8 euros again. We decided on going to the market square for some local food for breakfast and decided that’s where we will meet them. It was a bright sunny day and we walked down to the market square which was a 5 minutes walk from the hostel. There are a lot of make shift stalls selling souvenirs at good price as well as cafes and eating joints. So we settled for some reindeer meatballs with vegetables and some potatoes with fried vendance fish, which is a local fish served with garlic sauce. (11 Euros each). After we finished our meal and walked around a bit souvenir hunting, Eeva along with Daniella joined us. We took the tram first to the Toolo district, where the Temppellaukio church or rock church as it is called, is located. This church quarried out of natural bedrock is one of the most visited attractions in Helsinki. From there we moved to the Sibelius park, where the Sibelius monument is located. The monument which is made out of pipes of various sizes encourages people to play with various echoes and sounds created by this art structure. On our way back we walked past the beautiful sea, which also hosts the famous Café Regatta. The sky was about to burst and we got a well-deserved shelter at café Regatta, which is a café full of character, very cosy and famous for its cinnamon buns. We chatted a lot while it rained outside. Daniella seems to be well travelled too with long tenures in brazil and was good to share experiences with her. The café doesn’t accepts cards so carry cash. Eeva has to leave Daniella at the airport and hence we parted ways. We moved to Hakaniemi Market for some traditional market treats and atmosphere. The ground floor is full of seafood delicacies and meat sellers and the first floor have some souvenir shops. A fantastic place to hog on some salmons and caviars .We moved to the design district from here,where apart from the design forum are a lot of famous finnish design stores. Most shops close by 7 PM and we managed to have a look at a few before the rains came our way. We have to take refuge in the Forum mall till the rain subsided. It gave my feets some rest and Pritha some time to shop. In an hour or so we were again on our way and this time we headed to the Kampii chapel which is a fine example of Finnish wooden architecture, this futuristic chapel is a place for quiet meditation amidst the hustle and bustle of the city centre. We started walking from here towards the Meuseum of music, which was closed and then saw the parliament building, just outside which my brand new umbrella from decathlon gave way to the finnish winds. We started walking towards the central railway station which is one of the most famous buildings in Finland and a landmark in Helsinki. A few experience that we had in Scandinavia were quiet unique, especially how weather changes fast multiple times in a day. Here we were facing bright sun and rain at the same time, the result of which was a fascinating double rainbow. By now my shoes were completely wet and the ice cold water was giving me a hard time, so we decided to head back to hostel for some warmth. So changed into warm shoes and decided to have some dinner at the adjoining restaurant for some dinner. The ribs were even better this time, so finished a full rack along with some local beer (23 Euros) and Pritha took a combo of chicken wings, pork ribs and baked potatoes (10.90 Euros). We decided to check out the casinos Helsinki, this being our last night. It was raining cats and dogs outside but we dared it to the casino. You get 2 euros worth slot tickets free at entry. We came to know that the government governs the casino in Helsinki and private companies are not allowed to run them. By end of the night I was richer by 500 Euros and Pritha had a home run at slots using the complimentary 2 euros. Not a bad way to finish our last night in Helsinki. Trams run till 2 AM so we managed to get one back to the hotel.
We overslept a bit and woke up around 10:30 AM. After a quick shower, Pritha had everything planned for the day. In the meantime Eeva started messaging me as she and her German friend wanted to see us. We discovered last night that I have lost my 48 hr tram pass and hence needed to buy a 24 hrs one for 8 euros again. We decided on going to the market square for some local food for breakfast and decided that’s where we will meet them. It was a bright sunny day and we walked down to the market square which was a 5 minutes walk from the hostel. There are a lot of make shift stalls selling souvenirs at good price as well as cafes and eating joints. So we settled for some reindeer meatballs with vegetables and some potatoes with fried vendance fish, which is a local fish served with garlic sauce. (11 Euros each). After we finished our meal and walked around a bit souvenir hunting, Eeva along with Daniella joined us. We took the tram first to the Toolo district, where the Temppellaukio church or rock church as it is called, is located. This church quarried out of natural bedrock is one of the most visited attractions in Helsinki. From there we moved to the Sibelius park, where the Sibelius monument is located. The monument which is made out of pipes of various sizes encourages people to play with various echoes and sounds created by this art structure. On our way back we walked past the beautiful sea, which also hosts the famous Café Regatta. The sky was about to burst and we got a well-deserved shelter at café Regatta, which is a café full of character, very cosy and famous for its cinnamon buns. We chatted a lot while it rained outside. Daniella seems to be well travelled too with long tenures in brazil and was good to share experiences with her. The café doesn’t accepts cards so carry cash. Eeva has to leave Daniella at the airport and hence we parted ways. We moved to Hakaniemi Market for some traditional market treats and atmosphere. The ground floor is full of seafood delicacies and meat sellers and the first floor have some souvenir shops. A fantastic place to hog on some salmons and caviars .We moved to the design district from here,where apart from the design forum are a lot of famous finnish design stores. Most shops close by 7 PM and we managed to have a look at a few before the rains came our way. We have to take refuge in the Forum mall till the rain subsided. It gave my feets some rest and Pritha some time to shop. In an hour or so we were again on our way and this time we headed to the Kampii chapel which is a fine example of Finnish wooden architecture, this futuristic chapel is a place for quiet meditation amidst the hustle and bustle of the city centre. We started walking from here towards the Meuseum of music, which was closed and then saw the parliament building, just outside which my brand new umbrella from decathlon gave way to the finnish winds. We started walking towards the central railway station which is one of the most famous buildings in Finland and a landmark in Helsinki. A few experience that we had in Scandinavia were quiet unique, especially how weather changes fast multiple times in a day. Here we were facing bright sun and rain at the same time, the result of which was a fascinating double rainbow. By now my shoes were completely wet and the ice cold water was giving me a hard time, so we decided to head back to hostel for some warmth. So changed into warm shoes and decided to have some dinner at the adjoining restaurant for some dinner. The ribs were even better this time, so finished a full rack along with some local beer (23 Euros) and Pritha took a combo of chicken wings, pork ribs and baked potatoes (10.90 Euros). We decided to check out the casinos Helsinki, this being our last night. It was raining cats and dogs outside but we dared it to the casino. You get 2 euros worth slot tickets free at entry. We came to know that the government governs the casino in Helsinki and private companies are not allowed to run them. By end of the night I was richer by 500 Euros and Pritha had a home run at slots using the complimentary 2 euros. Not a bad way to finish our last night in Helsinki. Trams run till 2 AM so we managed to get one back to the hotel.
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