Antonette came to visit me this weekend 
I got to know her in Hongkong, where we took Cantonese class together. Now she’s working in London and is, at the same time, trying to travel all around Europe to see her old friends.
When she had left I got flash backs from when my cousin Hanna came to visit me in Hongkong. I don’t remember how long Hanna stayed but it must have been less than a week. During that time I tried to show her everything there is to see in HK – including the outer islands. And poor her, she was absolutely exhausted already after the first day.
This weekend was kind of like that. I’m just so afraid that my guests might think they’ve missed out on something if they don’t get to see absolutely everything. Only thinking about this I often neglect to consider their physical need of sleep and rest – that it can be equally enjoyable just sitting at a café looking at passer-byes, instead of rushing from one church to the next.
Luckily Helsinki isn’t as big as HK, so it’s actually possible to see almost everything in two days. I’ll give you the itinerary, but first some pictures from our trip to Suomenlinna.
Antonette waiting for the ferry that will take us back to mainland.
Someone stuck a Swedish kid down an old canon.
Just so you’ll see why it’s good to wait for a sunny day before you go out to Suomenlinna. The picture on the right is from when Sarah was here. Same rock, different conditions.
Helsinki in two days:
Day 1
Helsinki Cathedral and Uspenski Cathedral are must sees, from there you can walk down to Esplanadi and continue on to Mannerheimintie, walk pass the Parliament of Finland, the National Museum of Finland, the Finlandia Hall and the Opera house. Then you’ll finally reach the Olympic stadium where you can go up in a tower and see that Helsinki isn’t as small as you first thought.
A kauppahalli is quite exotic. The one in Hakaniemi is probably the best. Here you can see Finnish breads and buns and the oh so popular herring.
Visit a museum. We went to Ateneumwhich was nice. Currently they’re having an exhibition on Japanese wood prints. Don’t expect any museum in Finland to be big though (except maybe for Emma in Espoo – have never been there myself so I can’t really say…)
Have a coffé at Java and then continue on past Kamppi to Temppeliaukio church. This church is basically a hole in a rock that they’ve put a roof on. It’s beautiful though and the acoustics are great, so if there is a concert while you’re visiting be sure to go there then. And don’t forget to climb up on the roof!
Have dinner at Konstan möljä where they have a buffé table with reindeer meat and lots of different fish. Not so fancy but quite cosy.
Day 2
We went for a walk along the shore of Arabia up to Vanhakaupunki stream and Lammassaari, an island in the middle of a field of reed (vass).
From there we took the bus to Vallila or rather Puu-Vallila, the old part of town where they still live in old one-story wooden houses.
Suomenlinna/Sveaborg was the next stop. And as you can see from the pictures it’s absolutely gorgeous!
Now you’ve seen everything there is to see in Helsinki 
so just relax and sit down at Esplanaadi café and have a big korvapuusti/örfil or don’t go further than off the Suomenlinna ferry and enjoy a possu/gris (a donut shaped like a pig) at Helsinki market square.
If you’re still hungry I can recommend Kappeli, a nice restaurant where they serve delicacies like elk and bear.
Enjoy your stay! And if you want more tips on what to do, what to see, where to eat – just ask me.
