First impressions of Helsinki: everything is adorable. Everything is white. Everything is cold.

Okay, disclaimer on the whiteness of it all — I’m technically referring to the fact that everything is covered in snow. I mean, I expected the cold. And I was hoping to see a bit of snowfall, but I didn’t expect to land on a runway covered in three inches of fluffy powder. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever landed in snow before. It was honestly a little scary!

That being said, I’ve only taken note of one non-white local so far. Other than that, I’ve come across a few Asian tourists. We’ll see how the count progresses.

The flight from New York was long (about eight hours) but pleasant.

The plane was only about half full, so I had a full two-seater row to myself.

I somehow managed to sleep for several hours across the seats, indulge in an unsightly but surprisingly delicious dinner meal (free wine!!), and finish an entire book. The book was called The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingred Winter, a fiction novel revolving around some unlucky events in a Norwegian woman’s life. Got me in the Europe mood.

I got a little frightened when I found these ‘fun facts’ about Finland in the back of the in-flight magazine. I’m not the only one who sees those average temperatures, right??? And that’s just in Helsinki! When I check the weather in Rovaniemi the other day (my next stop), the temperature was reading -7 Fahrenheit, with the note, “feels like -18.” What the heck does that even feel like?!

When we landed in the snow, I began to question the sanity of the entire trip. I couldn’t possibly be expected to explore in the snow, in below zero temperatures. Why do I keep planning trips to northern Europe in the middle of winter?! And it will be so dark all the time!

So yeah. That was my inner monologue. But then I got to wander around the deserted Helsinki airport (I love empty airports), and I forgot my stress while I admired the Finnish design and decor. It was honestly a bit ridiculous. They were piping in fake birdsong in the bathrooms.

The train into Helsinki was like a train through a winter wonderland. It reminded me of our trip to the Fjords around Bergen last year.

And by the time I stepped out of the train station, I felt the full weight of the travel bug sink its teeth in deep. I don’t understand myself sometimes. I’ve been worrying so much about this trip, but I’d forgotten that I basically live for this stuff. The buildings. The food. The language. And the healthy layering of snow on it all just added to the magic.

Plus, I found a Tiger right across the street from the train station (my favorite store in the entire world!) It took me a hot minute to find my tiny apartment, but I indulged in the sights along the way.

I did a quick crash course in Finnish while I was in the apartment, but I think it’s going to take some practice. It’s just so different from Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. I can kind of get by with Danish in all of the other countries, but there are very few similarities between Danish and Finnish. So I have to start from scratch. In the Tiger store, I managed to get by with silence and mumbled grunt-responses. I was able to follow her conversation, and I responded appropriately so that she never switched to English, but it also kind of made me a feel like a crazy person to not even be able to say thank you or goodbye. Just a weird twitchy head nod before I turned and ran out the door. So yeah. I’m practicing.

It took yet another minute to convince myself not to fall asleep right then and there. Only so many daylight hours, after all. I told myself I would try to be back for bed by 8 or 9 so I could wake up with the sun the next day. Then it was off in search of food.

I found a little coffee shop and ordered some overnight chia pudding and a croissant.

Check out my lovely view of the frozen waters!

I actually wrote the first chunk of this blog while I sat there eating. And now I continue writing as I eat dinner. But more on that later.

After breakfast, I explored the area a bit.

Those locks were so pretty covered in snow. As was everything else. Especially enchanting was the Uspenski Cathedral, one of the largest Orthodox churches in Western Europe.

I ended up playing around with my amateur photography skills on the stairs because there were so many cool things happening. Check out my chipped nail polish and this perfectly chipped snowflake up in the top right corner:

And the frozen rock wall lining the stairs:

And the rusty gates that separate the cathedral grounds from the rest of the city block:

Gorgeous. All of it.

Next, I took a little jaunt through Esplanade Park.

And I eventually wound up on a shopping street. I peeked into a few trinket shops, but most of my time was spent in a bookstore. What I couldn’t get over was how thick so many of these books were. I didn’t recognize most of the giant ones, but their gargantuousness was so unnatural that it couldn’t have been a fluke. My theory is that Finnish words are either so long or so much more specific than those of other languages that the novels just balloon during translation. Several titles were over three inches thick!!!

But I digress. And I move on to my trip to the Ateneum, Helsinki’s largest art museum.

In a hall filled with self portraits, I was instructed by a wall placard to take a mirror selfie.

And some more of my favorites…

I also discovered this strange attachment to the sink when I visited the powder room.

Turns out it’s the Finnish version of a bidet. I tried to test it out in the sink and ended up drenching half the bathroom stall. Whoops. I actually have one back in my apartment, and that is the only instrument I have in the way of a shower, so my hygiene could be in a questionable state come Friday. (Update: yup haven’t showered!)

By the time I left the museum, I had to brave the snow to reach the library.

But I was rewarded with Scandinavian architecture and Scandinavian cuisine!

Ho. Ly. Crap. I’m tired.

…

And we’re back! I wrote that last line just as I settled into an egg-shaped chair facing out the window on the second floor of the new Helsinki Central Library. I spent the next hour or so falling into a deep sleep, rousing myself so that I could close my mouth and avoid embarrassment, trying and failing to convince myself to get up and go home, and repeating in a seemingly endless cycle of exhaustion. And this was all happening at only 6pm. Ha! First day on the road will do that to you. And I’d had a long, action-packed day, in my defense.

Even the library alone had enough excitement to fill my tired little head with endless wonder. It just opened in December and seems to have fallen quickly into the hands and hearts of the locals. I think this library achieves exactly what all strive to be: a place for community members, young and old, to explore, learn, engage, and feel warm and welcome.

What this library lacks in books, it makes up for in meeting spaces, equipment and technology free for use, and a calming sense of wholesomeness that both invigorated me and lulled me softly to sleep.

It seemed not a space went unused. Few chairs were left empty. Nobody tried to be silent, but the soothing lights and warm architecture brought a curtain of serenity over all and the resulting sound was that of hushed and peaceful life.

Gosh. Gross. Excuse me while I just go ahead and marry this library. At least then I’ll get a European passport, right? Win, win, win!

I’ll end my library love letter with this image of me suppressing the feeling of vertigo long enough to snap a picture while I stood at the tip of a sloping floor encased by glass that hung over the edge of a vast, snow-covered courtyard.

Oh, and this hilarious book cover. I think it’s a childrens book?!

I walked back through the snow, careful to keep my eyes open though they wanted so badly to close, and I was asleep before nine. I woke up at 4, then 8, and got out of bed by 9, patting myself on the back for going to bed early enough that I didn’t have to waste all of my daylight hours snoozing.

First on my agenda was the market square. I found some ADORABLE spoons I wanted so badly, but I also didn’t want to pack them around for the next two months. I tried and failed to determine whether the shopkeepers would still be around in March, when I stop back at the end of my trip. When we both finally realized they were never going to understand what “March” meant, the couple just smiled and avoided eye contact as though they found something to be particularly interesting just behind my right shoulder. I took that as my cue to leave and just hope for March. (Also note that March is ‘maaliskuu’ in Finnish for next time.)

Then off to Suomenlinna, the Swedish island fortress of old, just a quick ferry trip away. This boat didn’t slice through the ice-covered water quite as gracefully as that ship in the Norwegian fjords, but it still did the job and brought back fun memories.

As I disembarked the ship, I laughed as I remembered all the people who complained of how dark it would be on my trip. I had to blink away the sun and the cold simultaneously, and I spent long enough playing around on the shore and in the tourist information center that by the time I began my explorations, I was all alone. The rest of the hundred-plus ferry passengers had already dispersed, and I was left to the bright quiet that only snow can provide.

I also noticed how long and giant my hair was when I decided to take it out in the bathroom, but it was keeping me warm, so I wasn’t about to change it!

Then I found some swings, which, must like libraries, are one of my greatest weaknesses. Poor Jonathan missed a bus once because of this most childish vice of mine.

I think they were meant for two small children to ride simultaneously while facing each other? I made due with what I had and paid no mind to the passing yellow-jumpsuited construction workers.

Oh, and then I found another library, tucked into a residential area. I peeked inside and snagged a super-lightweight paperback copy of The Joy Luck Club off a ‘free’ shelf in the mud room. Why are these Finnish libraries so clean and pretty??

A little way down the main path, I found the city museum and resisted all urges to buy these wonderful(ly expensive) and totally (un)necessary tools.

I also told myself I didn’t need to buy any glögg since my museum ticket came with free coffee.

Then I watched a little historical film and explored a bit, taking notes of things I’d like to visit on the island should I ever return in the summer, namely, a fine dining restaurant built into an old bunker.

And off again! I’m noticing the nose freckles are appearing in full-force, and my hair seems to be getting lighter and redder. The Finnish winter sun may be fleeting, but it does the job well.

I also tried my hand at timed selfies. I realized I could make a little bed on the snow using my bag. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. Haha.

In short, I’m obsessed with Suommenolina!!! I can’t even count how many times I jumped into the snow banks lining the road, just to see how deep it was. Eight times? Ten? Too many. Too fun.

I finally made it to King’s Gate, a quay built for a visiting king that also marks the other end of the island from which I started.

My walk back was quicker, but just as peaceful and smiley.

 

Ugh. Okay, WordPress is being not-my-friend right now and has been behaving as such since about seven hours ago. I simply can’t upload more pictures to this post and therefore will have to leave you on a cliffhanger. I’ll wrap up my Helsinki adventures when I unravel those of Rovaniemi. Sorry, Mom!

Parhain terveisin (oh, also, my Finnish is getting better!!),
-Lizzy-wa