Before going to Vuokatti (stay tuned; edit: *read here*), I decided to spend some time in Helsinki. And to be honest, I didn’t expect much. But then it was love at first sight. Maybe because the weather was sunny, maybe because I met some lovely people, maybe because I had delicious Finnish food, maybe it’s just that Helsinki was nice to me 🙂
First thing I did in Helsinki was a free walking tour (not the most interesting/surprising one I joined, but definitely always a good start to any new place!), and that’s where I met another solo traveller, Abi. And as we got along so well and our plans matched, we decided to spend the afternoon together and head to Suomenlinna, the fortress island next to Helsinki. Not without having some creamy salmon soup first. And then, Roger was on the same tour and decided to join us. Who is Roger? Roger also was going to be a Volunteer at the EYOF, so we already had planned a dinner for the evening, not knowing that we were going to meet in Helsinki anyways. On Suomenlinna we walked around, exploring the island a bit, without having much of a plan or ‚to see‘ list. My main interest was the ferry ride through icy waters. But we found some old cannons and a submarine: blame ‚Das Boot‘ or blame me being a wreck diver, but I find submarines so interesting! And after walking around long enough to be cold, we started looking for a nice little Café so we could have some Kahvi (Finnish for coffee, generally filter coffee with free refill!)In the evening, Roger and I went to a very touristic ‚traditional finish style‘ restaurant. And it was epic. Both, in taste and price!
What a perfect start into my Finnish adventure.
The next day, I just went to get lost in the city of Helsinki, had a look at some shops (I love the UFF thrift stores!!), had a wonderful long walk along the shore, and now I am sitting on the train, heading to Vuokatti, where the EYOF will take place.
