3rd of August 2010: Evening flight from Athens (40 degrees Celsius) to Helsinki (18 degrees Celsius). First flight abroad ever; nice flight; I was only wondering what was then. We landed in Helsinki at 00.30, I could feel the not so hot (as in Greece) weather. It was my exchange experience, therefore I was so excited that I didn't want to wait for my luggage!
At the other side of the centre there are more sights. I cannot refer to everything, but I cannot skip into the Finnish Parliament. I think it's a really dominant building, especially when the weather permits us to see the green in front of it.
The truth is that summer is a good season to travel to Helsinki. You can see everything without being bothered by the weather. The first weeks of my stay were brilliant. There are many places to discover, despite the fact that the population of the city without the urban areas is just 588,000 people! The center is easily walkable but there is always the public transportation that can help you. Trams 3B and 3T make circular path in order every sight to be seen during its' route, so do not hesitate to take them!
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View of Helsinki |
My stay was scheduled for four months, so the first days were dedicated just to explore the city. Actually these were the last days of summer in Finland. The temperature every day was going down steadily and slowly, so in general the first week in Helsinki ranged among 14 to 18 degrees Celsius during the day.
Helsinki was still full of tourists in every sight across the city. The classic place that everybody could meet, sit and chat was the magnificent Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral close to the port, especially the sunny days. Very close to this place is the statue of the Mermaid, just in Esplanadi. I loved to walk in this area during a sunny day!
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| Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral |
It was one of the first days in Helsinki that I was walking on a bicycle path close to the Orthodox Church when a bicycle was coming so quickly that I avoided it the last moment! I was totally terrified, I was not used in bicycles! So, if you visit Helsinki be careful of them!
Just in the port we can find the Market Square, a kind of flea market. Stores are open mainly during the morning. Mentioned before, the Orthodox Church, named Uspenski Cathedral, in my opinion, is the second badge of the city, after the Lutheran Cathedral. Both can be seen from far away..
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| Uspenski Cathedral |
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| The Parliament |
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| I <3 Helsinki! |
