We slept well in our hotel and found ourselves wide awake at 6 am, so we got organized and left the hotel around 7 am to do some exploring. Despite the rainy weather forecast from our hotel lobby staff yesterday it was a beautiful day out – clear blue skies and cool temperatures.
Our target this morning was to head on foot to see a monument built of stainless steel pipes in a park about two kilometers west of the city. At 7 am there were not many people out and about, and it was a very peaceful walk. Along the way part of the main road was under construction, so we cut across a park and walked alongside the coast which was more pleasant. The city has nicely integrated trees and greenery and the pathway we were on passed small boat clubs and big apartment buildings with views of the ocean. At one point we turned a corner and a wild fox broke out of the brush, stopped and looked at us for a second, and then disappeared.
We finally reached the pipes and took a few pictures – it was one of the few “artistic” sightseeing spots in the city and I was expecting crowds, but there was only one other group (a Japanese family of three) so we timed it right.
From there we walked back towards the center of the city, circumventing a lake and walking past strange sculptures and aggressive geese in the park before arriving across from the central train station. We ducked into a café for some morning coffee, and while I waited in line to order the British family of four in front of me agonized over the decision of what to get. They finally saw me and let me cut ahead, so Kuniko and I could enjoy our café latte and cappuccino and watch people walking by outside.
Next on our list of things to do was to take a short ferry ride to Suomenlinna, an island fortress built to control the waterways in front of Helsinki and defend against Russian attacks over the years. It was easy enough to buy ferry tickets and we boarded the ferry early and let it fill up around us. It was just 5-10 minutes to the rather large set of islands, and then we walked on our own around enjoying the quiet. It was still quite early, and so there weren’t many sightseers here which made it perfect for a relaxing walk. The whole island had a forgotten, deserted feeling. There were historic old buildings in the interior of the island (some converted to cafes and restaurants but they looked abandoned from the outside), and around the exterior there were still many old cannons and fortifications. Some Asian guy was straddling the barrel of one giant cannon and looking longingly out to sea – Freud would have a field day with that one. Along the coast we saw some people relaxing in swimsuits in the sun, and we could tell that winters must be tough there because people were just absolutely drinking up the sunshine.
After getting our fill of the fortress island we caught a ferry back. Our ferry this time was more historic – it reminded us of the White Star ferries in Hong Kong with the all-wood interiors and antique feel. The ferries coming in were getting more and more full and the ride back was almost empty, so it seemed like we timed our visit well. The ferry dropped us back in front of the market at the harbor, so we went back to the tent advertising moose balls and had a chance to put some in our hungry bellies. We also ordered a big cut of salmon filet. Walking by earlier in the morning we saw them laying out the long salmon filets, skin side down in a healthy amount of olive oil on a large hot griddle, and they let them cook slowly – bubbling away for an hour or more until they cook through. The piece that we received was some of the best salmon I’ve ever had – but that only proved to be true for a few hours until I had some more delicious salmon later on. The moose balls were made of ground moose meat, formed into meatballs and served with lingonberry jam and a garlic cream sauce. It was a big win all around – everything was great. They also served some potatoes and vegetables on the side, but they weren’t so flavorful, unfortunately. We washed everything down with two cold Lapin Kulta light beers in the bottle. While we ate our food at the table behind the food tent another guy walked up and sat down at an empty table, produced a baguette, salami and cheese, and had a little solo picnic. Nobody seemed to mind but I thought it was weird that he would take a busy table away from the restaurant so that he could eat his own food.
After lunch we bought a cheesy keychain from one of the souvenir vendors in an adjacent tent, and then walked down the harbor to the end to buy tickets on the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia the next day. We bought tickets from the Viking Line, and it turned out to be a pretty reasonable price for a two hour international boat ride.
Back to the sunny and increasingly busy Esplanadin promenade, we dropped into a restaurant with lots of tables outside and beautiful glass floor-to-ceiling windows and gardens. In this very elegant environment we enjoyed a couple glasses of prosecco – it was Sunday after all. We spent a slow, relaxing time here sipping our drinks and watching the tourists walking by around us. Nearby was a big fountain, with streetcars passing, and above the blue sky still showed no signs of rain, or even clouds, for that matter. The hot summer of Japan seemed far, far away.
In the afternoon we did a little shopping – some for souvenirs (Marimekko cocktail napkins and “Moomin” goods) and also snacks for ourselves. At a bakery we bought a piece of rice-filled bread which is apparently a local favorite, and I liked the contrast in textures while eating it. At a fruit stand we bought some local blueberries and lingonberries and enjoyed them in our hotel room at our leisure. We both used the hotel lounge to relax as well, sipping beer and writing in this journal while the maids cleaned our room upstairs.
Yesterday we had made a reservation for dinner tonight, and we had some time to kill so we walked around the city, upping our step count and seeing more of the sights beyond the tourist areas. We rested our feet in a park to the south of the city, and watched some teens playing basketball very casually nearby. After about ten minutes of relaxation, we heard a sudden hissing, and then it built to a mild roar. I thought maybe a truck was coming out of a nearby tunnel, but then suddenly we realized that a curtain of rain was heading our way. We had a mild moment of panic while we tried to get our umbrella out of Kuniko’s bag while shifting and protecting our shopping bags, but we managed it. We waited out the rain under a nearby tree, and it turned out to be just a brief rainstorm.
Rather than risk more rain we walked into town a little closer to our restaurant and found a bar that looked interesting called “Roster”. We sat at a high table with candles all around us, a big neon skull hanging on the wall behind, and drank red wine by the glass. The wine was good – Kuniko had a blend of French and Portuguese grapes that was very drinkable. The wine cellar there had some dummy bottles attached to a belt that moved up and down from the basement to the ground floor – kind of unique. The staff was really helpful and friendly, and it was a good place to kill some time waiting for the rain to clear. It turned out that our hotel lobby weather forecast was correct after all.
After our wine the rain was finished, and we walked around the corner to our restaurant for the night, the highly recommended traditional Finnish restaurant called “Savotta”. They served mainly hearty roasted meats and fish, and it turned out to be quite good. We started with an appetizer plate full of interesting things: bear salami, thinly sliced roast reindeer, lamb pate, Atlantic char, wild mushrooms blended with dill cream, a mini-pastry, and more. Everything was good – I had no idea that dill went well with so many things. Kuniko’s main dish was ten-hour braised lamb served in a roughly-carved wooden bowl, and I had a big slab of roasted Atlantic char that was once again the best salmon I’ve ever had. For dessert we had a rhubarb crumble with vanilla bean cream, and then we were done. It was a great meal and we were full – we walked straight back to the hotel and fell right into bed.
