Helsinki, Finland – Day 1

by 100 Country Trek

2013- Woke up after a restless night to a rainy morning. The cab driver was waiting for us and 20 minute ride to the airport. Copenhagen airport is modern and efficient. I think it was one of my favorite airports I have ever been through.

SAS (Scandinavian Airlines ) –Easy and Friendly check -in and lots of leg room on the plane. We were happy with the free coffee and tea which had disappeared from many airlines lately. Arrived on time and would fly with them again.

Helsinki airport is also modern, super clean and easy to maneuver. We picked up our bags , found an ATM a city map and waited outside for our bus. We traveled to the city by Bus. It was outside when we exited the airport and at 4.50 euro was a good way to get into town .The ride took 30 minutes and the stops are clearly marked.

The Helsinki

Hilton Strand -Booked this online at a fabulous rate of $120.00 per night including breakfast. It is only a 5 min walk from our bus stop and we were so pleased they gave us early Check-In. Very friendly receptionist and they speak English which is a bonus for us. The hotel is older but the room is large and spotless with a comfortable King sized bed. The buffet breakfast was included and had lots to choose from. We both started with some yogurt and mixed berries and then I loved having some smoked salmon and warm rolls. Pat didn’t want any but he had loved his sausage, eggs and bacon.

Rock Church –Kallion Kirkko – We were walking around and trying to walk off our huge breakfast. We noticed this and loved climbing up the hill to arrive at the church and located on a massive rock. Built in 1908 , it is much more impressive on the outside. Inside is rather stark, but has a beautiful organ and we sat for a bit and enjoyed the music.

Juttetupa Restaurant

We had lunch here on the recommendation of our hotel. Surprisingly many restaurants are closed on Sunday. The restaurant is authentic Finnish in a neat old stone building ,with strange somewhat gaudy blue and white paper flowers and streamers everywhere.

The waitress was very sweet and spoke some English and provided an English menu. Pat had the salmon club sandwich and I ordered the Grilled chicken sandwich. They turned out to be so massive …one between us would have been plenty. The salmon club had a huge piece of fresh salmon , bacon and a couple of fried eggs… Kind of like breakfast , lunch and dinner!!

36 Comments

  10. Large food portions are usually uncommon in many cities in Europe; I’m impressed you got large portions in Helsinki! All the better; hope you ate up well!

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  16. I’m with you all the way with SAS airlines, better service, better legroom and free drinks! What’s not to like. I also love Helsinki and I love the Finns easy-going nature. I’m looking forward to trying that restaurant on my next visit but I think I’ll skip breakfast if I’m having lunch there.

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