This is a very belated post of Helsinki from October, 2014...
The first thing I noticed of Finland on the look out from my seat on Finnair were trees... lots and lots of them!!! No need for phytoncide sprays here to supplement your daily dose of phytoncide needs like we do in Seoul.
The second thing I noticed was that it is COLD. Having visited the Scandinavian countries in beautiful weather of June, I was quite surprised how dark, gloomy, grey, and just how bitterly cold it was in October! But then I was warned plenty of times before of the cold and brought pairs and pairs of Uniqlo heat tech gears with me.
Despite my efforts, I was already catching a cold and a mild fever accompanied me on the first day. Naturally soup was on my mind. They were having Baltic Herring festival down by the harbor but we headed straight to Kauppahallin for warm bowls of soup. It was a perfect choice.
Suomenlinna was next on our list. It is an inhabited sea fortress that was set up by Sweden to fight Russia in the early 20th century. It consists of six islands near the city of Helsinki. Nearly all buildings remain in their original forms and there are about 900 people who live on the islands permanently today. Visitors can learn the history and usage at the Suomenlinna museum which is super helpful. There were cute cafes and b&b's on the islands too but they are only open in summer.
By the port where we got off the ferry from Suomenlinna was the Hotel Manta Helsinki project by Tatzu Nishi. I didn't go inside but I think his projects are quite interesting.
No photos here but we stayed at SATO HotelliKoti in the Kamppi district. It was close to city center and the apartment was very clean, modern, and spacious. It met all the Finland design standards.
Helsinki also has the prettiest neon sign for its post office too!