What to do when Hel(sinki) freezes over

Travelled By

Anna Jura

‘Scandinavians must be bloody tough’. That was the thought that came to me most frequently when I spent a week staying with Finnish friends in Helsinki, well, that and ‘why the hell did I come here in November?’.

Helsinki from the Ferry

It’s bone-chillingly cold, there isn’t any pretty snow yet and it’s not close enough to Christmas to be festive. The answer is this – any time you are given the opportunity to stay with people in their home town it is something you should leap at and grab with both (frost-bitten) hands.

When I went there I hadn’t researched Helsinki, my mind was a travel tabula rasa. Although this approach is generally frowned upon by the travel community (myself included), I was honestly relieved. After independently travelling around Europe for 6 months I was joyous at the prospect of a week when other people could point out the sights, order the drinks at the bar and allow me to absorb their culture just by being in their presence.

So I thought I would pass on what I learned from the lovely Pakarinen family:

#1 Winter sports are cool.…chuckle

Ice Hockey is a matter of national importance!

Previously my ice-hockey experience was limited to ‘The Mighty Ducks’…Having no winter in Australia equals a serious lack of winter sports so it was quite an experience to go to an ice-hockey game. I learnt that ‘Suomi’ means Finland. I also learnt that when it involves the national sport in the national capital and the opponent is Sweden…it means war. We just got tickets on the night – more info here.

#2 Mix Karaoke and alcohol

In Finland you can’t have one without the other. At Swengi karaoke nightclub in Helsinki you’ll get a hell of a lot of both and a new appreciation for earplugs.

#3 Seek out good design

Finnish design is less famous but equally as good as that produced by their Swedish rivals and masters of all things flat-packable. Some of the best such as Marimekko can be found on Esplanadi Street which runs along the park. Browsing probably won’t turn to buying if you bear in mind the escalation of the euro and the generally expensive nature of Finland.

#4 Take an island day trip

The island-fortress of Suomenlinna makes for a great day trip

A day trip to the island-fortress of Suomenlinna would be very pleasant in summer. If you take the ferry in the middle of winter the Baltic wind will bring you to tears and turn those tears into teeny- tiny little icicles that freeze to your face. When I wasn’t being a total wimp I was fascinated by the historical tug-o-war that went on between the Russians, Finnish and Swedish

# 5 Experience temperature extremes… in the nude

In the middle of winter there is nothing Finns love more than stripping down to their birthday suits and sweltering in a hot room, running into the snow, rolling around then running back into the aforementioned hot room. There are saunas in the city but I tried it at my friends holiday house .… and we didn’t roll around in the snow so much as stamp about in the cold for a millisecond before racing back in. Invigorating.

# 6 Have a drink with a view (from the loo)

A view from a loo!

The Ateljee bar on the top floor of the Sokos Hotel Torni easily has the best views of the whole city which you can enjoy from their balcony or from the WC through the floor to ceiling windows. So raise a glass and say ‘Kippis’ (cheers)…then go to Swengi Karaoke bar

#7 Hop across to Estonia

Being able to take a ferry to another country and back in one day is quite novel. Only a 2.5 hour ferry ride away, Tallinn is a stunning city, which I feel I could write a whole post on but Margo has done a much better job so you should read about it here. Don’t forget to bring back some of the tax-free booze with you! When in Rome…

So the moral of the story is that you would have to be a total nutcase to visit Finland in the early months of winter. But hey, most travellers are anyway! And don’t worry, if you ever find your spirits lacking the generous Finns will pour you another glass to warm you up.