We were in Helsinki, Finland's capital, for two days. We enjoyed exploring the city's attractions. Here's what we did while there!

We started the visit in Helsinki with Temppeliaukio Church. It's an incredible church carved from natural bedrock, with a copper dome above. 

We moved to Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art and cultural center in Helsinki, with amazing exhibitions from local and international artists. The exhibits change every year. 

Still on the art scene, Amos Rex gathers 20th century and contemporary art collections and exhibitions inside a former private home of an art collector.

We headed to Herkku Market Bistro in Stockmann to grab something for lunch. We tried some Finnish dishes and we then found out that Finnish dishes are actually cheaper than other specialities.

After lunch, we walked towards Senate Square. The fine square is surrounded by some impressive buildings, like Helsinki Cathedral, Government Palace and the university.

Helsinki Cathedral is probably the most famous local landmark. It's an incredible neoclassical Cathedral with an iconic green dome.

We ended our first day in Helsinki at Cafe Regatta, a cute cosy cafe in a red hut sitting by the water. It's an awesome place where we enjoyed beautiful views as well.

We started the second day in the city with breakfast at Ekberg 1852. It's Helsinki’s oldest bakery

After the breakfast, we slowly walked towards Market Square, where we boarded on a ferry towards Helsinki’s famous fortress. 

Suomenlinna Sea Fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We wandered around the former fortress exploring the cannons, tunnels, the dockyard, museums and the cafes.

We got back to Market Square for lunch. The square is filled with stalls with fruit, vegetables, seafood and others. We had some salmon with fried gegetables and it was delicious.

Allas Sea Pool is an open sea pool. We rested on some dock chairs and enjoyed the views and the atmosphere.

We walked to Esplanadi, a beautiful green area with statues and a ponder.

At the end of the day, we had to try the traditional Finnish sauna. We went to Löyly, a famous sauna with Scandinavian architecture, located on the Baltic Sea.

We had dinner at Yes, Yes, Yes, a vegetarian restaurant and they have quite a creative menu and good food.

Two Days in Helsinki

In February, I managed to had a dream come true. I finally was able to visit Lapland, the home of Santa. Here it is our itinerary for those few days.
Arrived in Helsinki. Had the evening just to take a short walk in Helsinki.

From Helsinki we took a flight North to the magical land of Lapland.

Flight to Ivalo, Lapland. Yes, it's where Santa Claus lives. :) :) :)

Transfer to Kakslauttanen. We arranged with the host to come and pick us. Then we took a reindeer safari. Spent the night in a glass igloo.

Spent time exploring and walking around the resort, I mean wonderland, and took part in a sledge racing. In this second night spent in this magical place, we were lucky enough to se the northern lights. #heart

Bus transfer to Rovaniemi. We stayed at the Arctic Snow Hotel. We received a tour of the Arctic Snow Hotel when we arrived. We tried snow sauna or snow jacuzzi, such an experience!

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