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angmuffin · 7 years

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February 28, 2017

(Song of the Day: “By Your Side” by The 1975)

This weekend’s weather certainly made me feel like I was back home.

Can you guess what was this week’s fabulous destination? Yep, Finland!

For those of you scratching your heads like my mom was as to why I chose such a random and COLD country to visit in February, it was very much influenced by The 1975′s tour dates from back in September. I’d purchased a ticket to their show in Helsinki on a whim while I was in Pamplona; however, due to their winning the Brit Awards last Wednesday (congrats, boys!), the entire tour got rescheduled. Obviously, they were no longer going to play this past weekend. Though absolutely devastated, I quickly recovered from my initial anger and disappointment, especially since my flight was nonrefundable, and decided to come out for a visit anyway.

So here I am! (Or, rather, was - came home over 24 hours ago.)

Overall, it was definitely a 10/10 experience. Despite all the flights being delayed, I still had a chance to sightsee on Friday and gently coerce some locals into taking (very blurry) pictures by the port and the Helsinki Cathedral. I walked around the main part of the city before giving into exhaustion (not to mention the cold) and headed to a bar near my hostel for a glass of Chardonnay before bed.

Okay, alcohol prices there? Astronomical.

Saturday was supposed to be Sightseeing Part 2 and the concert at night, but since the latter got canceled, I took a ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. Random? Yes. Worth it? Totally!

My initial reaction upon setting foot on dry and stable land (other than complete happiness because I tend to get a little seasick) was awe. The whole city is so adorable! I unfortunately only had a few hours before my journey back to Finland, so I stayed in the Old Town the whole time, but I’m sure the rest of it is just as captivating. The pastel facades totally won me over. I tripped probably close to 10,000 times over the cobblestone while attempting to snap pictures of literally everything.

After following the recommended tourist route and seeing the Town Hall Square, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St. Catherine’s Passage, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the Raekoja plats, among others, I stopped for lunch at the tiniest Italian restaurant I’ve ever seen - Trattoria del Gallo Negro. Their ravioli was nothing short of extraordinary.

Sunday was super exciting because IT ACTUALLY SNOWED! Granted, I was over it in about 24 minutes and cut my strolling around quite short to visit cozy cafes and eat some delicious pastries instead. No regrets.

As always, flights were delayed. I got home at 1:30 am and had to leave for work before 7. It was awesome.

Travel info:

Finland:

I think the easiest way to reach the city center from the airport is by taking the P or the I trains, which both run very regularly and cost about 5€ one way (you can purchase tickets from the little automated booths or onboard).

Once in Helsinki, I walked instead of relying on the trams or buses simply because I could not figure them out, so not going to be of much help there.

I stayed at Eurohostel, which was a great deal (20€ a night); double rooms; communal bathrooms. Not a bad gig.

Estonia:

I booked my ferry ahead of time through Viking Line, but if you Google “ferry estonia helsinki,” you’ll find plenty of options. I think I also paid something like 32€, so it was super affordable. Once there, I again relied on my own feet rather than motorized vehicles, so I have no idea how to get around. Go figure.

#Finland #Helsinki #Estonia #Tallinn #travel #wanderlust #glt #girlslovetravel #soul searching

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