Finland 2025

Hi y’all.

After several days in Estonia, mostly in Tallinn, we decided to take the 2-hour ferry to Helsinki. The plan was to stay there a while, then maybe continue west to Stockholm, or return to Tallinn then head down to Latvia. We chose the latter. We only have 5 weeks, after spending two weeks in and around Helsinki and Turku. We figured a little over two weeks in Latvia and Lithuania was about right.

I’m writing this on the ferry back to Tallinn. The best way to get to Riga, Latvia, was to just retrace our path, then take the bus from Tallinn to Riga. I booked 5 days at an Airbnb in Riga. We’ll decide where to go after that. Of course, that will be in the next post.

So, here we go.

We liked Helsinki very much, so much so that we are entertaining the idea of just spending the summer there next year, and bagging the hot Korean summer altogether. I’d have to be able to afford it, so we’ll see. Finland ain’t cheap, and I’m afraid of what the rents might be like. But I’m going to research it. Summer temperatures are mostly around 17-23 degrees Celsius (around 63-73 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s almost enough reason right there. The best part is Helsinki, and Finland in general, is just plain nice. The people we encountered were nice, content, and very chill. Most people speak at least a little English, and almost everyone under 40 speaks it very well. It’s light out from about 5 AM to 10 PM, which makes it conducive to being out. It’s clean and safe. There’s plenty to see and do. I’m tellin’ ya, it’s enticing. Our Airbnb apartment was even great.

I think I’ll start posting photos, and see if any interesting commentary emerges.

One of the first things that gets your attention in Helsinki is the mix of modern and old buildings. When you’re wandering around, dumb as a brick, it’s usually the buildings that draw your attention. Of course, there are churches.

I will mostly spare you all the typical 19th century Northern European buildings. Besides the stately old building, are the modern ones. Finns have a flair for creativity.

We spent many hours just walking in Helsinki. Even better would be bicycling, I have never seen a more bicycle friendly place. Bike paths are everywhere and it’s nearly flat. There are so many parks that you could bike to most places without dealing much with city streets. And even in the central areas, the paths are well-marked and safe.

Besides that, we looked at museums and other points of interest, like all the visitors, then went to nearby Sipoonkorpi National Park and had a nice walk in the woods for several kilometers. Sipoonkorpi is about 15 km from Helsinki, and you can get there on a local bus. You feel like you’re “out there” because you are. For the most part, Finland is Helsinki (and the suburbs of Espoo and Ventaa), Tempere, Turku, and everything else, which is farms in the south and forest, swamp, and Lapland in the arctic north.

Weather is unpredictable here. We got totally soaked in a rainstorm that blew through while we were walking . It really didn’t look like rain, so we didn’t bring umbrellas. Then we had to ride the bus all wet for 25 km back. People didn’t seem to notice. I think they are accustomed to being stuck out in the elements. Like, I’m sure they get stuck in the elements in the winter. Yeesh! Even now, with the temperatures what most people would consider a little chilly, they are out in shorts and short sleeves, soaking up what passes for warmth here.

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It’s been several days since I wrote the above. We are now in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

Next, we were off to Turku, Finland’s old capital before Czar Alexander I moved the capital to Helsinki in 1812. Finland was never independent before 1917, so I use the term “capital” even though Turku was really just a regional capital in the Swedish Empire from the 12th century till 1809, when Sweden lost it to Russia. Helsinki was just a fishing village when Alexander decided to move the capital closer to St. Petersburg. So, Turku has all the historical sites prior to the 19th century.

Turku is another nice place to hang out. It’s big enough (207,000) to be more than a town, a tourist destination for Finns and foreigners so it’s worldly, has plenty to see, and is also chill. We spent several days there. Old Town has sites dating back to the 13th century, like this “castle”. A fire destroyed almost all the wood structures in 1827, and damaged most of  the stone and brick structures. This castle was restored after the fire.

Visitors mostly do stuff along or near the Aura River that runs through the town and into the Baltic Sea. That location is why Turku existed in the first place. We had lunch on a bench on this spot a couple of times.

We would get our grub at the Old Market Hall a couple of blocks away. It was built in 1896, and is the oldest indoor market in Finland. Now it’s upscale.

There is no shortage of hangouts along the river.

I’m frequently asked, “Where do you stay when you’re traveling?” Well, we usually rent an apartment on Airbnb. I’ve noticed Booking.com often has whole apartments, too, at usually a little higher price. That said, here in the Baltics, Booking.com is often a little cheaper. In either case, whole apartments are often, if not usually, cheaper than hotel rooms. And you get a kitchen and lots of room, and it’s usually quieter. I don’t get how hotels stay in business, except in cities where the hotel interests have the pull to ban Airbnb’s.

We thought seriously about taking the ferry to Stockholm, but decided we’d have plenty to do in Latvia and Lithuania. So, we backtracked through Helsinki and Tallinn, spending the night in Tallinn, to Riga. That gets us up to the present. We’re in the middle of spending a week in Riga. In a couple of days, we’re going to another place, Sigulda. Then we’ll come back to this same Airbnb for a couple of nights before heading to Lithuania. We’ll have about a week there before heading home.

So, that’s the story, morning glory. Be well, all of you.