Finland – A Brief Visit

We were about to embark on a Disney Cruise that started in Copenhagen and ended in England.  This itinerary allowed us to easily visit all the Scandinavian countries except for Finland.  Early in our planning we talked about adding a stop over in Helsinki but the extra added expense seemed prohibitive.  And then several months later when we went to book our flights, the solution was provided by the airline in the form of a 6 hour layover in Helsinki on the way to Copenhagen.  We flew Finnair to Helsinki and then to Copenhagen.  The service on Finnair was impeccable and the food was exceptional.  

And they gave us Marimekko amenity bags during the flight.  Marimekko incorporates bright colors and floral patterns in their designs.  The Marimekko Finnair bag is no exception with its white and green pattern.  I’ve used it on every trip since then.

After we landed at Helsinki’s International Airport, we took the Finnair shuttle into Helsinki Central Station.  From there we walked the short distance to the Hard Rock Café.

The friendly bartender recommended we try Karhu, the local beer.  It was cold and good.  When we realized that while it was 12:30PM local time, it was only 4:30AM at home.  This made the beer somehow taste even better.

After we finished our beer, we purchased our souvenirs and headed back to the airport.  We had just enough time for a little more shopping before boarding our flight to Copenhagen.  I was excited to see the Moomin Shop at the airport.  Moomin is a popular children’s cartoon in Finland.  I came across it on my pre-trip research.

While it was brief, we enjoyed our visit into Helsinki.  There’s so much more to do and see, we barely scratched the surface.   If your flight is connecting through Helsinki, I highly recommend taking the Finnair City Bus into the city center.  Check out Finnair’s website for cost and schedule.