On the last day in Singapore Shelley and I were making our way home from Singapore, with Madrid as our intended destination. Everything was going smoothly until we learned that our flight had been cancelled. Like many other travellers facing disruptions, we suddenly found ourselves searching for alternatives.

Unfortunately, as a result of the war in Iran, there were very few direct flights available into Europe.  After exploring our options, we discovered seats on a flight to Helsinki. It wasn’t where we had planned to go, but it got us into Europe. So rather than rushing to find the quickest connection home, we decided to embrace the unexpected and spend the Easter weekend in Finland’s capital.

We checked into the Scandic Grand Central Hotel in Helsinki, a beautiful spot in a beautifully restored historic building adjacent to the city’s central railway station. It was perfect, the hotel was large and had hundreds of rooms. Our room was at the end of one of the long wings of the hotel and it kind of reminded us of the movie “The Shining.”

Helsinki has some unique architecture and its own vibe. Our first day we explored the city centre and were so impressed.  We began by the central train station and walked towards the water front.

The iconic statues along both sides of the main entrance are known locally as “The Stone Men.”  Their official name is Lyhdynkantajat.

The centre city has a blend of historic and contemporary buildings and design. 

While walking towards the waterfront, we came across the Helsinki Cathedral Church. It was built in 1852 and has a beautiful white facade. 

We arrived down at the waterfront near the market square which is located on the South Harbour of the city. It is one of the city’s best-known landmarks and a hub for daily commerce.

We came to an area with lots of different tent kiosks selling all kind of goods. We walked along checking out the different art and food on sale.

We came to a kiosk selling Salmon soup and it smelled soooo good, we had to try it.

It was amazing and tasted so good. In fact we came back the next day to have the soup again. After exploring all the kiosks, we went to the enclosed market located in a beautiful older building.

The inside was beautiful with wooden kiosks all the way down both sides of the building.

There were small restaurants, cafe shops and artisan stores selling all kind of goods, from Salmon sandwiches, reindeer meat to Caviar.

 Our first day in Helsinki did not disappoint, it was a very enjoyable day and we loved the atmosphere of the city.  One of the joys of travelling is discovering places that aren’t necessarily in your original plans. Helsinki turned out to be one of those pleasant surprises.

“Embrace the detours” – Kevin Charbonnea