Clockwise from top left: Medieval town of Porvoo, Harbor at Paijanne National park, Uspenski cathedral, Helsinki
For precisely 28 years, I have been wanting and planning to visit Finland, ever since I forged what has turned out to be an enduring friendship with a Finn in France in 1996 … whilst wandering the streets of Paris together, he would periodically speak to me about watching the sun set on the banks of one of the thousand lakes (there are in actual fact 187,888 lakes in Finland) with a glass of ice cold Riesling in hand, riding snowmobiles and catching sight of the Northern Lights in Lapland, eating lots & lots of salmon and egg butter Karelian pie, and so on and so forth …
… Even whilst my recent trip was not an exact staging of the visions I had conjured all those years ago, I did finally make it and didn’t do too badly for a first time, in the midst of what was nothing short of a sublime summertime.
My base was not Helsinki until my last night, but rather the city of Lahti, an approximately one hour and thirty-minute drive from the capital, located in the heart of Finnish Lakeland, which is where my friend has a gorgeous glass fronted sleek modern home, overlooking a lake in the front and forest at the back … his business is headquartered in the region.
Top Row: Front Façade of Friend’s House in Lahti, Living room, Staircase
Middle Row: Dining room, Side Façade of House, Bathroom with sauna
Bottom Row: My friend’s Sister, My friend
The first thing we did, the day after my arrival, was to wander into one of the national parks close by called Paijanne, situated on a pristine lake by the same name, in which one can not only swim but also quench one’s thirst; in fact, ‘Finland tap’ is the most popular drinking water in this decidedly ‘anti-inflammatory’ Nordic country …
… Paijanne is 14 square kilometers in size, elegantly scattered with cafes, restaurants and the most charming ice cream kiosks; incidentally the Finns are the greatest consumers of ice cream in Europe. There are harbors where one can rent a boat and go boating on the lake, or else hike inland along designated trails within the forest … for birdwatchers, it is a veritable piece of paradise.
Top Row: Road Running Through the Paijanne national park, Paijanne Lake, my friend standing on a jetty of the lake
Bottom Row: Stream running through the forest of the National Park, an Ice cream kiosk, Harbor
My friend and I simply did a drive through, stopping at various places for a drink, some ice cream or simply to breathe the air, paddle our feet in the water and stare at the horizon … this is not a place in which there should be either agenda or itinerary.
That first day was punctuated by a quintessentially Finnish dish that is the dill scented salmon and potato soup, aka ‘Lohikeitto’, available at most casual restaurants, i.e. ‘ravintolas’ in local parlance … a delicious & sophisticated comfort food, which I fully intend to reproduce in Delhi later this year.
Above: Salmon & Potato soup, ‘Lohikeitto’
Early the next morning, I took a walk to a most precious little island called Myllysaari, which quite literally means mill island, since a windmill was erected at the center of the island in the late 19th century. It was bought by the Lahti sailing club in 1910, which is when a pavilion was designed & constructed by local architect Uno Alanco in the wooden art nouveau style, and it became the first summer restaurant in Lahti … unfortunately it was closed at the hour at which I arrived, and I was unable to breakfast there, but the walk to, around and back from the island was nonetheless a treat.
Above: Images of Myllysaari Island
A couple of hours later, my breakfast comprised a local specialty that is the egg butter Karelian pie, at one of my friend’s café-bakeries in the heart of Lahti; I had eaten the same the previous day and continued to do so every day until my departure … I simply could not get enough of the rye pastry, filled with rice porridge and crowned with chopped boiled egg and whipped butter; sinfully decadent and indescribably delicious.
Above: Images of the Egg butter Karelian Breakfast Pie
We then proceeded to the picture postcard perfect old medieval town of Porvoo, stopping at my friend’s father’s home en route, since I am not only an architecture enthusiast, but also love wandering into private homes when I travel. Situated on a lake, the architecture of the home is once again typically Finnish i.e. underscored by the traditional use of wood combined with glass and other features belonging to what is known as modern functionalism, resulting in a striking contrast, yet perfectly coherent relationship with the nature surrounding it … the Finns have an enviably effortless grace in their taste and style, distinguished primarily by understatement as opposed to minimalism, the latter often cold and forbidding instead of inviting and soothing.
Above: Images of my friend’s father’s Lakeside Home
Porvoo is the second oldest city in Finland, known as the old wooden town, with a fairytale setting, painted red-ochre riverside warehouses and the most charming cafes, boutiques and galleries … it is without a shadow of a doubt worth every minute of a half day excursion from the capital, just 45 minutes away by car.
Above: Images of The Medieval Town of Porvoo
Since we were there in between a late breakfast in Lahti and an early dinner in Helsinki, I settled for a mid-afternoon traditional cake and coffee at a dolls-house like café on one of the sun-drenched street corners of the town … the Runeberg Torte, named after Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg who lived most of his life in Porvoo, is a near equivalent of the better known French cake of polish origin, Baba-au-rhum. Flavored with almonds, dense and moist by way of the addition of either rum or arrack and crowned with a ring of raspberry jam inside a circle of fondant icing, this is the most perfect ‘pick me up and pamper my tastebuds’ kind of treat!
Clockwise from Top Left: Café, Cake display, Runeberg torte
Finally we made our way to Helsinki, on a windy but beautiful evening in broad beaming daylight, to a hotspot right on the waterfront, Loyly Bar & Restaurant, for pre-dinner drinks … one could very well have been at a prime party venue on the Greek or Spanish islands, such was the easy, breezy music and festive atmosphere, the tempo rising every minute in a slow & sinuous journey to the table top dancing later that night and into the early hours of the morning.
Top Row from left: Exterior of Loyly bar, Terrace bar counter
Bottom Row from left: Interior of Bar, My friend
A few drinks later, on we went with a bunch of my friend’s friends to one of their favourites, Holiday Bar & Restaurant, where we sat outside listening to the foot tapping sounds of an exceptionally talented DJ, whilst feasting on an innovative modern European menu, each dish fabulously delicious … sauteed green asparagus with aioli, herb oil & crumbled almonds, grilled snapper with saffron tahdig (a crisp persian rice), tempura of feta salad and an absolute showstopper, spaghetti with caviar and anchovy butter …
… A spectacular atmosphere prevails at Holiday, lending credibility to the reputation the Finns have of being the happiest people in the world …
Top Row from left: Exterior of Holiday Restaurant, Friends
Middle Row from Left: Asparagus with aioli and crumbled almonds, Tempura of Feta salad, Grilled snapper with saffron Tahdig
Bottom Row: Spaghetti with caviar & anchovy butter
… And how could they not be, especially in the summer time, when the sun sets so beautifully over the water at 11pm … below is a photograph I took at 11.05pm upon our return to Lahti, where we stopped by one of the lakes to watch the spectacle unfold.
Above: Sun set on the lake in Lahti
And on that soft and soothing note, I moved to Helsinki the following day at noon, checked into the historic Torni Hotel, about which you can read plenty online, and after a quick glass of champagne at the roof top bar with the most spectacular views of the city, took a 15 minute ferry ride to visit the Unesco heritage site, Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, built in the second half of the 18th century and located on a group of islands at the entrance to Helsinki’s harbour.
Above from left: Entrance to Torni Hotel, Lobby of Torni Hotel, Roof top bar of Torni Hotel, View from Roof top bar of Torni Hotel
I took the designated visitors trail, dropping in at the museums and walking through the Submarine Vesikko that was used in the second world war, for me the real highlight of the visit since I had never been into a submarine before … it truly is a must do.
Top Row from left: View of Helsinki from the ferry, Sign boards on Suomenlinna island, Tanks on display on the island
Middle Row from left: Images of the island
Bottom Row: Exterior of Vesikko submarine, Entrance to Vesikko submarine, Interior of Submarine
Upon my return to Helsinki harbour, my next stop was the sensational, (in the true sense of the word for it really does cause quite a sensation) Temppeliaukio Lutheran Church, designed by architects Timo & Tuomo Suomalainen and built directly into a rock, which opened in 1969 … it is a treat for both architecture professional and amateur enthusiast.
Above: Images of Temppeliaukio Church
Next was a visit of the monumentally impressive Oodi Library, the second time a contemporary building dedicated to letters has left my mouth hanging open, the first being the House of Wisdom Library & Cultural Centre in Sharjah, U.A.E, designed by Foster & Partners, which I visited in 2021. Oodi is Helsinki’s central library and meeting place, designed by ALA Architects, and considered one of the calling cards of Finnish architecture.
Top Row from left: Exterior of Oodi Library, entrance to Oodi library
Bottom Row: Images of Interior of Oodi Library
The Design Museum was my next and last stop of the day, before meeting my friend for dinner at a hip new restaurant called Toppa, located in a building named ‘Sugar Cube’, designed by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
Clockwise from top left: Front façade of Design Museum, Images of Permanent collection
The Design Museum is 150 years old and houses a permanent exhibition of Finnish design dating from 1870 to the present day … it also has space dedicated to changing exhibitions and the one mounted when I visited, called ‘Care & Repair’, was an examination and illustration of, and I quote, “the effects of the passage of time on architecture & design”.
Above: Images of ‘Care & Repair’ Exhibition
Restaurant Toppa is the brainchild of Michelin star Finnish Chef Tommi Tuominen, dedicated to an elevated version of street food from around the world, served in the style of tapas … located on the top floor of the controversial Sugar Cube building that was completed in 1962 and is protected by the Finnish heritage agency, many of the original features curated by architect Alvar Aalto have been preserved, thereby bringing a timeless elegance to a contemporary space.
Above from left: Sugar Cube building, Main dining room of Toppa, Bar of Toppa
I ordered only five small plates, since my pal wasn’t particularly hungry, each one comprising a couple of mouthfuls of unmitigated bliss … fried Finnish vendace aka, whitebait, with aioli, Portugese Bolinhos de Bacalhau, aka salt cod & potato croquettes, Japanese Takoyaki, aka octopus croquettes, an American lobster roll & finally Finnish Lihamuki, aka, grilled beef, with which I ordered a side of Toppa’s secret sauce … and with a full belly gurgling with delight, I finally called it a day and went into a deep sleep on my last night in the beautiful city that is Helsinki.
Clockwise from top left: Finnish Fried Vendace with aioli, Portugese Salt cod & potato croquettes, Japanese Octopus Croquette, American Lobster Roll, Finnish Grilled Beef
Before leaving for the airport the following afternoon, I visited the formidable Uspenski Cathedral, located on a hillside overlooking the city. It is the largest Greek orthodox church in Northern Europe, inaugurated in 1868, its ceiling alone a captivating sight that holds one’s attention for a long time …
Above: Images of Uspenski Cathedral
… I then had a last meal with my pal on the terrace of the gorgeous Bistro Bardot with its wonderful emphasis on French culinary traditions, my favourite food in the world …
Clockwise from top left: My pal at Bistro Bardot, Truffle Comte Gougeres at Bistro Bardot, Burrata Salad at Bistro Bardot, Seared Steak Tartare at Bistro Bardot
… And thus it was on the tastes and textures of truffle flavoured comte cheese gougeres, a seared steak tartare and glass of crisp Chablis, that I grudgingly tore myself away from Finland, leaving plenty unseen, unfelt, untasted and unexperienced, for which I fully intend to return … THE END