After a long flight we arrive in Helsinki just in time to go to sleep in our hotel which is close to the airport. We have booked here so we can pick up our rental car when we leave Helsinki but also so we can easily access the downtown area via a bus that runs from our hotel to the Central Station.
A bonus is that the hotel has a good breakfast buffet, something very welcome when we have to explore the whole day.
After a half hour on the bus we arrive at the Central Station which is about twenty minutes away from docks which is our destination today as we want to take a ferry to Suomenlinna to explore the fortress for most of the day.
The walk down to the harbor is via the pedestrian downtown area of Helsinki full of impressive buildings but not as many people as we expected.
There are lots of shops and restaurants along the way but many are closed this early in the morning and we make good time towards the waterfront.
The buildings are quite impressive especially near the water where the wealthiest people lived and even now it is the most liveliest area of the town.
First we explore the Market Hall, the Kauppahalli, which is surprisingly open. In Finland the covered Market Halls are all the rage due to the long winters and we really understand why. There are lots of reindeer products for sale, not unexpectedly, and we enjoy our walkthrough before moving on.
On the shore we watch the many yachts and ferries zooming around before walking to the outdoor food area where gulls are waiting for tourists to buy something to swoop in and take over.
The biggest ferry around is the one to Tallinn that we really planned to take for a day trip but in the end it never happened, at least in this trip.
There is also a flea market that is happening both on land and from the sea, something quite unexpected. Everything is quite expensive though so we look around and then we take the ferry to Suomenlinna.
Returning from the fortress we continue our exploration of the downtown while looking for a good restaurant to celebrate our first day in Helsinki.
And we find one with many specialties including reindeer steak that we wanted to try, it is good but we will stick with beef going forward. And then it is back to the hotel to unwind as tomorrow we have to go to Turku to meet with our relatives.
