It was minus 25 when I arrived in Helsinki.I set off immediately to the harbour to watch the sunrise.
The cracking ice made some interesting patterns.
Walking back through the city, briskly, to warm up, I found the city looking beautiful with its covering of snow.
The temperature scooted all the way up to minus 9, the sky was blue and there was now wind…a great day really.
I went back towards the harbour for sunset…not as spectacular as sunrise, but pretty just the same.
Take a look at my Beautiful Helsinki blog to see more of the sunrise over the harbour. There is a link on the right side of the page. There will be lots more on Helsinki at beautifulhelsinki.wordpress.com over the coming weeks.
My teeth are chattering just looking at these photos, but how lovely!!! What beautiful light! How long will you stay? Have a wonderful time!
By: jann on January 20, 2013
at 4:18 am
I am in Helsinki for a couple of days on my way to Italy. I always travel through Helsinki, it is a beautiful and interesting city. It is a bit colder than I was hoping, but the weather is the weather. I am about to rug up and head off to the beautiful park near the city centre.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 4:31 am
all I saw was-25….then Helsinki! See you soon!
By: hauteellis on January 20, 2013
at 5:31 pm
I’m sure it will be much warmer in Bagni di Lucca.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 6:03 pm
Wonderful series.
By: elmediat on January 20, 2013
at 4:18 am
Thank you, Helsinki is beautiful in the cold.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 4:31 am
Magnificent pics Debra ! Love ya work !
By: Richard the terrible on January 20, 2013
at 4:18 am
Thanks Richard, I hope it is a bit warmer in Bagni di Lucca.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 4:32 am
Wow how beautiful is that. Can’t wait for December.
By: Kirsi sade on January 20, 2013
at 5:06 am
That sunrise was amazing, I am so glad I was there early.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:32 pm
Stunning photos as always. Thank you.
By: italia4ever on January 20, 2013
at 5:56 am
I stood transfixed watching the sun come up, while my fingers and toes froze.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:33 pm
By comparison, our cold snap in San Francisco is simi-tropical. Wonderful photographs!
By: laniersmith on January 20, 2013
at 7:03 am
Minus 25 is cold even for the Finns.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:34 pm
Oh my goodness!
By: laniersmith on January 20, 2013
at 6:53 pm
I was a bit alarmed when the pilot announced that the temperature when we landed was minus 29. It did warm up quite a bit as the day went on.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 7:16 pm
Photos are beautiful Debra (as usual)……but not the cold. Just too cold for moi…happier with the heat…thought I would love the cold in Paris but it just made me ill. Hope to catch up when you’re next in Brissie! I could smell lemon-scented gum leaves in my backyard today…scrub turkey on the fence…hot and sunny with a light shower last night…bliss! A bientot.
By: Paris Rendez-vous on January 20, 2013
at 7:05 am
I prefer cold weather. I loathe Brisbane in summer, which is why I head for the other side of the world.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:35 pm
Wonderful photos! You just need warm clothes and the weather will be fine:) Enjoy Helsinki!
By: Minna on January 20, 2013
at 7:17 am
Yes, there is no such thing as bad weather, as long as you have the right clothing.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:36 pm
Very, very cold. But very, very beautiful to watch.
By: mulino dominillo on January 20, 2013
at 9:09 am
Today is warmer, about minus 7, practically Tshirt weather. The sky is blue, there is no wind and there are occasional flurries…gorgeous.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:39 pm
Wonderful sunrise shots, but like an earlier respondee… far too cold for me. Quite a shock to the system after the heat of the Oz summer?!
So looking forward to your posts from BDL again, it will be cold there too as it is here in the UK, but far, far nicer! A really amazing place to be…….. no comparison to your en route stopovers, sorry… I can’t wait to be back in Umbria next month despite the thought of no heating for a while!
I just hate big cities, too many people & HK was my worst nightmare, despite all the wonderful sights……. Each to their own I guess!
By: Maggi Fuller on January 20, 2013
at 11:27 am
I love cities, Rome, Paris, New York, Hong Kong…they are so alive. I like the mountains of Bagni di Lucca, but I need my city fix on a regular basis. Fortunately Florence is not far away.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 12:32 pm
love the pics. Now I have to put Helsinki on my travel bucket list.
By: Trinity Rivers on January 20, 2013
at 2:27 pm
You should, it is a gorgeous city and it isn’t always this cold.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 5:57 pm
As cold as it may be, the city looks beautiful. What an amazing sunrise. Sometimes there are advantages to arriving at this ridiculous hour and trying to beat jet lag! Great photos! Have a fun holiday Debra!
By: jenny@atasteoftravel on January 20, 2013
at 3:10 pm
That sunrise was incredible, I am so glad I was there. I don’t get jet lag, I just take on the time where I land and get on with it.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 5:59 pm
I love Helsinki. The photos reminded me of our wonderful time there.
By: Verónica on January 20, 2013
at 3:22 pm
I love Helsinki too. I come 4 times a year. This is the coldest I have been here, but it has been fun.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 6:00 pm
Deb, The day you arrive in Finland, my lovely dog with the Finnish name, Musti (short for Musta Koira or Black Dog) dies from snake bite. Musti was son of Curly and grandson of the wonderful Tang. I took Musti for a walk yesterday and he was in fine spirits, glad to be going out with just me and not with the boisterous Bernie hogging my attention. I’ll miss old Must. Nifta
By: nifta on January 20, 2013
at 3:51 pm
Poor Musti! He had a happy life at Curly Flat…I hope the end was quick.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 6:01 pm
Wow! What a stunning sunrise, I love the mist off the water. Great captures. It’s boiling hot in Cayman today – I’m just in from the pool. sigh. 🙂
By: mycaymanianlife on January 20, 2013
at 4:17 pm
I was in the right place at the right time…it was very beautiful.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 6:02 pm
The images of sunrise over the harbour are truly beautiful. I cannot compute minus 25. I am feeling the cold here and the temperature here hasn’t dipped to daytime minuses
By: Just Add Attitude on January 20, 2013
at 6:36 pm
As long as you have the right clothes it is not that bad. Mind you, I wouldn’t want to be out in it for too long.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 20, 2013
at 7:15 pm
Oh wow what a fab sunrise sequence. I have experienced minus 25 in Canada, that little shock as your nostrils snap shut when you breathe, nothing like it. Safe journey on xx
By: Joanna on January 20, 2013
at 7:37 pm
It has been wonderful crunching my way through freshly fallen snow on my walks around Helsinki. It is so beautiful, and the cold doesn’t bother me too much.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 1:35 am
That sunrise is pretty spectacular. Such a difference going from a Brisbane summer to a Helsinki winter- love it.
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on January 20, 2013
at 9:43 pm
From plus 35 and more to minus 25 is quite a difference, but I have enjoyed my snowy days in Helsinki.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 1:36 am
Those steams really made such dramatic effects. It’s so beeeeautiful! The summer we had was sure erratic. I expected nothing less when it was time for colder season. San Fran’s colder than New York. There was more snows in Texas than in Chicago this winter. Well, actually I didnt expect it to be THAT much weird.
By: rommel on January 21, 2013
at 3:21 am
Ice frozen over water. I have yet to see it. 🙁
By: rommel on January 21, 2013
at 3:22 am
It seems incredible that the harbour cn freeze. The icebreakers cruise around keep channels open.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 5:24 am
The sunrise was wonderful, no doubt the freezing weather had something to do with it. Weather is crazy everywhere. We were having a heatwave in Australia before I left.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 5:23 am
Beautiful photos! This looks like my kind of place.
By: lisa@notesfromafrica on January 21, 2013
at 3:58 am
I’m not sure I could cope with the freezing weather long term, but it is fun for a few days.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 5:27 am
I love Helsinki but minus 25 is way to cold for me!
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on January 21, 2013
at 7:03 am
It actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. There was no wind and the sun was shining, so it wasn’t miserable at all…and the harbour looked gorgeous.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 6:34 pm
I love those sunrise photos. In the town in which we live since last November, we had -31 Celsius.
Happy stay in Finland!
By: Sartenada on January 21, 2013
at 7:17 am
I had a great time in Heksinki. I went to Suomenlinna on Sunday and walked all over the island. It was a beautiful day.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 6:35 pm
Those pictures of the sunrise are stunning! Cold makes a change from Australia 🙂
By: Journey Photographic on January 21, 2013
at 11:58 am
It certainly was a big change from summer in Brisbane. Given a choice, I would take cold every time.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 21, 2013
at 6:37 pm
Wonderful sunrise photos and great shots of the city too – But -9 ouch!
By: Suzanne Courtney (@TheTravelBunny) on January 21, 2013
at 10:58 pm
It was actually minus 25 when I first arrived at the harbour, but it was so beautiful I stayed until the sun came up and the colour faded.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 22, 2013
at 5:32 am
Gorgeous! But I am happy to be admiring these winter landscapes from afar 🙂
By: Madhu on January 23, 2013
at 10:29 am
I love winter. Walking through the freshly fallen snow was heavenly.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 23, 2013
at 12:03 pm
Gorgeous shots Debra! That sunrise is truly spectacular. I love how everything looks magical under a blanket of snow.
By: Where's Wiwi? on January 30, 2013
at 12:30 pm
Fresh, white snow looks absolutely wonderful.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 30, 2013
at 8:24 pm