I have been to Helsinki! The weather was bright and clear and hovering between -10 degrees and -15 degrees. My first stop was to Marimekko to buy an extra warm coat…mission accomplished and I set off to explore one of my favourite cities.
My friend Jodie took a photo of me in my new coat. She takes great photos. You can follow her on Instagram…Together in Finland.
Finland does Christmas well. This is not surprising as Santa’s official residence is in Rovaniemi in northern Finland, where we went a few years ago to see Santa.Merry Christmas from Santa’s Village in the Arctic Circle
Helsinki is beautifully decorated for Christmas. It gets dark quite early so the lights are a welcome way to brighten the city.
Christmas markets are buzzing down by the harbour. There was a mean wind the morning I went there so the photos are few. My fingers were too cold to be uncovered for long.
Stockmann is the large department store in the centre of Helsinki. It’s Christmas windows attract families in droves. I love watching the little faces light up as they stare into the Christmas story.
Fazer, the famous cafe, also does a fun Christmas window.
I spotted these green figures in another window. Unfortunately I don’t know the significance of the figures, but I found them delightful.
Here are some random photos of wintery Helsinki.
Our friends, Jodie and Allan, took us to Porvoo, a beautiful old town full of wooden buildings. It is about one hour from Helsinki. It was snowing lightly, making the town even more beautiful.
It was great to be back in Helsinki after almost 2 years. I loved the cold weather, the snow, eating food that is not Italian and greeting Jim who arrived from Australia after finally being allowed out. We are now in rainy Bagni di Lucca.
We had Christmas in the Arctic Circle a few years ago. Here are some of the posts.