OK, this is one country that I have not thought of going though by myself... Cos I thought such places have to at least book a tour? I remembered my bff Lilian went Scandinavia tour on a package tour...
But since the flight was so cheap (I think around $880), it was worth going! So we booked the flight first and will worry about the trip when nearer to date! Yeah!!!
It was a red-eye flight so we waited at the airport. And somehow the flight was delayed! So we waited and waited...
Decided to snooze a bit...
Yeah! We are boarding!!!
Reached Doha... And went for coffee and snacks before our next leg to Helsinki...
Yummy waffle!!!
Interesting cafe with unique wall design!
Getting down the plane... So excited liao!!! ~~
And yay! We reached!!! Waiting for our luggages...
On the bus towards town..
We got lost trying to locate our apartment... Strange that the google map was a bit bonkers.. Haha! And it was drizzling somemore! So the 3 of us look so poor thing pulling our big luggages along the stone street.... And we decided to stop by a small cafe to drink hot coffee and re-orientate ourselves and ask for some directions... Finally we found our way and took the keys from the coffee kiosk downstairs (the lady was super unfriendly lor!!!).
Finally we located the way to get up to our apartment! Cos it was quite confusing at first. We didn't know that our apartment was located right inside the shopping mall Kamppi! Yeah, the apartment is really right on top of the shopping mall!!! How nice and super convenient!!!
We then made our way towards Hard Rock Cafe since it was quite near... Every country we went, we must definitely go HRC to buy our Betsy's fav tee! Haha! :)
It was nice walking under the cool weather! It wasn't as cold as we thought it to be... Heng ah! :)
We saw an Espresso store and went inside... Jas love the coffee and bought a few capsules! The staffs were all very friendly... :) Of cos right? Cos their coffee is super damn EXPENSIVE wor!!! Hahaha! :p
And yes! We reached HRC and had our dinner and drinks. We didn't dare to order too much, in case the portion was too much for us...
Went shopping after dinner...
Our late night wine and cheese...
And the next day... We are out!! Honestly, I cannot remember where we went, but I knew we went to to central square, then boarded a ferry to Soumenlinna, a nice island nearby... Haha! Just enjoy the pictures bah!!! :)
This is where we bought ferry tickets to Soumenlinna.
And the funny thing is... There were 2 PRC aunties that were asking around for directions and Betsy being the kind soul offered to help translate for them. And thereafter, it seemed that they were following Betsy around! Hahaha!!! Jas and I quickly "siam" one side.. hahaha! :p
The small "pasar malam" stores along the ferry terminal. Very small scale, but ok to pass time while waiting for the next ferry...
Stopped by a cafe to have hot coffee!
The scenery is just soooooo pretty!!! So surreal!
怎么乱乱拍 都很美！
我爱我的天啊！ Hahaha!
Since the next ferry is still some time away, so we decided to just have our lunch at Soumenlinna...
After lunch, we went to take the ferry back..
Taking the ferry back...
We were walking back to our apartment but chanced upon this strange museum... I think it is the Clubbing museum...
My obsession with mirror wefies!!!
So funny, we were feeling tired, so we took the tram and circle the town... So nice to sit and relax!!! :p
Unlimited ride for 2 days!!!
We went back to our apartment to chill.. And enjoy homecooked food! We went to the supermarket below our Apartment and Jas bought a few ingredients to whip up a nice cosy home-cooked dinner!!! So nice to have a fren who know how to cook! Hahaha! :p
Chilling at our balcony before dinner...
Our early morning stoned look.. hahaha!!
Nice decor!!!
Since we have some time, we walked around the mall... There was a Nokia event happening down at the event space... It's been such long time since I last saw a Nokia event!!!
We met our guide and took the train and bus towards the National Park.
The ice is melting!!!
I didn't take my hp out of my bag, so all these photos are from Betsy and Jas hps! :)
It was quite tiring trip! Haha! :) After the trip, we went back to our apartment and along the way, we saw some shopping malls, and decided to just pop in to see see look look..
There was a album autograph event going on. So I kaypo and went to take a look. Apparently I think this singer must be very popular. Cos the queue to get her autograph was super long. I actually thought to join the queue but the security guards already cut off the tail of the queue cos of time constraint. Haha!
Hmmm... Not that pretty wor...
I was walking around the mall and saw this Coke tee... Wah!!! This look like our normal merchandiser's tee and was surprised to see the price!
Euro 29,90!!! Wow~!
I saw this mascot Moomin and took the photo!!! Cute right?? :) Apparently I think this mascot is very popular in Finland...
After a short trip to the mall, we also chanced upon this "hidden" church that was just in front of the shopping mall. We have been walking past it but didn't know it was a church. Our guide told us that this is called "Kamppi Chapel" or "Church of Silence". From the outside, it really didn't look like a church! Wow!!! So we went in...
See? Who can imagine that this will be a Church??
Wow it was really very quiet!!! Haha! But that's all... Nothing much... :) After a short trip to the church, we went for Vietnamese food that was beside the Church! So fast we already craving for Asian food. Haha!
Honestly we were super famished!!! Cos the tour started early in the morning around 9am and we finished around 2pm+ without food!!! Awww........... The Vietnamese food was nice and comforting! Great choice!!! :)
After that, I went to buy my mocha frappucino to satisfy my craving and to reward myself for completing the hiking trip!!! Yay!!! :p And just for fun, I told the gal my name is BABY to make her laugh.. Haha! She was pulling a long face mah... :p
The next day, as our guide recommended, since it was a Sunday, we decided to go to the "Church of the Rock" or "Rock Church"... Official name is Temppeliaukio Church.
But the morning service was closed and we can't go in. So we had to wait under the end of the service and there is a choir practice session that is opened to public to watch. So we made it a point to go back here later around 4pm.
Our OOTD!
Since we have the 2-day pass, might as well use it well!! Taking the tram again!! :)
We went back to Central square to walk around and find something to eat...
After walking around the square, we decided to go for a nice wine... It was drizzling anyway, good to sit indoor and chill! Saw this place Roster, and ranked quite well in Tripadvisor!
We walked past the "pasar malam" along the river... And decided to snack a bit at one of the kiosks.
Buy souvenirs!
We decided to have a quick meal at one of the kiosks... It was quite tasty!!!
We then went back to our apartment. Before that, we went to dabao dinner from downstairs. Most shops were closed though. We forgot this is Ang moh country where most shops closed at 6pm! So luckily there was one eatery opened and we quickly went to dabao.
The ladies went supermarket to buy asparagus to cook for dinner while I wait for food. Betsy had craving for Asparagus! Haha! So Jas wanna buy to cook for her! So sweet!!! :) It is also good for us to have greens for dinner too.
Home cook asparagus by Chef Jas!
Tried their local beer... So-so bah...
We then follow Tripadvisor to a nice cafe, Recatta Cafe by the river... Nice little cottage!
This cafe has a nice fireplace!!
We then went back to our apartment and ate the snacks that Betsy so loved! I donno what this is though... The tour guide told us this is their typical Finnish food. I just searched online and this is the official name: KARJALANPIIRAKKA
Wow lau, damn cheem lor... It tasted actually like bread with potato fillings in the middle.
The next day, we checked out to go Tallinn for 2 nights. We are taking the cruise...
We still have some time, so we had our breakfast at a cafe at the shopping mall again. Super convenient!
After coffee and some bread, we checked out and made our way to the cruise terminal. We can reach there via tram.
We reached the terminal and bought the tickets and boarded the cruise..
Once again, it is mirror wefies time!!
Had a simple breakfast on board...
Fooling around in the cruise shops... Haha! It would be a 2-hours cruise ride...
After we reached, we took a taxi to the hotel nearby.
Reached hotel and after check in, we decided to go for a walk in the town nearby. All within walking distance.
We went to the Old town... It was late afternoon and the weather was nice and cool!!! :) So we decided to wear light...
How can the sky be soooooooo pretty??? Totally soooo love it!
After walking, we went to look for a nice restaurant for dinner. We found one restaurant on Tripadvisor, looks good!
After food, we decided to go back. The sky is getting dark and getting colder! haha!
Decided to buy an ice cream as dessert!!!
And we went for a massage. We found a nice spa outlet near our hotel and they only have slot for 3 pax late at night, around 9pm. Which we are fine!
After massage, we went back to hotel...
We ended the day with a bottle of wine from the supermarket. As usual, there are 2 glasses only cos Betsy used the excuse that she needed sleep to siam liao! Bleh! :(
The next day, we went for the free walking tour.
Our OOTD for the day!
We were not very sure if it is really worth our time, but surprisingly, we totally love it!!!
Our guide is a very young lady. She is a teacher and she did this tour on voluntary basis to educate tourists on the history of Estonia. We so loved her!!! She is super dramatic and very animated in her story-telling, which made the entire tour super engaging!
And she has a wicked sense of humor! And no qualms in making fun of herself and her people! Which make it very fun for us!
After the tour, we went for lunch and back to hotel to rest.
And we decided to do foot spa at our own bathtub!!! Haha!
Hahaha!!!
After that, we went out to find early dinner.
We checked out the next day and took the same cruise back to Helsinki. And from there, we went directly to the airport. We are flying to Rovianiemi!!! Yay!! Santa Claus, here we come!!
Took the tram to the airport...
And we went to the lounge while waiting for our flight...
And we are on the plane!!!
Reached Rovaniemi in about 2 hours...
And this place was much colder than Helsinki!!! We then took the airport bus to town, somewhere near our apartment...
We went out for a walk at the nearby supermarket and had dinner at a nice restaurant.
This is apparently reindeer meat... Hmmm... Not bad!
The next morning, we took the bus to Santa Claus village...
Our OOTD of the day!!!
OK, we reached! There are just too many photos! So I will not bother to put them in sequence! Enjoy the photos!!!
The English speaking husky guide..
Our unlimited internet access to view our photos and live video recording!
Posting a postcard to myself!!
We took a break at the cafe inside the Santa Claus village.
Tried the reindeer burger. Quite nice!!
After that, we went back to the supermarket to buy some grocery and back to our apartment... That evening, we went for Thai food!!! Yummy!!!
Time flies! We are flying back to Helsinki again... There were alot of time before our flight so we sat at the cafe and bought hot soup...
Betsy so excited to see snow!!!
From Rovianiemi, we flew back to Helsinki and from there, we fly back to SG via Doha... It was a super long journey!!!
And we are back home!!! Thanks babes for the trip!!!
My souvenir from Finland... To remind me of the times with Santa Claus! Haha!
