You know, some of these Northern European cities are far more sheltered than the UK, with the cold Atlantic winds that sweep over, turning the height of summer into nothing more than a wetwash. So we found Helsinki, at the start of July, to be hot and bright, all blue skies and powder-puff clouds.
The city, having been levelled early in the nineteenth century, has well-laid out, wide avenues, is recognisably modern, and is surrounded on three sides by water. The ’Esplanade leading up to the main harbour is a fine place to sit outside a café or bar (Kappelli is good) with a coffee or a beer. The tree-lined avenues do, however, ring with the millions of mobile phones owned by the Finns - many have two or three each...! And it’s the home of Nokia. (One of our party suggested that the ring-tones actually sounded more at home, and less irritating, in Finland; it’s a moot point.) But it’s a pointer to the mindset of the younger Finns - could they BE any more trendy? Like the kids in Reykjavik and other Scandinavian cities, on the whole they dress well.
And like Reykjavik, the city skyline features (and is dominated by) a large, airy, Protestant church - though I believe this one’s a Cathedral, hair-splitters. An impressive set of steps (think Battleship Potemkin, The Untouchables, or Rocky) leads up to the simple, square, uncluttered building; a straightforward, beautiful statement of a church. Further down the road is the Orthodox church, which looks better at a distance than when you get right up to it. As a whole, the city - at least in good sunlight - is a charming affair.
It’s a little embarrassing, but Helsinki is one of those places where English is all you need. We found it difficult to find anyone who couldn’t speak English. French and German are fairly standard too, as of course is Swedish. Russian travellers, they shouldn’t have a problem either. We were tempted to pretend to be Spanish, so that we could make out that we were using our second language too... but it wasn’t worth the risk - having five or six languages really isn’t a big deal for these friendly, helpful people.
They seem to have a good grip on night-life too. We were warned about high prices, but most places were more reasonable than we were led to believe - and it wasn’t just because we came over from London. Bars appear to close when most of the customers have left, and not before. The biggest nightclub, Club Helsinki, is well-decorated, though underwhelmingly lit, with low entry and bar prices. The music policy is shifting, and more hit-than-miss. The evening we were there, sets veered from from house to R&B, through salsa, to garage and then trance... the crowd didn’t seem to mind, and while initially not overly friendly, warmed up towards the end. But then, I think the fine Finlandia vodka had the same effect on us.
In summary, this is a great city for a partying weekend, or to chill for a few days, or - even better - to combine the two. A boat trip around the islands outside the harbour is a marvellous way to get through a hangover...