Wednesday August 19th, 2009
We are going to Finland. The direct flight was too expensive, so we decided to stay two days (first and last in Germany), and we got a great deal on the flights. The four flights (Milan-Bremen, Bremen-Tampere, Tampere-Bremen, Bremen-Milan) were just 16€ all together. Super cheap.
We land in the morning in Bremen, leave the luggages at the hotel (between airport and city center, it will be good for tomorrow to go to the airport), and go to the city center. We walk around the main streets, to the cathedral, the main square with the “Roland” (statue of the local hero), the Bremen musicians (from the Grimm’s tale). Not far there is the Schnoor, a typical quartier, and around the center the watre channel with the park. In the middle of the river there is an island with modern buildings: the Teerhof. After dinner we go to the hotel. We booked a triple room, but they forgot the third bed, so they gave us 1 more room (1 double and 1 single).
Thursday August 20th, 2009
As we wake up, we get breakfast, and they give it us for free for the mistake of yesterday evening. It seems we are having a lot of luck in this trip: first the cheap flights, now the breakfast…
We go to the airport and take our flight to Tampere. After getting the car we rented, we go to Pyynikin nakotorni, a tower, from where we can see Tampere and the surrounding area. There are a lot of water and trees.
Then we go to the city and walk around the river, the main square with the town hall and the city center. We take the car to go to the Kalevan kirkko, a church with a very particular shape. So we proceed to Rauma, a town with many old wooden houses and later to Uusikaupunki. We will spend the night here in a B&B.
Friday August 21st, 2009
We stop in Kustavi, near a lake. Walking on the shore, I almost fall down due to a wire hidden in the grass. My friends laughed seeing me jumping, rolling and I don’t know what, but without falling. Here there is a nice wooden church. The lakes around are beautiful.
We continue to Naantali (not far from Turku). In my previous trip to Finland, I had a fantastic dinner here with a beautiful sunset. We walk around the harbour, to the church and to the little beach. Next city is Turku, where we will stop for the night. It’s pretty late, so today we see only the cathedral, walk a bit around and have dinner.
Saturday August 22nd, 2009
In the morning we see the fortress, Turun linna (only outside) and Luostarinmaen Kassityolaismuseo. It’s an open air musuem with many old wooden buildings you can enter. There are also some people with typical clothes walking around and working there.
For lunch we stop in Ekenas, in front of the lake. The view is wonderful and it’s so silent (we are the only ones around). A short stop in Fiskars and in the evening we reach Helsinki. The hotel is in good location, near the main church and the harbour. We see the Uspenskin Tuomiokirkko (ortodox church) and Tuomiokirkko (cathedral) and the buildings around. We walk down the Esplanadi and have dinner in a nice restaurant.
Sunday August 23rd, 2009
Today it’s cloudy. We see the roofed market near the harbour, walk again in the Esplanadi, see Nikytaiteen Museo Kiasma (outside only) and the church in the rock, Temppeliaukion kirkko. We continue to Espoo, a near town, with nice wooden buildings. There, a girl asks us why we are there. And the reason is simply I was there in my previous trip and I liked it, so I came back with my friends.
We stop in Asikkala for the night. We hadn’t booked any place for tonight, so we search a bit and find a really nice B&B. Also the owner is very kind. We go to dinner to the only place we find open and we eat a pizza (the waitresses are beautiful), and later we go to a near lake to see the sunset. Wonderful, probably one of the best I have ever seen. Today was a really super day.
Monday August 24th, 2009
A few pictures on the beach in Asikkala and then we go to Hameenlinna to visit the fortress. In late afternoon we are back to Tampere, where we relax and have dinner. It’s our last day in Finland, tomorrow we will go back to Germany.
Tuesday August 25th, 2009
We take our flight to Bremen, and from there we go to Stade, a nice city with many hanseatic buildings. There is also a huge cathedral and a channel, with an ancient crane. In Duhnen (at a short distance) a walk on the beach and we try to put our feet in the water. It’s too cold for me. We are back in Bremen, in the same hotel of the first night.
Wednesday August 26th, 2009
There isn’t much time, so we just have breakfast and go to the airport, and it’s still morning when we land in Italy.
You can read about my other trip to Finland here.
