Helsinki

Our family was lucky enough to be invited to a wedding in Helsinki, Finland. We met the groom through an adult coed soccer team, and we’ve always kept in touch no matter where we were living. During our friendship, he managed to fall in love with a fabulous Finnish woman. She and her family were so kind in showing us and all their American wedding guests around Helsinki. I honestly can say that Helsinki isn’t a city on the top of my bucket list, but I’m very grateful that we were given the opportunity to visit along with the kids.

First, finding a hotel in Helsinki is really expensive! We ended up finding a great flat through AirBnB. It was a bit of a hike to the main touristy parts of Helsinki, but it was enough room that the kids each had their own room and room for my in-laws. Another great deal about the AirBnB is that the owners had kids around the same age as our children. So you could imagine how delighted my kids were to discover an entire room of toys! We also saved a bit of money by having breakfast and dinners at home since there was a grocery store close by and the flat had a fully equipped kitchen. I highly recommend using AirBnB when traveling with children!!!

The one downside that I could think of about Helsinki (and probably the Scandinavian countries) is that it never gets pitch black dark! Ordinarily I wouldn’t find this as a huge problem. But when you have young kids whose sleep are entirely governed by sunlight, it poses a huge problem. Our flat had adequate black out curtains and screens, but once 4am hit and it was as bright as noon it was a problem. Just a small peep of sunlight made my daughter wake up at crazy times (she was 19 months old).

Our first day the bride took us on a short walking tour of the main part of Helsinki. We walked from Stockmann (a Finnish department store), to the market square, to the town hall, to a Russian orthodox church, and then back to the market square. Going into this trip I admittedly did no research whatsoever (which, before kids, I would always do). So I had no idea that Finland had a deep history with Sweden, Russia, and Germany.

After our morning walking tour, we took a break for lunch and then met up for an old tram tour around Helsinki. The bride chartered an old tram for all the wedding guests and we explored all of Helsinki. We were shown not only the main touristy bits, but funny little personal things like where the bride went to school. Did you know that the Finnish love their saunas, so much so that even Burger King has a sauna inside? Weird right? This tour was perfect for our two little kids who love different modes of transportation and we didn’t have to carry our push them around town.

On another day we did a morning tour of Suomenlinna Fortress, which the kids absolutely loved! You can catch a ferry from the market square to the fortress. Basically the kids ran round the grounds. I think their favorite part was when they were given a flashlight and explored the tunnels that our tour guide took us through. The fortress itself was a great place to have a picnic and learn more about Finnish history, especially if you are into military history. Definitely definitely visit the fortress, bring a picnic lunch, and prepare to stay there for at least half a day. Oh, the fortress is kind of stroller friendly. If you do any of the tunnels, you can’t bring the stroller in with you. My husband had to walk somewhere outside to park the stroller, and then run back to the beginning of the the tunnel tour only to go outside and walk where he parked the stroller (which was half way between the entrance and the exit!).

Probably the coolest experience by far for my son was playing Finnish baseball called pesäpallo! It was set up by the bride and groom for the (adult) wedding guests to play. They had two professional pesäpallo players explain the game to us and then we played each other on a municipal pesäpallo field. Everyone was really nice and let O get a chance to hit and field between innings, and let me tell you he had a blast! It made such a great impression on him that he now calls (American) baseball Finnish baseball. But it was such a fun experience, even though it was something the bride didn’t enjoy playing during gym class.

And last, but not least, is the Finnish Long Drink!!! It is a gin based grapefruit drink that is probably the best drink you’ll ever have–perfect for a warm summer day in Helsinki (which there were many of when we visited). I don’t know if you would call it a cocktail since there’s no real mixing going on. It’s kind of looks like the Smirnoff Ice stuff they sell in the US, but it tastes soooooo much better. You can buy them in cans and some bars and clubs actually have them on tap. They pour it in a pint, sometimes with ice. Hands down the best drink we had on this year’s European trip.

Overall, it was a really great trip for the family. The kids enjoyed it and the adults had a good time too. I think a lot of it was due to the bride being very gracious as a host. But if you are planning a trip, I know that the Finnish embassy in DC will gladly send you brochures (the kinds you find in a hotel lobby) about Helsinki and Finland to help you plan your trip!