Off the beaten path in northern Finland!

I didn’t write a post about our day in Helsinki during the cruise in 2015 because it rained so much that I didn’t take a lot of photos in that port. We enjoyed the day 2 years ago despite the rain, and this year, we decided to venture beyond Helsinki. We are so glad we did, because we weren’t as crazy about Helsinki this time, due in part to less positive food experiences, although we had terrific meals elsewhere in Finland.

That said, we wouldn’t discourage anyone from going to Helsinki, but we would strongly urge that you add other destinations in Finland, if possible. We continued our tradition from Sweden and Norway by taking a day trip by train, in this case, to Turku. A fantastic vegetarian restaurant (one of several there), filled us well in Turku, and the museum of modern art included an amazing basement excavation of the ancient town. It is worth the price of admission just for the lower level! Excellent tea and cake in their café.

We stepped into the simple cathedral in Turku, and were thrilled to have entered moments before a rehearsal for an upcoming organ concert. What could improve a visit to a church but thundering Bach, well played? Nothing! The ice cream in Finland is tasty, and we strolled along the riverbank in Turku in the sunshine. Dinner before the train ride back to Helsinki was also great (Italian).

We were ready to fly north the following day, to Oulu! We didn’t quite make it into the arctic circle, but we really liked Oulu. We rode bikes around the interconnected islands, learned a few things at the interactive science museum on a rainy day, and breathed the fragrant air in the nearby forest. You can shop if you want to, and you can relax in the park along the river with many other picnickers. The farmers market yielded giant raspberries and superb strawberries, along with other fruits, veggies, fish, cheese, etc.