Time is flying here in Helsinki, Finland. I can’t believe I’ve been here over a week now! From the beautiful weather and about 19 hours of sunlight each day and everything in between, it’s been nothing but an amazing experience.
The week has consisted of lots of beach volley, sauna time, meeting new people and exploring the city’s main attractions.
One day after playing beach volleyball, I went to watch Emmi and her band’s gig. I was blown away by her band and her talent! She has an amazing voice, I’m so glad I was able to see her perform!
Their band’s name is Luxury Liner and they write their own music and play covers of classic country music.
Also at the gig, I sat with a few of Emmi’s friends that all play volleyball together. They were all super nice and outgoing and it’s always nice to have something in common to talk about! I may not be able to pronounce their names correctly, but I can tell you which volleyball position they play!
The next couple of days consisted of site seeing in Helsinki. I purchased a 48 hour Helsinki Card and with that, I had access to “free” site seeing tours, entry to major museums and sights and unlimited travel on the public transportation.
Once I had the Helsinki card, my first stop was one of Helsinki’s main attractions, Suomenlinna Island. It is a sea fortress and World Heritage site. It is an island just south of the city and takes about 15 minutes by ferry.
The stonework and architecture created by the Finnish and Swedish soldiers was impressive!
I even made friends with a swan while there!
After roaming Suomenlinna for half of the day, I hopped on another ferry boat that toured around many of the islands that surround Helsinki.
We passed many cute little saunas located right off of the sea.
The next day, I saw a couple of museums, joined the panorama city bus tour as well as the hop on hop off tour. The Helsinki card allowed me to see all the sights and use the public transportation at the best cost. I highly recommend checking into the Helsinki card if you plan on visiting! I also believe that many other cities in Europe offer this similar type of deal.
I also saw this strange figure while venturing the city.
One of my favorite places I’ve visited so far in Helsinki was Temppeliaukio or “rock church.” The architecture was like nothing I’ve ever seen before!
I spent almost everyday this week sight seeing and playing beach volleyball. Luckily Emmi had found me a partner to play in the Hietsu Beach Volleyball tournament! (Emmi already had a partner to play with). My partner and I met for a practice on Friday and played in the tournament together on Saturday.
I was surprised by how well we played together for just meeting and only playing once before the tournament! Our personalities matched perfectly and we bonded quite well. We went 2-2 for the day playing in the highest division. We lost to Emmi’s team in our final game of the day and Emmi went on to play in the championship match!
For not training together or hardly ever playing beach prior to this week, I was very happy with our outcome that day! We had so much fun (even when we lost). That’s what playing should be all about- having fun!
After a long day of beach volleyball, we joined the after party. In which, of course, started with a sauna. We ordered pizza then went out to a bar where the Hietsu beach volleyball members received discounted drinks. I was exhausted from a long day of playing so I headed home early that night. Emmi on the other hand, caught her second wind and ended up staying out until about 6 am! I don’t know how Finns do it, play hard all day long then stay up all night partying!
The next day consisted of some recovering and we headed to the Allas Sea Pool which is along the Baltic Sea. There, they have two heated pools, saunas and then a pool that contains water from the Baltic Sea (about 14 degrees Celsius, cold!) We swam in the heated pool, went to the sauna, then jumped into the freezing water of the Baltic Sea pool and then went back into the sauna. Talk about a life changing experience! I felt like a whole new person afterwards, so refreshing!
Next, we went to the Helsinki Sky Wheel. Emmi had bought tickets for my birthday! There, they had beautiful panoramic views of the city and harbor.
Even their sky wheel had a sauna on it!
What a week it has been exploring and playing! I’ve met so many new people and made new friends along the way. The weather has been absolutely beautiful this week as well, making the time more enjoyable.
Emmi and I are now at the Helsinki airport ready to board our plane to Amsterdam for a few days! Here’s to more new adventures and memories!
What do you think of when you think of Amsterdam? 🙂
The Aud Blog 