Day 1 - 13 Apr 2019
So the flight was at 2335 on 12 April, and we landed in Helsinki at about 0630 on 13Apr. Honestly, Finnair isn't great. They ran out of chicken for their dinner meal and only had beef, which I don't take. Wasn't a big deal to me since I had dinner before the flight, but not a great look for the airline. There aren't options for breakfast either. The flight was also prolonged because they couldn't fly over Pakistani air space, which is not their fault, but it did cause inconvenience to some passengers who had a connecting flight to catch.
We could only check into our airbnb after 1130, so we hung around the airport to get Sim cards from the convenience store, R Kioski. I just asked for a card that would provide me with 7 days of unlimited data and was given a Telia card. So I paid 4.9EUR for the card, which comes with $7 of value inside. It costs $0.01 for 1MB, up to cap of $0.99 per day, so essentially there's unlimited data for 7 days, after which you need to top up to continue using.
Then headed to take the train to Helsinki Central Station. Tickets can be easily bought over the HSL app (and is cheaper on the app), but note that the airport is technically in Vantaa so the ride into the city center is counted as regional.
From the station, it was a 10min walk to Kamppi for brunch at La Torrefazione. 24EUR for a main and buffet spread. Weekend brunches are a huge thing in Finland.
Then another 5min to our airbnb, where our host met us and showed us around. It's very spacious and fully equipped, for a very affordable $155/night including all the extra costs.
After settling in and showering, I quickly headed out to take the metro M1 from Kamppen to Idrottsparken, from which Espoo Metro Areena was a 10-15min walk away. From the station, I didn't need to use my GPS anymore because there were hordes of people heading to the arena since the afternoon game was Canada vs Finland. I had bought tickets online the moment I decided I was going, and managed to get front row tickets, albeit the not so good ones - I was behind the penalty box area. They don't allow any food or drinks, so I had to shell out 3.50EUR just for a bottle of water, sigh.
When I entered the place, the players were already on ice warming up so I was super excited. These players whom I've watched playing lights out in so many games on youtube, IN FRONT OF ME, separated by just a piece of glass. It's like meeting kpop idols x 20. Was particularly excited seeing Jill Saulnier (#11), Brianne Jenner (#19), Laura Stacey (#7) and Ann-Sophie Bettez (#39). Unfortunately, Captain Canada Pou was injured so she didn't play, so Jenner had the C instead.
And then the game started. Honestly, I was supporting Canada and went in fully expecting Canada to win it easily, since the main attraction is usually the US-Canada finals. And then Canada started out being so dominant in the possession and opened the scoring. But, Finland came back, and soon they were in the lead 3-2. Throughout the 3rd period they were in the lead too and I was SO nervous for Canada. Sochi 2014 ruined me, thinking Canada can always stage comebacks like that. Alas, it was not to be. Seconds winded down, the Finnish player scored an empty net goal, it was 4-2 Finland, the Finns were cheering the roof down and they were going to the gold medal match while Canada, for the first time in tournament HISTORY, were going to play for bronze. I sure picked a good first match to watch lol.
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| Team Canada Player of the Game: Jill Saulnier! |
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| Team Finland Player of the Game: Noora Raty! |
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| Captain Finland: Legend Jenni Hiirikoski |
And that's how I flew all the way to Finland for a USA Canada final that didn't happen haha.
I really have to give it to the Finnish crowd for being crazy supportive of their players - the moment their player gained possession of the puck, they would start cheering. And Canada honestly did not play that great, with too many mistakes and missed opportunities while Finnish goalie Noora Raty was playing lights out. I was so breathless after that first match, but there was a second semi final between USA-Russia. Most of the crowd had cleared since they were only interested in supporting their local team. I was sitting at the area where the drinks are when an elderly couple approached me to ask if they could stand there, and then the gentleman started telling me about the game and how proud he was of the Finns, and then he said that he actually built and owned that Areena until he sold it in 2004! Super cool.
The USA-Russia match was a much more muted affair with fewer supporters and only 5 Russian supporters doing any cheering. Their cheering got less enthused when USA ramped up the score to 8-0 lol.
Day 2 - 14 Apr 2019
We spent the entire day in Espoo. Took the same route and headed to the rink first, intending to buy tickets for my friend so she could watch the games with me. We were told there were tickets left and they were open for sale an hour before the games.
So we headed to Weegee exhibition center where there are 4 museums and had brunch too. Because I knew I wasn't having dinner again today.
The museum of horology (study of time) was pretty interesting! Always had a fascinating for pocket watches. Then there was the KAMU Espoo City Museum, the modern art museum which was a little too abstract for our tastes, and the toy museum where I happily recognised my childhood toys from the 90s.
At about 1440, we headed to the rink which allows entrance from 3pm. We were super lucky and managed to snag the final ticket available for my friend, and somehow no one sat beside me for both games so she just sat beside me in the front row. So this time, I had an even better and more exciting view as I was on the front row on the right.
The first game was the bronze medal game between Canada and Russia, which wasn't that exciting since Canada is of another tier. Just unfortunate they lost to Finland and had to play for bronze for the first time ever. Seeing the players up close is just unreal. During the medal ceremony, Pou came out!! At least I managed to see her after flying all the way here. I wanna go to the championships next year at Nova Scotia just to watch her play. (Just google Marie-Philip Poulin - she's absolutely incredible)
And then the stands started filling for the gold medal match between USA vs Finland. What can I say. It was an incredible, crazy and heart stopping game. From the start, Finland put up an amazing defence, with god Noora Raty in net. USA scored in the 2nd period then Finland scored right back and the rink went mad! It remained 1-1 till 60min so there was sudden death OT. Then Finland scored and everyone celebrated, with the players conveniently choosing to pile up on my side of the rink so I have wonderful pictures and videos of their celebration. And then, the goal was reviewed, and deemed as no goal due to goalie interference. The crowd (obviously) disagreed, and social media went nuts. Exacerbated by the fact that the officials said no goal AND called a penalty on USA's goalie for tripping the Finnish player. Either you call penalty on usa goalie and allow the goal or disallow the goal due to goalie interference which means a penalty on Finland. This is so hard to explain - you gotta see the video and screenshots to understand. But anyway, the poor Finnish players had to put back their gear after they threw it all on the ice thinking they'd won. OT continued with no goals, the game went into a shootout (ARGH) and USA won 2-1. That was peak ANTICLIMATIC. My friend, who has never watched a single match of hockey, was so confused when the game ended lol.
Noora Raty deservedly won best goaltender after backstopping a total of 51 out of 52 shots in 80min today, AND 43 out of 45 ytd, while Jenni Hiirikoski (bless her) won Best Defender for like the 7th time and MVP. USA had a pretty muted celebration considering the circumstances and the lack of many USA supporters in the crowd.
So I didn't get my Canada-USA game, but getting to watch this historic AND plain amazing hockey match was worth it. First time Finland has ever been in a gold medal match, and they nearly (and should have) won it. Watching the players zoom by in my front row seat is just indescribable.They are SO FAST. It is a completely different experience from watching the game on tv.
And that sums up the main reason why I ended up in Finland.
Day 3 - 15 Apr 2019
This was the start of our proper tourist experience. We headed to the market hall to get breakfast first! And it was a really pretty day with clear blue skies.
Then took the ferry to Suomenlinna, which means castle of Finland but doesn't actually have a castle. The queue can be really crowded so make sure to go earlier to get tickets and chope your place in the queue! The ride was pretty scenic and very very windy.
Suomenlinna itself is beautiful, and we were blessed with a clear day with blue skies. Visited 2 museums - the Suomenlinna museum and the Military museum. Almost all attractions in Finland offers discounts for students and elderly so remember to bring the relevant card/document!
After spending quite a substantial amount of time in those, we walked almost the entire length of the island to reach the King's Gate. With many pretty views along the way.
Then back for some cake at a place near the ferry terminal, and caught the 3pm ferry back.
Took some pictures with the ferris wheel at the pier.
Then caught the bus from nearby to Loyly for the atas sauna experience. Do you know Finland is the origin of sauna? So it's definitely a must try when in Finland! Loyly is kind of expensive, but you pay for the experience, facilities and views. We first had to put our coats and shoes in a closet outside, then pay 19EUR at the counter for 2h, a towel and a seat cover. Then we entered the ladies changing room where you have a locker to put your stuff and change into your swimsuit. And then you're supposed to shower, then head inside. There are 2 saunas - 1 steam and 1 traditional if I didn't get it wrong. The one that is more easily visible from the entrance is alot less hot and more manageable than the other one, which was in a corner and was pretty dark inside. After spending about 10-15min in the sauna, you can then go out (in just your swimsuit in 5deg weather) and enjoy the view without feeling cold.
There's also a fireplace to just chill and maintain a normal temperature lol.
We decided to have dinner at Loyly as well. I got the jerusalem artichoke soup as a starter and the perch (the national fish of Finland!) for a main and both were great. And those views, damn.
Day 4 - 16 Apr 2019
Today was museum and churches day.
Started the day with breakfast at Cafetoria Roastery.
Due to some poor planning on my part, we had to skip the Rock Church first as it wasn't open yet, and headed to the National Museum where we spent close to 3h.
Then headed back to Rock Church, which is just a feat of architecture.
Next, headed to Ateneum to appreciate the art - both classic and modern.
And then to Helsinki Cathedral.
Headed to Ravintola Aino for a super filling dinner - I had a selection of Finnish delicacies as a starter and a small salmon soup. Wow, there's more salmon than soup in that salmon soup lol.
Despite being very full, I still headed to Robert's Coffee to buy some coffee and chocolates to bring back and had the thickest dark chocolate ice cream ever.
Day 5 - 17 Apr 2019
Day trip to Porvoo, the oldest town in Finland! We caught the 9am bus on Onnibus from Kamppi bus station to Porvoo, since its the cheapest (6EUR if you buy on the bus) compared to the rest. It's a 1h ride but very relaxing. The town itself is pretty small but very quaint. Everything in Finland tends to open pretty late, like 11am or 12 noon, so we walked around the town first.
Then had brunch at Cafe Postres. I tried the shrimp bowl since I had eaten too much salmon, and was certainly not expecting an Asian looking dish to come out.
Also tried runeberg cake, which is the Porvoo specialty, at Cafe Fanny.
We went to a few small museums, and a free art gallery.
Walked around more to take pictures of these scenic red houses on the shore, then caught the bus back to Kamppi.
It was about 4pm when we arrived back at Helsinki. My friend and I then split up to go shopping! I headed to Flying Tiger to buy stuff, then to Karl Fazer cafe to buy all the chocolate, and try their hot chocolate which was surprisingly good. Fazer products are seriously everywhere in Finland. On the flight and even when restaurants give us our bill, they'll supplement a Fazer chocolate lol.
Decided to have dinner at Ragu, a most atas restaurant. The bread was super amazing - 4 types of bread with 4 types of spreads. I ordered a surprise 3 course menu since I was feeling adventurous. My favourite was the starter which was trout with white asparagus and spinach pancake. The main was perch with gnocchi. Good also but the fish was a tad salty. And the dessert was ice cream and meringue.
Day 6 - 18 Apr 2019
For breakfast, I finished up all the fruits we'd bought on the first day, then took the train from central station to the airport for our flight to Rovaniemi, checked in and had a donut at one of the cafes.
I had a front row seat which is ideally great, but I had nowhere to put my stuff! The guy beside me was analysing a hockey match during the flight so I was very excited but didn't have the guts to ask him about it.
We landed in Rovaniemi around 1320, and anxiously waited for our luggage to arrive as the Santa Express bus to the city was supposed to leave at 1337. Luckily, we managed to catch it despite being late and paid 6.60EUR for return tickets. We got dropped off at the city center, conveniently right opposite our hotel. Check in was smooth and the staff was so helpful in helping us enquire about activities that we could do. We ended up booking our snowmobile trip with Safartica via the hotel reception.
The room was beautiful and surprisingly spacious!
Was too late to visit Santa Claus Village by then so we went to the museums instead. For students, the culture pass for 3museums is 15EUR which is super worth it.
So first was Arktikum, about the ice age and arctic circle. I bought a reindeer leather pouch for my mum because its sooo good quality.
Nearby is an arctic garden where its just snow and trees and freaking beautiful.
Pilke is right next to it but we headed to Korundi, the art museum, instead as it opens till 8pm on Thursdays. It was a pretty small exhibition but I really enjoyed it. At least its modern art I can understand.
For dinner, we chose Retaurant Nili, conveniently located next to our hotel. I had pulled reindeer with mushroom for a starter, skipped the main (since I'd been eating too much) and got creme brulee. Also tried blueberry juice since the waitress recommended it. Looks like wine but tastes like cranberry juice.
Day 7 - 19 Apr 2019
Hotel breakfast buffet! They had the usual ham, salmon, bacon, eggs, but also a variety of breads and spreads, lots of fruits, juices and smoothies and lots of cakes as well! Super satisfying.
We were supposed to meet our snowmobiling guide at 1045 at the office of Safartica, which is just around the corner from our hotel. The guide came with 4 other guests from Brazil, and then we got fitted with helmets, socks, boots and overalls. All piled in the car for a half hour ride to the spot, got instructions from our guide on how to operate the snowmobile and then started snowmobiling! Snowmobiles are usually twin driving but my friend and I chose to top up for solo driving, which is 49EUR on top of the 99EUR. I was the WORST driver lol. Within 2min of starting, I already went off track. So I dropped from 2nd in the group to last. Which was ok cos i could stop and take pics. About 45min in, we stopped for drinks and biscuits and rest, then we turned back for another 30min ride back to the starting point. It was all fine until we were about to reach the starting point again where I once again went off track and this time ran down 2 little trees on my path to destruction. I was so sure I was gonna flip. Despite my poor driving, and the stress, it was super worth it and fun and a must-experience in Rovaniemi imo.
We headed back to Safartica's office to return the gear, and I bought a cute magnet for 5EUR cos it was love at first sight haha. The guide gave us a ride to Santa Claus Village, where we learnt that she's a uni student studying forestry. So cool!
At Santa Claus Village, I met Santa and spoke to him about the women's hockey championships (lol), splurged 15EUR to buy a photo with Santa and 5EUR for a cert to show I've met Santa. AND 4.5EUR to show that I've crossed the arctic circle. Then spent 3.5EUR buying some nonsense made of reindeer antlers, which I just found out, is shed every season.
We also managed to make it to the reindeer park in time for a 1km reindeer ride for 29EUR/person.
From the village, it was a very scenic half hour walk to Rakas restaurant at Arctic Treehouse Hotel.
Had 2 starters - king crab and smoked reindeer, and a choc tart for dessert. Yumm for the final dinner in Finland.
We were too late to catch the bus so we took a taxi instead. The taxi cost here is madness. The basic price for a holiday (unfortunately it was Good Friday) is 9EUR, so our 10min ride was almost 25eur.
We reached back to our hotel around 730pm, so I went to redeem my free welcome drink from the bar, which was blueberry juice and cinnamon. And I booked a private sauna from 9-930pm and got to enjoy that.
Day 8 - 20 Apr 2019
Hotel breakfast again!
Headed to Pilke Science Museum which is about forestry which was perfect after the crash course on forestry we got from our snowmobiling guide lol. Had a lot of fun playing the shooting game.
Then it was time for more shopping and I bought more magnets and clothes and reindeer chips.
And then it was time to take the Santa Express back to Rovaniemi airport and fly to Helsinki.
We had dinner at O'Leary's at Helsinki airport, and then had to wait almost 4h for our flight back to Singapore. Finnair was once again, a mini disaster as so many people were randomly seated and I was somehow placed between a couple (obviously, we swapped seats), and I saw many groups of people being separated. And this time, they did not have beef and only had chicken for dinner, which was fine by me, but what's the point of having a choice if the other option is always not available lol.
Then back to Changi to see the Jewel haha.