Assorted slices from a Friday afternoon exploring Helsinki

My bus back from the Porvoo daytrip dropped me off a little after 3pm. That left me about 3.5 hours before sunset, so I tried to make the most of it with an admittedly loose agenda:

* Walk / bike along the southern edge of the city
* Check out the Old Market Hall
* Pass through that stretch of Bulevardi to pick up something for Judy

The pics and notes below are what I could grab / thought to take. As I was using a City Bike for a decent stretch of this and can't snap and ride simultaneously, I'll just have some of those memories in my head.

First move was to simply start walking south from my apartment in Ullanlinna. Took a few vibe shots of what is a stylish, upscale little area. Enjoyed staying here and would recommend it for sure.

Google tells me my apartment was about a 15-minute walk from Kaivopuisto. Maybe that's right. I was zig-zagging a bit just taking it all in. Could have sworn I had taken more pictures that what I'm seeing in the fotoroll. Might have been distracted just enjoying the day. You'll have to trust me or seek out other pics of that park, but it's beautiful. Great place to enjoy some nature in the city. That is a theme I definitely noticed. Read about it before arriving and experienced it while there.

Pretty sure I picked a City Bike at that location highlighted on the map below (the unmarked heart icon is where my apartment was). This was my first time cashing in on the 10 euro week pass I has secured upon arrival. Little snafu prevented me from using them earlier. But nicely responsive customer service via email helped me figure out my issue and this time I pulled the bike w/o any problems.

It was a beautiful time for a ride. Sunny, clear, crisp. Park was surprisingly empty. But maybe everyone had been out enjoying it earlier and was now getting ready for their evening plans. Or, I guess it was Friday late afternoon. i.e., still working hours for many.

One sight that inspired me to hop off the bike and take a specific foto was the juxtaposition of modern and traditional waterfront homes. These two shots were taken just a couple hundred meters apart from each other. Both pretty great vantage points for enjoying the setting sun over the coastal horizon.

I did want to check out the Old Market Hall, so I doubled back on the bike and headed toward the center of the city. My route is largely what you see in that dark blue line below. First leg south was me walking through the park to the City Bike, then biking along the waterfront before taking it to the center.

Dropped off the bike near Savoy, which is apparently a very nice Finnish restaurant, and the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has an eye-catching exterior.

Also liked the look of this Taito shop that I walked by on the toward the Old Market Hall.

I did not take any pictures inside the Old Market Hall. Did a very quick lap. Looked mostly like food options as other shops had closed earlier. Unsurprisingly, it felt pretty touristy. As I mention in a previous post, if I do make it back to Helsinki --- or if you're heading to Helsinki --- Hakaniemi Market Hall is the one I would want to check out. However, the folks using their boats to merchandise their wares was a nice touch. Nothing I was in the market for. But if you're a more adventurous eater than me (likely 99% of the planet, tbh), then you might spend more time chatting these folks up to learn more about what they had on offer.

Snapped a pic of the Upsenski cathedral standing out there in the sun.

Had to keep it moving as I was working the clock before some of the shops along Bulevardi closed for the evening. I had spotted Chez Marius the day before and wanted to get over there to find something for Judy. Some other window fronts caught my eye along the way. Fasetti is apparently a furniture store. Sure. I just liked that fanciful circus ostrich thing in the window.

Argentinian Embassy has a nice location. I'm sure there are worse postings around the globe.

Couple of general vibe shots. Really liked the feel of this area.

Pieni astiakauppa also jumped out to me. Anything ceramics will get my attention. Did remind me of what we saw in Bolesławiec. I scanned the shelves quickly through the window in case there was an obvious espresso cup I could secure for myself. But I did not go in. Sitting here now I'm kinda wishing I did. But I had other things to take care of.

I did take care of those things at Chez Marius. So, mission accomplished, I hoofed it back to the apartment. Kaisan pitseria which is maybe 50 meters up the street from where I was staying looked great. Snug, cozy. Took the pic before seeing online that the reviews are spectacular. It's a must-visit next time. Wasn't going to step solo into an 8-seat little local joint and ask for spot.

Called to mind Angelina Ristorante in Chicago, which I'm delighted to see is still going strong 28 years after I first spotted it and thought it represented everything I liked about my new city. Understated, authentic, warm.

With that, I retired to the apartment with another prepared meal from K-market and a nice Finnish IPA. Tomorrow would be another full day.

Spending a day exploring Porvoo, Finland

Add Porvoo to the list of places I didn't know existed 6 months ago but now I am concocting scenarios in my head where I return for an extended, multi-week stay. Not all exploratory day trips pay off to the same degree. Visiting Porvoo was one of the highlights of this trip through Helsinki.

My high-level impressions:
Charming
Quiet
Picturesque
Tidy

Overall, lovely. And that's during a random Friday in October. I can see how the experience may be different during a summer weekend when it's full of people looking to capitalize on the good weather to more fully enjoy its charms. But I counted myself lucky to visit during the fall (again, the foilage, I'm a fan) when the rain held off and I even got pockets of solid sun. Almost perfect.

My visit broke down into a few subslices:
Exploring the 'old Porvoo' area up around the Cathedral and over to Castle Hill
Seeing a bit of 'normal' Porvoo, both on foot and via scooter
Stopping for lunch at a place that I had high hopes for but disappointed
Checking out the riverfront leisure area

After the bus ride dropped me at the 'terminal' I oriented myself and headed for the Cathedral. It's just 2 blocks north, across Mannerheiminkatu, which is the main drag running roughly east-west through the heart of town. This yellow and red house is your first clue that you're on the right path.

And here is your view back down Rauhankatu toward the bus terminal.

From there you make your way up cobblestone streets into what feels like a scene from a fairytale. Sturdy, sensible-looking houses in a variety of solid colors with white trim. Just a glance of the exteriors brings to mind how cozy they must be on the inside. At least that's how I picture them. I don't want to hear any differently.

Soon you catch sight of the cathedral's steeple (if that qualifies as a steeple).

Every direction you turn here is another beautiful view. This day I had the area pretty much to myself. Briefly overlapped with a small group of Asian tourists, but otherwise --- quiet.

Past the cathedral and moving toward the Castle Hill area the streets open up a bit. Homes seemed a bit larger. I refrained from taking intrusive shots, but the area seemed to over-index for the kind of upscale European station wagons that are good for the camping / biking / active & affluent lifestyle. Fenced yards with outdoor social features. Evokes a sense of life well-lived.

Took a quick look at the hiking area over toward Castle Hill. Lovely, bucolic view to the small road out of town. Note also the biking path running paralle to it. Nice way to get your exercise.

I didn't have time or inclination to spend much time hiking in the wet conditions. So snapped my pic and kept it moving.

Before leaving the area of old Porvoo I wanted to pass by the Devil's Stairs. If you look up toward the top center of this pic you can just make out where the cobblestone gives way to a natural stone section.

And here is a look at the actual Devil's Stairs.

I forget exactly how long it is, but maybe it runs 50 meters more or less. I was glad for the handrail since the rocks were a bit slick. Given the general climate of Porvoo this must be tricky/miserable to navigate much of the year. Or fun. Your mileage may vary. If you have time and the mobility to climb through here, it's worth doing. But I would also say it's not a 'must-do'. The little area beyond the stairs involves some more of the charming homes before leading you out to a semi-main street that returns you to more modern Porvoo.

Strolling back toward Mannerheimkatu, I passed on one side the Porvoo library.

Then a green industrial(?) compound which gave off particularly gloomy vibes on this gray day. I think this is its link on google maps. Hard to say what the heck it actually is based on the reviews. Anyway, caught my eye.

As did Thai Street Food, which, in retrospect, is probably where I should have had lunch.

I did like how in 'modern' Porvoo they maintained some of the visual cues of 'old' Porvoo. Solid color apartment buildings / townhomes (I'm guessing). This wasn't necessarily 100% uniform all around the city, but in parts.

I was making my way out to Burger Company on Aleksanterinkatu when I couldn't help but notice this Fizza hut. I wonder if they think of it that way. You know? Like Pizza Hut. Anyway, Fizza has a website if you're curious to know more. In retrospect, this, too, may have been a better lunch option than Burger Company.

I made it to Burger Company and ate my meal with a nice slice-of-life view. I will do a separate 'quick review' post on Burger Company later. Spoiler: didn't love it.

Post lunch stroll a couple of blocks until I found a scooter, which I used to buzz around some of the residential areas of central/eastern Porvoo, as illustrated kinda on my google maps route below.

I dropped the scooter off near the bus 'terminal' and spent the rest of my time in Porvoo enjoying the area along the riverfront. I walked through Runenberginpuisto and am surprised I don't have any pictures from that little stroll as I found it really charming. The reviews on that google maps link are kinda strange. I wonder what Erkki has seen. On this October Friday it was chill. I took some shots along the river and went about halway across the bridge. Did not have time to explore over on that side of the river. That's what I would have done next if I had maybe one more hour.

Last zone I checked out, which is also worth more time if you're a shopper or want to leisurely enjoy lunch/coffee in one of the various cafes and restaurants, is the area just on the north side of Mannerheiminkatu, all around Runo Hotel Porvoo (which appears to be a very nice option if you're thinking of a weekend in Porvoo). Lanes of cute shops selling a variety of upscale crafts and homewares. I did a lap in about 15-20 minutes but could easily see spending 60-90 minutes here or more if Judy was with me.

Finally, after a bit of mild panic when I realized I was not 100% certain that the bus back to Helsinki departed from the same 'terminal', I did find my OmniBus back to the big city. It showed up literally one minute before scheduled departure time. So they made me sweat it. But in the end I found my upper deck, front row seat and enjoyed a sunny ride home.