Wow I lovvvvvved this place. Helsinki was so beautiful. I felt like I was in NYC. Parks around the city. People performing, people sitting and reading, people tanning-people everywhere just doing their thing. It was very cool to observe so many Finnish in their indigenous habitats ;). I feel like people in Scandinavia are all outdoor lovers. So many people running, biking, boating-just outside enjoying the weather and exercising. I really admire their lifestyle and their beautiful country. Scandinavia was extremely clean everywhere we went; Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Nice and clean! But do they pay for it, literally with their crazy-high taxes!
Tuomiokirkko Church, Helsinki/Helsinki Cathedral
Inside Helsinki Cathedral
The Jean Sibelius Monument, Helsinki
My new organ hat- tres chic
Rock Church
What a life :) lucky duck
I love this park, it reminded me a lot of central park, some hustle and bustle spots but also more quiet-calmer areas-a bit of everything, it was right near the large market. Mike and I just hung out and did some people watching, had some ice cream, it was very relaxing :)
Helllllo Helsinki!
In Market Square I got babushka earring and a broche. I am obsessed. I also got some beautiful clay jewelry :) Definitely a great place to go for unique and local finds! :)
Flowers Flowers Everywhere! This was in the market :)
Uspensky Cathedral
Uspensky resting atop a Finnish hill :)
holy guacamole, this was a bit of a hike and it was almost florida hot that day too, but well worth it :)
Uspensky Cathedral :) So beautiful and ornate inside!
Inside Uspensky Cathedral-gorgeoussss but alas with no AC-it was super hot!
:), the market where I got my babushkah pin (on my shirt)
A nice little treat on a hot Helsinki Day :)
Old meets New, around downtown Helsinki
MUST DOs: Helsinki Cathedral Uspensky Cathedral Rock Church Sibelius Organ Park Market Square (buy something :) ) Helsinki's Park Frolic about!! :)
So Belgium, we were only there for a day but I'll never forget the amazing taste of the truest Belgian/Nutella/powdered sugar waffle I have ever consumed. It was literally a piece of heaven (comparable to my amazing large and in charge pancake in Amsterdam) ! Bruges so beauuuutiful!! It's actually a very popular honeymoon destination and looks virtually untouched since 1709--or just really old. There were lace shops everywhere, so delicate and beautiful--and super expensive. So I just stuck to my waffles, I was quite satisfied with that :).
Divinity, in physical form. My Belgian Waffle.
Bruges (photo credit Alana)
Photo Credit Alana
Gorgeous Gothic. Photo credit Alana
Bruges Famous "Markt"
I love canal cities. Photo Credit Alana
Brussels is a very important European "Business" city. However, after seeing Bruges, I didn't really care for Brussels (eh), plus it was rainy and we were only there for a day. So we didn't have much time to do anything in Brussels except hate our hostel and frolick about the city at night, get stuck in the rain and eat. All in all we made the most of our time there. :)
I love them
How can I emphasize this enough..? do NOT stay here, I repeat do NOT stay at Brussel's youth hostel. period. No towels, who knows what was on the floor, and the floor got flooded when we showered so we had to use their cardboard sheets as towels, utter ew, just ew! We even put the sheets in the shower b/c the tile was too questionable.. but definitely made for a memorable experience. ;P
It was rainy, it was gross but it was fun
No umbrella? No worries. Naturally we used our mysterious Hostel sheets.
Brussels Cathedral. Photo Credit Adam C
Again, we were only there for a day, we did as much exploring as we could. I'd definitely love to return to Bruges. Very beautiful and untouched.
