TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2025

A DAY FOR RELAXING

This will be a short one today. I woke up this morning feeling the exhaustion of the last few weeks, and a whole lot of walking and climbing the day before, and ended up lounging in bed until the early afternoon. It’s a shame to miss a couple of the Helsinki things I had planned, but I also have zero regrets as I absolutely needed it.

When I did eventually get up, I noticed that my phone calendar said “no new events today”…. which was odd since I was looking forward to the spa treatment I had booked at my hotel for that late afternoon. Turns out with my preoccupied mind over the last couple of weeks I accidentally booked it for the following day, when I was going to be en route to Lapland. I went downstairs to the spa and thankfully was able to change to an appointment today, albeit an earlier one, and a simple massage vs the Nordic-themed treatment I had planned, but I was so relieved that they had an opening.

Given the earlier start time, I had just a few hours to wander around Helsinki, so decided to walk to some nearby design shops and just take in the central area of the city.

My first stop was Artek, right around the corner from my hotel and a nice Finnish furniture and decor company. Didn’t take long to walk around – not much different than wandering around a Crate & Barrel – but I always enjoy that and this was no different.

Finland is known for clean, modern design that’s both playful and functional, and home furnishing stores like this are all over the area.

I then just leisurely walked around Helsinki, wandering into a few stores and doing a little souvenir shopping.

Marimekko’s flagship store was nearby, so that was a definite stop. I always like their design and wanted to get a little something to bring back with that extra Finnish authenticity.

I opted for a couple of small black & white patterned bowls that now will definitely make me think of Helsinki when I use them!

Leaving Marimekko, I walked along Esplanadi Park and took in what happened to be a really beautiful day.

Helsinki Cathedral stands very imposingly over Senate Square in a central part of the city. When it was finished in 1852, it wasn’t “Helsinki Cathedral” at all — it was called St. Nicholas’ Church after Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, as Finland was under Russian rule at the time. The name only switched after independence in 1917.

Okra is a little shop directly across from the cathedral, full of little crafts, accessories, and home decor all made by Finnish artists. I enjoyed looking around for a little bit before picking out this adorable fat little bird made by local Helsinki artist Marja Myllymäki that now sits on my desk at home, staring at me to keep me in line while working haha.

So of course I had to add to my collection, and I saw that this music shop Musamaailma Helsinki had one in stock. It wasn’t far from where I was walking around near the Cathedral, so I walked over and picked one up. Unfortunately they wouldn’t ship to the US, so I ended up carrying it around in a tall skinny cardboard box for the entire rest of the trip. 😅 But it made it home in one piece!

As has become my habit now when I travel, I checked ahead of time to see if Finland had any particularly interesting traditional string instruments, and it turns out they do. And it’s one I’d never heard of – the kantele. It’s considered Finland’s national instrument, with references going back more than 2,000 years.

In the Kalevala (Finland’s national epic), the wizard Väinämöinen builds the very first kantele out of a giant pike’s jawbone and strings from a maiden’s hair. The sound was so enchanting it made every creature in the forest stop and listen. And it really is a unique bell-like sound for a stringed instrument!

After picking up my kantele, I hopped on a tram and headed back to the hotel to change for my massage. I made my way down to the hotel spa where was treated to some lingonberry juice on a chaise while waiting for my massage therapist Hanna. It was relaxing and just what the doctor ordered, a nice cap to an already necessarily chill day.

Afterwards, I went back to my room for a lazy night in. I ended up getting room service again – that same delicious parsnip soup and a caesar salad this time. Not the most exciting day in the history of traveling, but a much needed slow one, and a nice early night before heading to Lapland tomorrow for the Flash Pack trip.