Travel
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The WeeGee Exhibition Centre, Tapiola, Espoo
A stroll by the sea into Tapiola and a visit to the WeeGee Exhibition Centre which includes four museums, a cafe and museum shop. Entrance is €12 but is free each Friday between 5.00 pm and 7.00 p.m. The WeeGee building was constructed in the 1960’s for the Finnish printing company Weilin and Göös as their…
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Lovely Luukki, Espoo, Finland
A favourite beauty spot of ours in the Helsinki/ Espoo region is Luukki. Getting there without a car is relatively easy by taking bus no. 345 from outside the Central Railway Station, journey time being 45 minutes with buses running every hour. Shortly after passing a Shell petrol station you will see a blue sign…
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Guide to the Helsinki Tram Museum and Pub Tram
Being a lover of transport museums around the world, I couldn’t resist a visit to the Helsinki Tram Museum which is located in the Töölö district of the city in a former tram depot. Admission to the museum is free and it is open each day between 11.00 am and 5.00 pm. Starting our tour around the…
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Beach life at Munkkiniemi, Helsinki
Another warm, sunny day so a day at the beach was planned. We took a No.4 tram to its terminus at Munkkiniemi. It’s a very pleasant suburb of Helsinki with an attractive bay, a peaceful spot with a long seafront walkway alongside tall reed beds and wild roses. Nearby you will find a ‘Mattolaituri’ meaning…
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A guide to Linnanmäki Theme Park, Helsinki
Located on a hill not far from the centre of Helsinki you will find a theme park called Linnanmäki, translated into English this means ‘castle on the hill’. Unlike some theme parks where you have to buy a ticket to enter, at Linnanmäki visitors can either purchase a wristband, a multi ride ticket or pay individually…
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Delightful Tampere, Finland
We took an inter-city train from Helsinki to Tampere. VR Finnish trains are very comfortable and smooth, run on a wider gauge than English trains and have an upper deck. We booked seats upstairs so that we could enjoy the best views along the 90 minute journey. Tampere is Finland’s third largest city and is…
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The Church in the Rock and National Museum of Finland, Helsinki
The rain was heavy when we woke but not to worry, there are always interesting places to visit in the city even if the sun isn’t shining. Our first stop was at the Temppeliaukio Church also known as the ‘Church in the Rock’ located in the Töölö district in the city centre. The church opened…
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Töölö Lake and the Winter Garden, Helsinki
After taking the bus into Helsinki we decided to walk towards the Finlandia Hall and take a stroll around the Töölö lakeside. On a sunny day there’s no better place to be, walking through this urban park in the city centre. There’s a double width path to accommodate both cyclists and walkers/ joggers without getting…
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A day in Turku, Finland
Our younger son’s birthday and a day out in Turku located on the south west coast of Finland was the plan, it’s Finland’s oldest city and former capital. We booked seats on a Pendolino service departing around 9.00 am. The train was very clean and comfortable for our two hour journey and arrived on time.…
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Guide to taking a ferry to Suomenlinna Island, Helsinki
From Helsinki’s bustling marketplace (Kauppatori) boats depart to Suomenlinna Island taking around 15 minutes. The HSL ferry is operated by Helsinki Regional Transport (HSL) and all HSL tickets and travel cards are accepted. If you need a ticket, be sure to buy one before boarding the ferry as they are not sold on board. Ferries…
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A walk from Hakaniemi to Helsinki’s Market Square
Part One: We planned a walk from Hakaniemi to the Helsinki’s Kauppatori (market square). Getting there was easy as we took the metro from Kamppi but you could also hop on one of the trams. Located in the square is the Market Hall (feature photo above) which opened in 1914. On the ground floor you…
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An evening in Haukilahti, Espoo
Part Two: Haukilahti is a small coastal town located in Espoo, west of Helsinki. It has an attractive marina, yacht club and some inviting cafe/bars. It’s not very far from where I’m staying and I came here this evening with Suvi from Destination: Everywhere, a Finnish blogger who I’ve been in contact with through my posts…
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Day trip to Porvoo from Helsinki
Waking up to bright sunshine dazzling our eyes, we realised it was going to be a lovely day for a trip along the coast to the old town of Porvoo. We had booked tickets on Onnibus who offer inexpensive fares on their comfortable coaches which depart from Kamppi. It only takes 45 minutes to get there and…
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Helsinki sightseeing: Seurasaari Island
Seurasaari is a small island a short distance from Helsinki which is approached by an ornate wooden footbridge. Getting there by public transport is quite easy, bus No.24 leaves from Eira and we boarded the bus from outside the Sokos Department Store on Mannerheimintie near Kamppi. The bus takes around 30 minutes but it’s also…
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Helsinki walk: Löyly along the waterfront to Eira
We started the day in Hernesaari, an up and coming district of south west Helsinki, formerly docklands and now home to a cruise harbour and some high end apartments. We were here to visit Löyly a new, upscale public sauna, bar and restaurant (see feature photo above). It’s designed to give the appearance of a…
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Helsinki walk: Sibelius Park to Hietaniemi Beach
Another of our favourite Helsinki seaside walks is from the Sibelius Monument. Getting there by public transport is easy, we took the No.24 bus from outside the Sokos department store near Kamppi and rang the bell to alight as soon as we saw the Sibelius Monument on the left. Sibelius Park is in the Töölö…
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Senate Square, Helsinki
I’d heard that a military parade was taking place in Senate Square so we decided to go along and see what was happening. Arriving at the cathedral, people were already starting to gather on its steps. Over the years we’ve attended various different types of events here, and the stone steps provide an excellent viewing…
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Farewell Finland
I shouldn’t be sad that we had to leave southern Finland and return home today, not many people are so fortunate as me to be able to go away for an entire month. I did have a heavy heart though as we gathered our belongings together before taking one last forest walk in the warm…
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London travel guide: St James’s Park and the Mall
This morning I took a Virgin East Coast train to London arriving into Kings Cross at 1.00 pm, from where I hopped on the Piccadilly Line for the short journey to Piccadilly Circus as I’d arranged to meet my older son in the Virgin Lounge. I was first to arrive which gave me a few…
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Exploring the Woolwich Foot Tunnel and Walking the Thames Path in London
This morning we took the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Woolwich Arsenal where we enjoyed breakfast in the ‘Great Harry’ pub which was in the main square. Woolwich is a historic naval and military town situated three miles to the east of Greenwich. Leaving the pub we walked towards the river passing the historic site…
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A Visit to the Bank of England Museum and a Walk Through the Inner Temple, London
After our lunch break at the Royal Exchange we only had a few steps to walk to the next place on our itinerary – the Bank of England Museum. It’s a little known museum with free entry and is only open Monday to Friday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. The Bank of England, affectionately referred…
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A Walk Along London’s South Bank and a Visit to Portobello Road Market
We started the day with a cooked breakfast near Tower Bridge followed by a walk along the south bank of the Thames Path as far as London Bridge, taking a few minutes to walk around the attractive Hay’s Galleria. Originally a warehouse and enclosed dock this listed building was converted in the 1980’s to offices,…
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A Visit to Greenwich and the Cutty Sark in London
Checking out of our hotel near London City Airport we headed to Greenwich where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the Gate Clock pub. Around the corner from here is the 19th century Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving tea clipper. The sailing ship has been raised over three metres so that visitors can walk…
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A Scenic Walk on Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire
It was decided that we would spend a day in Ilkley, a prosperous small town set in the beautiful Wharfe Valley of West Yorkshire. The town is located between Skipton and Harrogate and there is a rail link to Leeds. From the railway station, we walked up Wells Road to the famous Ilkley Moor which…
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