I don't know what possessed me to include a stopover in Helsinki for just two nights but in hindsight I am glad I did. Having seen only a small glimpse of the city I feel compelled to come back and explore it further. Perhaps I'll stop by again on my way to visiting some of the other Scandinavian Regions that have been on my bucket list and no this does not mean I have started planning my next trip; I am purely just fantasising about where it is I would like to go some day....although I am sure I will need another one to get over this one!

While some might say that Helsinki is just another boring city, I fell in love with it the moment the shuttle bus pulled up outside the railway station - there was just something about it that captured my heart. Perhaps it was the pace of life or to put it simply, the grandeur that stood before me. The Railway Station itself dominated the square, its arch-shaped facade guarded on either side by enormous, lamp-wielding statues. Everywhere I looked I was overwhelmed by beautiful buildings, testaments to the creativity of the 19th and 20th century architects.

I must admit that arriving at the Square at peak hour was probably not the smartest thing to have done as there were people everywhere and we had no idea which way to turn in order to make it to our hotel. We thought we would be smart and ask one of the locals for directions instead of going into the Visitor Information Centre, but after he turned the map this way and that, he shook his head and quietly said he had no idea where the street we were looking for was. As this was the case we knew we had no option but to go to our 'backup plan' - just walk and hopefully we stumble across it! We eventually found the Hotel Kamp two streets down from the station; seemed we had taken the long and most difficult way round as usual!

The hotel itself was exquisite. Everything seemed to have a place and everything was immaculate. The furnishings were of old European glamour and one could certainly become accustomed to this sort of luxury over time. Mind you even the elevators were a bit fancy...clearly too fancy for Lucy and I as we had a difficult time operating the darn things! While the hotel has accommodated royals, heads of state and world class international artists over the years we were somewhat unlucky in that no-one famous was visiting at the same time as us. Never mind as after walking into our room we felt a little like royalty! Our room was massive by hotel standards with a separate hallway and bathroom all of which were tastefully decorated. We even had a rubber ducky in our bath tub! It wasn't until I had to wash our dirty clothes and iron them that the bubble burst and I was once again thrust into what some of you might call 'reality'.

I hadn't anticipated it being freezing cold here and when I read that the weather in the Baltic States was going to be fairly similar I reluctantly asked Lucy if she wanted to go shopping for warmer clothing- stupid question I know, as if she was going to turn down a shopping invitation, right? So after dinner at a small Italian Restaurant - yes we are missing our pasta already, we paid a little visit to the Stockmann's Department Store and purchased some much needed layers. Thankfully we only had time to visit one store before retiring to our grand room for the night; promises of visiting others tomorrow still fresh in my mind. I really don't know what I was thinking making such promises, perhaps she didn't hear me!!

We weren't in bed long before I got up again; a small sliver of light peering through a gap in the curtains illuminated the entire room making it virtually impossible to fall asleep. Imagine my surprise when I opened the curtains to find it was still daylight outside at 11pm! Had I done my homework properly before leaving home I would have known that this is what they call the 'White Nights' or for a better explanation it's when the sun remains above the horizon all night. As it turns out we will be experiencing this again in some of the other countries we will be visiting over the next few months. I guess we can now make full use of both our days and nights, although I am rather disappointed that we won't get to see some of these cities with their lights on!

We started out fairly early this morning. With only a full day to appreciate the city we thought we would see and do as much as practically possible. First on the agenda was breakfast at Market Square or as it's known to the Finns, Kauppatori. The charming outdoor market located near the harbour offered delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, smelly fish, baked goods and local handicrafts. It would have been a perfect setting had the sun cooperated but instead we had to contend with the freezing wind. It therefore came as no surprise that most of the locals and tourists rushed to seek refuge in the small but otherwise warm makeshift cafes that lined the waterfront. After procrastinating for several minutes on where and what to eat, we decided to have pancakes. Not the wisest choice as it was probably one of the worst meals I have ever had. The coffee resembled dirty water and the pancakes we were so looking forward to eating had been drenched in sugar laden strawberry compote and cream; so much so that the pancake itself disappeared underneath the muck they called a 'topping'. After a few bites we discretely placed them into an open rubbish bin and walked away as the sparrows tucked into what I believe was meant to be a Finnish delicacy!

Our visit to the information centre also proved a little challenging...for the staff that is. We had read about a self guided walking tour which we were keen on partaking. On enquiring we were advised that they had run out of the English publication, but as an alternative they could offer us the German version as the photos in it were the same and would guide us on our walk. I waited a while before I responded thinking that perhaps they would pick up on how absurd that sounded, but nothing. The puzzled look on their faces after I told them I had no use for the booklet will forever remain with me. Fancy walking around the city with only a series of photos as a guide and no way of knowing how to get to them! I can understand if this was a road block on the Amazing Race, but seriously what were they thinking?? In the end we decided that taking the tourist bus would be a much better alternative than trying to figure out where we were or where we were heading to. If anything we figured the bus would at least provide us with an English explanation of the sights we were seeing. Thank God the day only got better from here!! This, my friends is what I call the simple joys of travelling and boy do I love it!

The hop on, hop off bus proved to be our link to the sights on offer. For a relatively small and young city, Helsinki has managed to gather a number of architectural styles - Neo Classical, Neo Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Russian Byzantine, Neo Gothic, Romanticism, Nordic Classicism, Functionalism and Modernism all of which blend and work well together and for me equalled lots of photo opportunities! While there were many highlights on the tour, there were a few that really stood out for me: Senate Square - home of the iconic & most photographed cathedral and where most of Finland's events take place, the Sibelius Monument - erected in 1967 it is constructed from welded steel to resemble organ pipes, a bust of the famous composer nearby and the Old Market Hall - not only a popular tourist attraction but also a meeting place for local food lovers. It was here that we bought some local delicacies for dinner. While there was an opportunity to sample some exotic products from Lapland, we declined politely fearing that somewhere along the way we might encounter Rudolph!

I would have liked to visit the Temppeliaukio Church which was quarried out of natural bedrock in 1969, however we were confronted with a small problem - we couldn't find the entrance. We walked around it several times to make sure we hadn't missed something and even climbed up to the top of its dome but after feeling like total idiots we casually walked away, secretly praying that the prying eyes of the locals were not watching us from their balconies. I had anticipated facing some challenges on this trip, but to be defeated by a church..... Wow I would never have seen that coming!!

As we walked through Esplanade Park I couldn't help but smile. The decision I had made five months ago to simply pack up my life and surrender to this dream finally made sense. As selfish as it sounds I really have no care in the world, for all that matters to me right about now is how I am feeling and what awaits me in the coming months. I have butterflies in my stomach and the more I think about, it the more I like how it feels!