Juicy, fruity, good

Do you want to start your week with a fresh, delicious smoothie? Then the jungle juice bar is exactly the right thing for you.

The concept is simple. Use fresh ingredients and mix them on the spot for the customer. That's all there is to jungle juice bar. But their selection is really good. You can choose between smoothies, super smoothies or just a normal juice. Go e.g. for a Killer Bee (mango, pineapple, passio fruit, orange and ice). You can also add some extra ginger or protein if you like. Or try one of their fruit shots.

The jungle juice bar can be found in many of the big shopping centers in and around Helsinki.

Give it a try and enjoy!

My Helsinki - a flight over Helsinki

With his quardcoper and a small camera Lare Lekman made an amazing video of Helsinki from above. My Helsinki takes you on a breathtaking aerial sightseeing trip from Lauttasaari through the city center all the way to Kallio. Jump on board.

Have a good trip and enjoy the great view!

Enjoy the summer weather

This entire Saturday should be warm and sunny. Take advantage of that and spend the day outside. Starting from tomorrow we are expecting lots of rain again for several days.

Have a nice weekend!

Pool night at Baribal

It's summer and that means pool time. Unfortunately in with this weather it's not the swimming pool. But the other one is just as much fun.

And if you don't have any idea where to go for that then check out Baribal. This is probably one of the most original billiards places you can find in Helsinki. It's all about the games. You find ten pool and also three snooker tables. They also have darts and even table icehockey.

A table is 7 € during the day and 11,50 € in the evening. Of course they have drinks as well. And that is bascially all you have to know about Baribal.

It's a great place. Go check it out!

Helsinki's Hobbingen island

Suomenlinna is one of Helsinki's most important sights. The fortress island has a lot of history. It has been military base for Swedes and Russians and still is for Finns.

Suomenlinna has a lot to offer from beautiful cafés and restaurants to museums and of course the fortress. But on the far end of the island surrounded by the thick walls you can also find a very interesting landscape that reminds you imidiately of the Lord of the Rings books and movies. Here you get easily reminded of Hobbingen. Even a small lake with some benches around can be found. Those green hills are in fact bunkers that were used by the armys stationed here.

If you come to Suomenlinna check it out. And maybe shoot your own short hobbit video :)

Bright nights

Right now we are experiencing the longest days and brightest nights of the year. Just the clouds make it a bit darker than it could be.

This picture was taken last weekend a bit after midnight.

Finnish strawberries

Did you spot them already? The first Finnish strawberries are on the market. They can now be bought from most supermarkets and berry stands. So far they are quite expensive yet since the main strawberry time hasn't started yet.
 

And also they are not as sweet as they can get. Let's hope that despite the lack of sun and warm weather this year's strawberries will be as good as always.

Enjoy!

How the Aalto vase is made

You probably all know the famous vase from Alvar Aalto with its distinctive curved shape. But have you ever asked yourself how it is actually made?

This infographic from Finnstyle explains it quite well.

The beauty of a rainy day

The rainy weather also has its upsides. Yesterday the sun pained an amazing rainbow into the sky over Helsinki.

This picture was taken on Länsiväylä in Espoo driving towards Helsinki.

Time for summer vacation

Are you still in Helsinki? Then you will have realized that it got pretty quiet in the city by now. Many will have left the city already to their mökkis where they will spend the next days and weeks.

During July Helsinki is always a much more quiet place. Many small businesses will be on vacation so don't expect your shoemaker, tailor or hairdresser to be open till the beginning of August. Also some restaurants and bars might be closed. But don't worry, all big supermarkets and most popular places in the center stay open the summer through.

Have a nice and hopefully warm Finnish summer!

Hyvää juhannusta!

Today is Midsummer, or Juhannus how it is called in Finland. The name refers to St John, who is also celebrated that day. If you look out the window you will realize that Juhannus is also a flag day. And a very special one even. On Juhannus the flag flies the whole night through till the next day.

Most Finns leave the cities for their Midsummer celebration and go to their mökkis on the countryside. But for those of you that decided to stay in Helsinki there is also lots to do today.

The most traditional way to celebrate Juhannus is to watch a bonfires in the evening. There are two big ones in Helsinki. One is on Seurasaari (you have to pay entrance here and tickets are apparently already sold out) and one on Pihlajasaari (take a ferry from Kaivopuisto or Ruoholahti). There are also cruises offered by several boat companies that bring you close to the bonfires during a normally three hour long boat trip.

Finns love to dance in the summer. So if you like join one of the Midsummer dances e.g. in Linnanmäki, at Kuudes linja and at Club Kaiku. Or why not take a Juhannus sauna?

To find out more about all the options you have today check the Midsummer post on visithelsinki.fi. For more information on Juhannus I also recommend Rusty Snyder's article on thisisFINLAND. More also on visitfinland.com.

Have a great Juhannus!

Cronuts in Finland

The pastry trend from New York now arrived to Finland. Starting from this week you can get the famous Cronuts also here.

Cronuts have been invented by Dominique Ansel, a French pastry chef living in New York and is a hybrid of doughnut and croissant.

Since Monday Arnolds sells them here in Finland for 3 €. On the first day they gave them away for free and a big queue formed in front of their shop in Kamppi kauppakeskus.

So if you don't plan on traveling to NYC in the near future to check out the original then give it a try here in Helsinki.

Damn cold June weather

Hearing a foreigner complaining about Finnish weather is quite common. Normally that happens in the winter or spring and you can then always refer to the beautiful Finnish summer that makes up for all the coldness and darkness.

However this year things seem to be a bit different. Yesterday was by far the coldest summer day of the year with temperatures below 10 degrees in Helsinki. In some parts of Finland it even snowed. That hasn't happened in decades. Iltasanomat titled yesterday, that it's even colder here than in Alaska at the moment.

And all that a few days before Juhannus, the midsummer celebration and brightest day of the year. The temperatures are predicted to rise again but it will still be one of the coldest Juhannus weekends in a long time.

Trees and trains

The Main Station in Helsinki turned green again. VR, the Finnish railway company, has again brought some of Finlands beautiful summer green into the building of Rautatieasema. On several big beds trees, bushes and grass have been planted.

Travelers even have the possibility to sit in between the birch trees and take a small break from their journey. The installation will be there the whole summer and is of course accessable to everyone for free. 

Take a look yourself!

Don't worry about the hyphen anymore

How you also reach HelsinkiIn via helsinkiin.com. So no worries if you forget the hyphen. The new domain will now redirect you straight to HelsinkiIn.

The main domain will continue being helsinki-in.com though.

Seurasaarenselkä in June

The June has brought some quite mixed weather. Temperatures varied between 13 and 25 degrees with some sun and a lot of rain.

To see how the view from Seurasaarenselkä changed during one year you can see the pictures of the previous months here.

Kauppahalli is open again

One of Helsinki's most famous sights reopened. After long renovations Vanha Kauppahalli at Eteläranta finally opened its doors again last week.

The renewals were important to keep the old market hall in shape. It hasn't lost any of its character and still feels as it always did. The vendors are now slowly moving back in. So don't be surprised if you still see some booths closed.

Kauppahalli again offers high quality groceries and all together a genuine shopping experience. It is open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 to 18.00.

Watch the World Cup anywhere

The Football World Cup started. And all the matches are shown live and in HD from Yle.

But even if you are on the go you can still follow all the games from your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Just open Yle Areena. Here you get not only the live stream for the matches but also lots of other videos, highlights and extra information. And of course it is all for free and accessible all over Finland.

Enjoy the World Cup!

Happy Helsinki Day!

Today is Helsinki Day. The city celebrates its birthday which is celebrated every year since 1959. Unfortunately we are a bit unlucky with the weather this year. But that shouldn't stop you from having a great celebration today.

There are tons of events in the city today: dance, theater, good food, lots of music and much, much more. How about a dinner under the Helsinki sky today on Esplanadi or a free visit to Ateneum? Also don't miss the big Radio Aalto concert at Kaisaniemi with stars like Jukka Poika, Cheek, Happoradio and more.

You find all events and the whole program for the day on the official Helsinki Päivä website. Have fun!

Lunch at Bronda

Are you up for something a bit out of the ordinary for today's lunch? Then an excellent choice would be Bronda, the new restaurant of Tomi Björk (Farang, Gaijin, Bulevard Social).

The modern European restaurant on Esplanadi is already design wise worth the visit. Bronda has a timeless yet welcoming and cozy interior and a very surprising architecture. In difference to the neighboring Kasarmikatu that ascends towards Kasarmitori the restaurants stays on an even level which gives it a unique look. But Bronda is of course mainly about the food and not the look.

And that is, as expected from BW restaurants, exquisite. For lunch you can go with a single main dish (around 18 to 20€) or chose a two (25€) or three (29€) course menu. You can choose from three starters, three mains and two deserts. The lunch offers are changing constantly. They give a good first impression of what Bronda has to offer also for later visits for dinner.

As Bulevard Social also Bronda is oriented mainly towards the Southern European kitchen. Bronda impressed with fresh and pure ingredients and a very skilled way of both preparing and presenting the dishes.

The lunch menu is highly recommendable and especially the desserts are amazing. But come hungry. The portions are surprisingly big and size wise one main dish would probably be enough.

All together Bronda offers an outstanding quality. It lacks the surprise aspect of Farang and Gaijin though. For a wonderful lunch or dinner experience it is definitely a save bet though.

By the way you can also just come to Bronda for drinks. A big part in the front of the restaurant is reserved for the bar.

Sweet, salty and healthy

Searching for some healthy snacks for your next TV evening? Then Punnitse & Säästä is the right place for you to go.

Here you find all kinds of dried fruits, nuts and much, much more. Punnitse has shops all around the Helsinki region and they all have a huge selection to choose from. Go e.g. with some salty macadamia nuts and a handful of dried kiwis and honey melons. Or try their coated raisins and blueberries. Or maybe go with some organic licorice. You can also find a big tea selection.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Runeberg's seagulls

Poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg stands proud on his post on Esplanadi park overlooking the city. But no matter what time of the day he is never alone.

This head is probably the most popular among Helsinki's seagulls. One of them is always sitting up there to keep him company and to drive the tourists mad that are desperately trying to get a picture of the famous writer just by himself.

Made in Finland

Maybe you have spotted it already on some of the products you bought or saw in the supermarket. The small key with the Finnish flag is called Avainlippu.

This symbol certifies that the product you are holding in your hands was manufactured in Finland. It already exists for over 46 years. Its goal is to make Finnish products easily recognizable by consumers and encourage people to support local businesses. The flag doesn't just certify products but also services.

Apart from Avainlippu the Association for Finnish Work also introduced the Design from Finland symbol, which indicates the origin of unique and high-quality Finnish Design and just recently the Social Enterprise Mark, which is granted to enterprises that try to find solutions to social and ecological problems.

To find out more about those symbols and the participating companies check out www.avainlippu.fi.

Samba de Helsinki

If you have always dreamed of seeing the carnival in Rio de Janeiro but never made it there then today is your chance to get a feeling of it here in Helsinki.

Already for the 24th time the Helsinki Samba Carnaval takes place today. Over 1.000 dancers from Samba schools around the country come to Helsinki today to celebrate with a huge parade around the city center.

The carnival program starts with the opening ceremony on Senate Square at 13.00. The big samba parade begins at 15.00 then with the following route: Senate Square-Unioninkatu-Pohjoisesplanadi-Mannerheimintie-Aleksanterinkatu (until Mikonkatu). Till 18.00 the program at Senate Square continues.

If you still don't have enough after that then come to Circus tonight. The Baile do Carnaval party starts there at 21.00. The entrance is 22.50€.

Have a great Brazilian Samba Satuday!

Picnic deluxe at Taste of Helsinki

Next week the Taste of Helsinki starts again. From June 12 till 15 you can get either a lunch or dinner entrance. On Taste you can get creative and make your own menu from some of the best restaurants in Helsinki. Enjoy some amazing food while listening to come live jazz tunes and having some good wine.

 

Now it's time to buy your ticket. The first sessions are already sold out. Taste of Helsinki is a great oportunity to try the best food Helsinki has to offer.

Enjoy!

Exercise outside for free

The warm weather makes it tempting to forget about this gym subscription that you got during the winter, right? Well, if you don't want to spend your time inside with this great weather then just go ahead and do your exercise outside.

All around Helsinki you can find free outdoor gyms. They are open for everyone and can be used at any time of the day. You can find a list and a map of all outdoor gyms on the Helsinki city website.

Have fun!

Great kebab in Punavuori

For years it was basically impossible to find good kebab here in Helsinki. Now suddenly several new places pop up that serve excellent versions of it. After I already reviewed Döner Harju here earlier I came across another fantastic place for Döner and Shawarma. 

What makes Vivo's on Iso Robertinkatu special is that instead of the horrible, horrible meat stripes that are normally used for kebab in Finland they have the real stuff. The meat they have on the grill stick there consists of several layers of real meat slices. This gives their döner and shawarma a whole different quality.

 

 

So if you have longed for the real döner experience and were not lucky to find it in Helsinki then don't waste any time, drop by at Vivo's and enjoy! Vivo's of course also has delicious vegetarian dishes, salads and falafel.

Turn the wheel

You have probably already spotted the big ferris wheel in Katajanokka. As has been built already a few weeks ago. Well, good news. If everything goes well and the wheel passes today's inspection it will open in the evening at 19.00 for the first time.

The Finnair Skywheel will then be open for visitors on weekdays from 10 to 22.00, on Fridays and Saturdays till 23.00 and on Sundays till 20.00.

The entrance to the 40 meter high ferries wheel that offers an amazing view over the whole city is 12 € (9€ for children between 3 and 11). The operating company leased the area in Katajanokka till fall 2018.

Enjoy the ride!

Magnum is back in town

The summer starts and what is more essential to a good summer than good ice cream? At Vanha Ylioppistotalo you can now again build your very own Magnum. There you can not only choose the ice cream and the coating but you can also pick your favorite toppings.

The Magnum pop-up store is open from Monday to Saturday till June 28.

Enjoy!

Off to the islands

The summer is coming back and now also the ferries to all the beautiful small islands around Helsinki and Espoo operate again. Go for a boat ride to Iso Vasikkasaari, Suomenlinna, Uunisaari or any of the other wonderful places for a relaxed summer day trip.

Enjoy the summer!