German coffee culture

A new German cafe opened in Helsinki. At Cafe DaJa in Kruununhaka you can now enjoy delicious German pastry and good coffee while breathing in the German athmosphere of the place. Read some German magazins and listen to German radio from the speakers.

DaJa offers more though. You can also come here for lunch. They have daily changing offers like Flammkuchen, Maultaschen and more. Or check out DaJa's breakfast during the week and brunch on the weekend. 

For more information on food, drinks and special events at DaJa check out their website.

45 restaurants for 10 €

How about going out for dinner this weekend? It would be the perfect timing since today Syö Helsinki starts again. For the next two weeks 45 restaurants throughout the city offer selected main dishes for just 10 €. 

This is always a great way to get to know some new restaurants you haven't visited so far. All offers can be found on the Syö Helsinki website.

Enjoy and have a great start into the weekend.

Candy straight from the factory

Halva is one of the most traditional candy producers in Helsinki. Since the 1930s the company makes and sells delicious sweets. You can buy their products in most supermarkets. But you can also go straight to the factory and get your sweet treats right from where they are made.

Since 1957 Halva runs its factory in Pitäjänmäki. On the ground floor of the factory Halva runs a small outlet filled with delicious candy. Here you can buy gummi bears, sweet and salty liquorice and much more in big packages for reasonable prices. Also take a look at the shelf for second quality. The products might be packed the wrong way or have some other small flaws but taste exactly the same as first quality products. Of course you can also try lots of their candy in the shop.

Give it a try and enjoy!

The squirrel whisperer

The latest video on Helsinki and the NBE Conference by the Vagabrothers features some interesting bloggers from the Helsinki region you should check out.

One of them is Konsta Punkka, freelance photographer and squirrel whisperer. Yes, you read correctly. Konsta takes amazing pictures of the tamed squirrels as well as birds and even foxes from Seurasaari. And some pretty cool other stuff as well. 

Check out his Instagram account to see more.

One year Seurasaarenselkä in one picture

It has already become sort of a tradition. After each picture-in-a-year series hugovk creates a merged picture. Here is the one-pic-summary of the last 12 months at Seurasaarenselkä.

Check out more cool pictures on Hugo's Flickr page and also have a look at his other versions of one year at Seurasaarenselkä as well as the results from Ullanlinnanmäki (2013) and Esplanadi (2012).

Seurasaarenselkä in January

The sea has frozen over and meanwhile has started melting again. It's still pretty grey but not too cold for January.

One year of Seurasaarenselkä has come to an end now. To see how the view from Seurasaarenselkä changed during one year you can see the pictures of the previous months here.

Where is my bike?

This year hasn't brough that much snow so far. Still sometimes things might get lost :)

Have a nice Sunday!

Small bird, huge variety

Are you up for a drink tonight? Maybe a beer or a whiskey? Then head to Pikkulintu in Eastern Helsinki. The small pub in Puotila is know all around Helsinki for its excellent beer and whiskey selection. 

Choose one out of 14 beers on tap. Like e.g. the famous and hard to get Siperia Imperial Stout brewed in Tampere. Or try one of their over 100 different whiskeys. Let the bartender help you with your choice since you most likely will loose the overview pretty fast. You can also go for one of their beer or whiskey tastings. For more information check out their website or give them a call.

Pikkulintu is by the way one of the very few independent pubs in Helsinki that are not part of any of the big retail and restaurant chains.

Enjoy and have a great Saturday night!

What to do when you slip and fall

Ice can be beautiful. Especially when the sun shines over the frozen sea. But if the streets freze over it can also get quite dangerous.

Around 20 000 people slip, fall and injure themselves on the ice every month in Finland. The question is what you can do if that happens to you as well. For that case Yle News put together some useful information that will help you to figure out what to do in case something happens. In yesterdays article you can read what your rights are and who is responsible in case you fall.

Check it out to be informed. Stay save and have enjoy the Finnish winter!

Vagabrothers in Porvoo

The Vagabrothers came to Finland for last week's Nordic Bloggers' Experience. During their time here they of course also made some new videos. The first one just came out where they show what you can do in and around Porvoo.


Check it out and subscribe to their channel!

New snow in Helsinki

After most of the snow has already melted and turned into ice the last two nights have brough the white stuff back to Helsinki. And it looks as if there was at least a bit more to come during the next days.

So for all of you snow fans out there it's time to enjoy the winter wonderland outside.

Living in Finland gets cheaper

Have you realized that prices dropped in many Finnish supermarkets from Sunday to yesterday? This is due to a price war between the big supermarket chains active here. The S-Group, the K-Group and Lidl all announced over the weekend that they would lower the price for many of their products.

The stronger competition on the market led the companies to that step. As a cutomer you can now benefit from that. Read more about on topic from YleNews and enjoy your grocery shopping!

Where is Kaisaniemi?

Did you lately wonder why the metro stop Kaisaniemi isn't mentioned anywhere anymore? Well, for those of you who missed it, Kaisaniemi metro station was renamed. It is now called University of Helsinki (Helsingin Yliopisto/Helsingfors Universitet).

Now the university, in the year of its 375th anniversary also finally got its own metro station.

Melting ice

The layer of ice on the sea is slowly melting again. But this is very unlikely to be the end of the winter already. 

The coldest time of the year is probably still to come. It might well be in February or March. So don't put the warm winter cloths away just yet.

Have a nice Sunday!

Slippery roads

Be careful when you go outside these days. The streets and roads are extremely slippery. During the day the plus degrees causes the snow to melt. During the night the water then freezes over again.

Make small steps and when it gets really slippery consider to rather walk in the snow next to the paths for better grip.

Have a nice and save weekend!

Poets of the Fall show their Helsinki

The rock band Poets of the Fall from Helsinki are proud of their hometown. To make it more known to their fans around the world they filmed their newest music video here. So far it has not been released. But together with VisitHelsinki they released four short teasers where they share their thoughts about their home town. You can watch the first one here. The other three can be found on Visit Helsinki's YouTube channel.

Enjoy!

Where the whole world meets

Today Helsinki's Matkamessut starts again. Traveldestinations from Finland and around the world will present themselves and present visitors their most exciting, relaxing and interesting sights.

As every year many Finnish and international travel blogger are joining and covering the event again. Find some of them listed on the Nordic Bloggers' Experience website and check them out.

Tickets to the event cost 30 €. The event takes place at Helsinki Messukeskus in Pasila and is open until Sunday.

SnowHow at Helsinki Vantaa

During winter snow frequently closes down many European airports. Sometimes air traffic gets completely stuck in some countries. Not so in Finland though.

Helsinki Vantaa is one of the best equiped airports in the world when it comes to fighting snow and ice. And believe it or not, the longest time Helsinki Vantaa Airport ever was closed due to heavy snow was for 30 minutes. That was in 2003.

So don't worry about the weather if you are planning to fly anywhere from Helsinki around the winter time. Helsinki Vantaa is prepared.

On the blue beam through Helsinki

Did you already spot the blue beam? During the dark winter time it goes through the city center from Observatory Hill along Kopernikuksentie, Unioninkatu and Siltasaarenkatu.

Have a look yourself and maybe walk along the whole beam once. It's a nice stroll that gets you through many very different but typical areas of Helsinki.

You can see the beam every night from 18:00 to 02:00.

Meat fresh from the butcher

In Helsinki you normally get all your groceries from the supermarket. Small shops have a hard time competing against the big S and K chain. But luckily you can still find a few local businesses around town.

One of them is Fredan Lihakauppa. It's a typical old fashioned butcher that sticks to one thing and one thing only - good, fresh meat. The shops is located in Frederikinkatu in Punavuori and the perfect address if you need something special for lunch or dinner.

Give it a try. Fredan Lihakauppa is open on weekdays from 10 to 19.00 and on Saturdays from 9 - 17.00.

Raw Food at Hymy

After Cafe Kokko at Katajanokka closed down raw food fans might wonder where to get their sweet and healthy treats now. Well, there is an alternative just a few blocks away. Hymy Raw Food Cafe at Torikortteli also offer delicious raw food pastry.

The two owners Inka and Maria do their best to offer new fresh raw food creations to their customers all the time. You can find their small cute cafe in one of the court yards right next to Kauppatori. 

Give it a try and enjoy. Hymy is open on weekdays from 11:00 to 19:00 and Saturdays from 11:00 to 16:00.

Follow the Prime Minister

Did you know that the Finnish Prime Minister is a Twitter enthusiast? Alexander Stubb is very active in social media in general. That way he is probably one of the most approachable top politician worldwide. He tweets mainly in English but also in Finnish, Swedish and French from time to time.

If you want to stay up to date on what Alexander Stubb is doing or want to get in touch with him directly then follow or tweet him with @alexstubb.

Unsettled winter weather

After cold winter weather with ice and snow the last days' rain and temperatures above zero have caused the last snow to melt. A mild weekend lays ahead that might only bring some new real winter weather during Sunday.

Have a nice weekend and hopefully catch a glimpse of the sun as well in between.

Lookout over the harbor

You are not in Helsinki right now but want to have a look at what's going on in and around the city? The port of Helsinki has live webcams that update every couple of seconds.

Switch between South Harbour, West Harbour, West Harbour parking area, Makasiini Terminal, Vuosaari Harbour and Vuosaari Harbour Gate Area.

Superfood everywhere

Superfood is a huge trend around the world. The food additions support a healthy life. If you live in Finland you don't even have to go to special shops to find them. You can get them right from the supermarket. And not just big Citymarkets or Prismas but even the small supermarkets around the corner tend to have them.

Obviously you pay a little more for the extra health kick. But take a look and maybe try out a few of them.

10 facts about Finland

What where the things that surprised you most when you came to Finland for the first time? Here is a list of things that might shock first-time visitors. Do you agree or have something to add?

Looking forward to your comments!

Finnish delicacies at the airport

Some Finnish delicacies are always a nice gift to bring when visiting people abroad. But then it easily gets too late to still make it to the city center. Luckily Helsinki Vantaa Airport is well equiped. And it even has a small Stockmann shop.

Here you find everything that works well as a nice souvenir from Finland. Get e.g. some Salmiakki, Fazer Chocolate or some reindeer salami. Check it out at Terminal 2.

Lux 2015

Tomorrow the Light Festival Lux starts again in Helsinki. In 13 spots around the city center light artwork is on display. Follow the Lux trail guiding you to all installations. You can start your journey at the Tuomiokirkko at Senaatintori.

Additionally there is also a side program during the whole time of the festival. Lux lights up every day from 15.00 to 21.00 until January 8. Don't miss it!

Beware of ice and snow!

Helsinki is covered in thick ice and snow. And it looks beautiful. But be careful when you walk through the streets. Eventhough the city does its best to keep the roofs clean and the streets clean there is always the risk of something falling down.

Keep your eyes open and have a save start into the new year!

Hello 2015!

HelsinkiIn wishes all readers a good and happy 2015!

Did you have a great celebration? Did you celebrate at home with friends and family or rather with thousands of other Helsinkian in the city center at the Senat Square?