Helsinki

My arrival in downtown Helsinki without Hildegard was ok. At least I didn't have to look for a parking space for her. During this trip I occasionally booked accommodation through Airbnb - mainly in cities. This has a big advantage for me: I live in a real apartment in the respective city for one or two nights. So no different than normal citizens. I find this interesting because the structure and the neighborhood create a slightly different impression than if you lived in a hotel. Hotels always seem a little insular to me. That's why I looked for and found a small apartment in Helsinki.

From here I start my exploration of the city. This is quite inexpensive with a public transport ticket. Especially since I live pretty close to the center here in the Kallio district.

I use the bus and tram rides to get my first impressions of the city. Just outside, in the west of the city, I visit the house of the Aalto family of architects and designers. This name was imprinted in my subconscious through a vase from my parents and I was not disappointed. A very well-preserved city villa, which was still outside the city when it was built around 90 years ago, and a very informative tour has now given me a closer look at the work of the family around Alvar Aalto.

The next tram ride took me past many well-known buildings and I then simply walked back along the tracks to take a closer look at them. So I got to Uspenski Cathedral, saw Helsinki Cathedral, the main train station, the shopping streets and then took shelter at Stockmann, a large department store, because of a three-hour downpour. I ended the evening 'at home' with licorice ice cream and tea. And now it's time to pack again. Since Hildegard's inspection has just begun in the morning, I put my luggage in a locker in the main train station. The large city library 'Oodi' is located near the train station. I'll look at those. However, I was not prepared for what a great modern concept was implemented here. You can spend so much time here and do a really wide variety of activities. Reading and borrowing books - of course - too. But also holding or attending private or public events, eating delicious food, coming to the mothers' meeting with babies, listening to music, having 3D prints made, sewing, doing crafts, enjoying the sun on the terrace... I was very fascinated by this 'library' .

From the terrace of the Ateljee bar I enjoyed a panoramic view of Helsinki in the sunshine. I picked up this tip during my walks. So I was able to orient myself a little and then walked towards the coast. A city by the sea like this is something nice.

And then the time had come: the luggage had to be fetched from the locker (by the way, the facility is also very modern and user-friendly), a train connection to the motorcycle house had to be found, and of course the train too, only to then have to travel the last few kilometers to take a taxi because things weren't going so smoothly...

The mechanic did a good job, at least as far as I can tell after the first 40 km of driving. Hildegard is rolling again, the new chain is tight and she also got a new tire for the rear wheel. Now the last night in Finland can come.