N Europe Travel

» lisamarie71 - What was the best/worst part about your visit to Finland?

Have you been to Finland, or are you planning to visit soon? What were the best and worst aspects of your trip to Finland, or if you haven't been there yet, what are you looking forward to most?

I live in Helsinki and I really enjoy the city because it is easy to navigate and it offers many things to do. I was also taken with Lapeenranta, near the Russian border, when I visited this summer. It has a totally different, laid back vibe than Helsinki does. The waterfront area is lively, even on Sunday mornings! I want to go back and take a river boat cruise to Vyborg, which used to be Finland's biggest city, but it is now in Russia. I've only spent a night in Turku, but I would like to go back for their Christmas celebrations. One of my favorite things to do in Finland is to cross country ski. You can do it on frozen lakes, the frozen Baltic Sea (for a totally different perspective of Helsinki), in the woods, or on one of the hundreds of groomed, lit trails that are all over the country. I haven't been to the Arctic Circle yet, but I will hopefully go this winter.

The downside of Finland for me, unfortunately, is the cuisine. I find that so many restaurants serve very low quality food (not fresh or flavorful, since Finnish produce is grown in hot houses) for a very high price. I enjoy ham, mustard (Christmas specialties), the delicious fresh berries (I didn't like berries before I moved to Finland, but they are so good here I have totally taken to them), and the fresh spring potatoes (the taste is very delicate and subtle, but so good) but I find some of the food to be a bit bland and sometimes greasy (sorry Finnish friends!). If you like pickled herring, this is the place for you! Also, you can get very good shrimp here. Do yourself a favor and do not step foot into any of the "Tex-Mex" restaurants here and avoid "pizza kebab" restaurants like the plague.

But, there are some real restaurant gems that I'll be sharing with you in the coming weeks, so don't despair!

-- posted by lisamarie71