I started my trip to Finland exactly how I planned to: With Moomins. I loved the Moomins when I was a kid, so when I boarded our overnight ferry from Stockholm to be greeted by a Moomin I was overcome with happiness!

The boat actually felt like a shopping centre inside and I kept forgetting I was on a boat. We boarded, settled into our shoebox cabin, I went for a massage – (hilarously unfriendly masseuse “TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF” in a gruff voice…I’m not sure she spoke any other English words and barked that at me as I entered the room. She gave a good massage though.) – and then we went for an almighty buffet dinner. I did take pictures but to be honest it just looks like a mass of food and doesn’t really show it off. So I’ll move on to some slightly better food photography…

We arrived in Helsinki, grabbed some lunch at Da Vinci who served the most gorgeous salads. We then set off exploring!

We arrived at the harbour and boarded a boat to Suomenlinna which is a sea fortress comprised of little islands which are all connected by bridges. The islands are on the water just outside of Helsinki.

I absolutely love the sea. Dad, I know you’re reading this: BUY ANOTHER BOAT.

At the entrance to the island there is a clock tower arch way. I feel like there is a story about the time on the clock but I can’t remember – if you know then let me know! Google was useless.

A wee pano of the bay for you!

Looking back towards the city.

The Suomenlinna Church is right in the middle of the island of Iso Mustasaari and is a stunning building. Inside is a functional church and around the outside you can see names of fallen soldiers. It felt strange to see the Nazi symbol carved next to names.

Suomenlinna has amazing ice cream. Cherry & pear. Oh my word. It was one of those cones that you never want to end, and when it does the only thing stopping you from buying another is shame.

We took a long walk around the islands and found the most stunning viewpoint. I could have stood there and gazed onto the sparkly water all day. But instead I turned into Cher…

If I could turn back tiiiiime!

Helsinki is a gorgeous sity, and I liked the view of it from the boat as we came back into the harbour.

We got a good view of the Uspenski Cathedral from the boat on the way back too.

Right on the harbour is a big market that sold everything from fruit to handbags and accessories. I went for a bag of delicious cherries. Addictive.

I managed to stop myself from eating all the cherries, and we decided to get a spot of lunch. Brasserie Kämp (within Hotel Kämp) is an amazing place – I totally recommend it! See my review here.

You may recognise this photo – we stopped by our local diner called Kitch and had some tapas for dinner. Read the review here!

As we do, we moved on to some drinks and a wander around the city at night.

We decided to go somewhere market, Bubbles, and spent the night in their outdoor seating area sipping on Frozen Daiquiris. I like their roof bubbles. I do not like their prices.

It had been a very tiring day – full of exploring, sunshine and laughter. We headed back to our apartment and hit the hay, ready for another Helsinki day…