I recently went on a 12 day vacation to Finland, Sweden, Copenhagen, and Iceland. Naturally, I documented all of the food I ate. I wanted to get back into the Travel portion of this blog! So I’m doing a daily breakdown of all the food I ate on my trip, broken out by country. It may occur to you as you read that this is a lot of food… I’m also including my daily walking mileage. To my loyal readers (my family), this is a bit lengthier of a post!
Day 1: CPH Airport and Helsinki (Half day)
Walking mileage: 8.8 miles
I had a chaotic connection through CPH airport, due to the new changes to the Schengen passport control, which I hadn’t known about when booking my hour-long layover back in January. Thankfully, a kind security man allowed me to cut the line with 10 minutes to spare before boarding. I hustled through to my gate, but I was staring down an hour and half flight after an 8 hour red-eye having only eaten a <300 calorie meal of a sad “breakfast calzone” and small yogurt that Delta provided. Most of the options I walked by were, inexplicably, 7/11 kiosks? Which were the last thing I expected to see when stepping off the plane in Copenhagen. So I stopped at the first not 7/11 place I saw – a coffee shop called Espresso House for an iced americano and a cinnamon bun.
For a sense of the kind of establishment they are, Espresso House had a “birthday cake matcha latte” on their menu, and I deduced throughout my trip that it was basically the Starbucks of the Nordic countries. But I think that even the most basic, mass-produced pastry in Europe is going to be superior to an American one. Or perhaps I was just hungry and tired. Regardless, as I plunked down on my second flight (having just made the first bus from the gate to boarding), I dug into the cinnamon bun and it was truly reviving. Rejuvenating. Revitalizing. All of the re- adjectives you can think of, basically. I felt restored, and was able to read while sipping my iced americano for the hour and a half flight to Helsinki.
I arrived in Helsinki and got to my hotel around 4pm. I was tired from my travels, but obviously was going to stay up and make the most of the night. Also, the sun was setting at nearly 11pm, so… it was easy to stay awake and Out on the Town.
I had debated doing something crazy like going to a Michelin Star restaurant on my first night. But I didn’t want to drop $200 on a meal. So I “settled” for a very nice meal at a wine bar and Georgian restaurant called Winest. I wanted to started the trip on a nice note, and this was an excellent meal.
Their sign boasted that “Georgia had been making wine way before Jesus was born,” so… that’s a pretty high bar of excellence they are implying. It was a bit funny that when I asked what white wines they had, my waiter said they were “running low,” and suggested an amber wine. Luckily, I am not picky and got a very white looking and tasting amber wine. I got an Andria Gvino Mtsvane, which means… very little to me. But it was good!
I wasn’t quite sure what Georgian food would entail, but I was not disappointed! I ended up just getting a main dish, but it was the kind of place that if you went with a group, you could split a bunch of dishes and really go to town. I ordered the Megruli Kharcho Elarjit. Which… I just pointed to when ordering. It was a “grilled chicken with spicy traditional walnut sauce, served with elarji – a western Georgian cornmeal and cheese side dish.” The elarji was very similar to grits, and it came with some surprise carrots, which I obviously enjoyed. The sauce on the chicken was incredible – it was a very unique spice blend, and I could not tell you want any of them were.
I was debating it, and my waiter very easily convinced me to get dessert. It was my first night in Helsinki! The first night of my whole trip! And all I’d eaten that day was a cinnamon roll and sad breakfast! So I ordered the Basque cheesecake with sour cherry sauce. And, um, I’m still thinking about it. Nearly two weeks later, after non-stop good food, it was a huge stand out. This whole meal was.
This was also a test of solo dining. I am fairly comfortable with doing most things alone, but there is something slightly more difficult about going to a sit-down restaurant alone. Fine Dining alone. But I persevered! It wasn’t too hard. I felt less alone than the numerous couples or groups sitting near me who were all on their phones. Not to virtue signal, but it’s true. I also got to eavesdrop on the German table next to me, where a guy randomly broke into English just to say, “I’m mixing cheese with cheese.” I breather out a laugh and they could definitely tell I was laughing at them.
The only drawback of my solo dining experience was how long it took me to get my check. My plate was cleared and I was sipping water, trying to get my waiter’s attention. But he was running all over and only ever made passing eye contact with me, and I was bad at signaling. I eventually got my check though. The only drawback of the evening. Otherwise, a total success.
Day Two: Helsinki
Walking/running mileage: 16.9 miles
I slept well and started the day with a 4 mile “run-seeing” run. Then, after that, I hit the ground running on my sight-seeing day, crossing off one of the bakeries I wanted to visit right off the bat. St. George’s Bakery is attached to a hotel, and it had an excellent selection of baked goods. One of the more difficult decisions of my trip. It was here that I realized just how much the “bun” obsession was in the Nordic countries. This place had cinnamon buns, Boston buns, “butter eye buns,” and cardamom buns. And that was just the buns.
I got a cardamom bun, because I knew cardamom was popular, and it was different. Readers please note: this was the start of the cardamom odyssey. You’ll see what I mean later. My cardamom bun was very tasty – soft, sugary, good levels of cardamom. A solid start to my day!
I spent the morning going to see the Rock Church and then strolling around an art museum called the Atheneum. I got in my steps, to say the least.
That afternoon, I was taking the ferry over to Suomenlinna island, and I arrived early. I was going to try a reindeer hot dog from one of the market stalls that are set up on the port of Helsinki. But, when faced with the huge number of options, I decided to get a reindeer pie from Cafe Cara Melle. I also tried a raspberry Moomin drink because… it had Moomin on it. But also, a raspberry soda? Tasty – I wish America had more exciting options.
The reindeer pie was good – well spiced, and the reindeer wasn’t a particularly stand-out flavor. Which was fine by me, I think I’d be a little horrified if reindeer was particularly disgusting or delicious. It was weird enough to be eating Rudolph. So I was glad it was just regular good. Not my new favorite meat, and not disgusting.
In my notes I took during the trip, I wrote “hard not to devour,” and that was very true.
Suomenlinna island was fun. It was just a quick 10-15 minute ferry ride, and then a fairly large island to explore. It was a military fortress that Sweden created when they conquered Finland, then Russia took over, then Finland finally got control. It was great to walk around and see the sights – some of it was a small town with old architecture from the various phases of inhabitants, and some of it was fortress.
I ended up getting an afternoon snack, because that reindeer pie was delicious but quite small. So when I stumbled on Cafe Piper, I wasn’t going to say no. I got a slice of prosciutto pizza and a Long Drink, and sat out at an outdoor table with a spectacular view of the Baltic. Really spectacular. I’m not sure I captured it in my photo, but it was a great little spot to sit and snack.
The pizza really hit the spot, but this was my first Long Drink of many. It’s a gin-based grapefruit flavored fizzy drink that Helsinki created for the 1952 Olympic Games. Basically, it was gin-based Fresca, but… better. Incredibly drinkable, and exactly up my alley. In Googling their history to confirm for this, I’ve just discovered that it’s available at Total Wine just down the street from me. Here I was thinking I was going to spend the summer mixing gin and Fresca, yearning for Long Drink. But no! Now I am declaring it officially Long Drink Summer.
This was also the first place I saw a “beware of seagulls” sign. I laughed a little. This was foreshadowing. Stay tuned.
After thoroughly exploring Suomenlinna, I walked past an ice cream stand in the harbor market after getting off the ferry and couldn’t resist. The flavor selection was full of enticing options – pear?? Licorice?? Lemon licorice?? I went with the licorice, but it was a tough choice. As he handed me the ice cream cone, the man at the counter said “watch for seagulls,” and gestured broadly. There were quite a few seagulls, but I thought, none of those seagulls are going to steal my ice cream. The ice cream was tasty – a solid base and some great pockets of licorice.
I took a short stroll to the iconic Senate Square and sat down on the steps of the cathedral to take in the view and enjoy my ice cream. Which I did for about five minutes before I was ATTACKED. By a SEAGULL! It swooped me from behind, quite literally brushing my head with its body and physically grabbing my ice cream cone out of my hand. It didn’t get far before the cone was dropped at my feet, and the seagull landed on a step a few down from me. I was so stunned. Truly shocked. It was a full on attack. As I stared down at my half-eaten cone laying on the step below my feet, I was thinking, “What’s that saying? Don’t cry over spilt milk? What about crying over seagull attacks?” Just kidding, I didn’t want to cry, but I was just thinking… what on earth.
I threw my cone away – the seagull didn’t even try and come back for more. Perhaps it realized that licorice ice cream isn’t really food for birds. I walked off and realized I needed to come up with a plan for my evening. Instead of doing that in my hotel, and still smarting from my failed ice cream, I decided to pop into a beer bar a block from my hotel.
I got a Let Off Some Steam Bennett from Panimoyhtiö Tuju… a California common despite that name, and it was light like a radler. It was a beautiful day to sit out on the patio, and I spent some time going through my maps app to find that a lot of restaurants were closed on Sunday. But, no matter, I was able to work with my options.
I knew I wanted to go to Bar Mate for a drink, but they didn’t have many food options. So I stopped in at Daddy Greens Pizza – even though it was technically my second pizza of the day, it sounded good and far simpler than my dinner the night before. I got the Turkish Delight, and it was solid… and quite easy to demolish. I was hungry!
Then, off to Bar Mate. Where I was seated and presented with their pop-up food menu for the day. *queue face palm* The menu looked tasty. Oh well. My decision on a cocktail was incredibly difficult.
They had a “Match Mate in Heaven” cocktail that had: “Raspberry, Absolut vodka, salty licorice, wine cordial, licorice ice cream float.” Which, would have made up for my cruelly destroyed cocktail earlier in the day. But I wasn’t sure I wanted something as rich as an ice cream float cocktail. I went with a Whisky in the Apple Jar: “apple, Johnnie Walker whisky, ceylon peach tea.” It was delicious – the apple was so strong and clear. It tasted more like eating an apple than like drinking apple juice. Very tart.
I thought about getting a second cocktail and doing that ice cream float, but I was feeling the jet lag and 17 miles I’d walked at this point, so I headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day Three: Tampere
Walking mileage: 12.1 miles
On Monday, I planned a day trip to Tampere. I was going to see the Moomin Museum, but as a result of some uncharacteristically bad planning, I realized it was closed that day! Oh well. I still had a great day.
Before heading out on the 7:20 train, I checked out the hotel breakfast and was pleasantly surprised. They had croissant French toast and some Karelian pasties that I had wanted to try. There aren’t many truly “Finnish” baked goods, but those are one of them. A thin rye crust and some potato or rice filling. It was served with egg butter, which is basically just mashed hard boiled eggs. Kind of a random combo, but it was good! I only took a photo of my hotel breakfast the second day, but on the first day I took a photo of this ginger and gooseberry shot they had. One thing about me is that I am not a juicer, but… I will always have a juice shot, especially on vacation.
The first thing I did after getting off the train in Tampere was walk clear across town to the Pyynikin Munkkikahvila observation tower. It has a cafe at the bottom known as having “the best donuts in Finland.” Now, these were the only donuts I had in Finland, but they were really good. Still warm, incredibly soft and pillowy, dusted in sugar, and lightly spiced with cardamom. I enjoyed my donut, then climbed my way to the top of the tower. It’s already on a hill, so it’s not a huge climb in order to get some fantastic views.
I hadn’t realized how much in nature the observation tower was going to be, but it was right in a massive forest. So I did a little stroll/hike through the park, saw some stunning nature right up next to the lake, and then made my way back to town.
I had walked more than I intended and realized I needed to come up with a game plan now that my museum plan had been altered. I found there was the supposedly “first ever” spy museum in the world in Tampere, and it was open on Mondays. But first… lunch. I was experiencing some vague hunger nausea, so I made my way to the Tampere Market Hall. Where I was promptly overwhelmed by decision. Walking through a place like that when you’re so hungry you feel ill is difficult. But I eventually found a cafe called Kahvila Anitta with some simple and good looking food. I didn’t quite know what this was even called – I asked the waitress what it was, she said chicken, I said I’ll have one.
I think it was some sort of croque-madam-adjacent dish. But it was quite tasty. Bread, chicken, cheese, some sort of egg salad (or egg butter?) and what I believe was Calabrian peppers. I don’t know. It was good. It cured my hunger nausea and fortified me for the spy museum.
The spy museum was not exactly a high-budget experience, but I did find it both enlightening and amusing. All of the mannequins were posed in silly poses, and I learned a fair bit about spies and Finland’s history. Then, I had some extra time before my train back and wanted to spend it outside. It was such a beautiful day. Mid-60s and nearly cloudless. So I found a little cafe stand in the pedestrian/park street and sat myself down with a Long Drink and my book.
My book – The Q by Beth Brower – was so good. I loved it. I read it the whole time on my train ride both there and back and could not get enough. I didn’t intend to go to Finland and Tampere just to read, but also… sitting outside with a drink and a book is vacation!! I got my first notifications from work when I was sat in this little park, and I silenced Slack and Gmail with a certain giddiness. A work week was starting back home, and I was sipping Long Drink in Tampere. Life is good.
I, of course, had to grab myself a train snack. I always get so overwhelmed by snacks in foreign countries. It’s not like a snack a ton in America – I often just have protein bars. But in a foreign country, when every flavor is new and enticing, and nothing looks familiar, suddenly I want to eat candy bars in the mid-afternoon. But perhaps if America had raspberry licorice chocolate bars like this one, I would eat more candy?
This bar was tasty. I may have wanted a bit more of the licorice flavor, but I’m not complaining.
I got back to Helsinki around 6pm. I did some souvenir shopping and then had to see about some dinner. I found the Helsinki Brewery just a short walk from my hotel, and it seemed like a perfect lowkey dinner. I got a beer (the Fallen Apple IPA) and some Elk Meatballs with fresh lingonberries!! I don’t always love lingonberry jam, but I was really into the fresh lingonberries. Especially with the meatball sauce and mashed potatoes. I don’t know, but it really worked. Maybe it’s the texture and brighter flavor, but I much prefer them fresh. This was a delicious and satisfying meal. I cleaned my plate.
Day Four: Helsinki (half day)
Walking mileage: 11.7 miles
I remembered to photograph my hotel breakfast this morning. I got a smattering of things, trying to eat some protein/more complete meal before going to get a pastry. You’ll see this is a routine throughout my trip. I got another Karelian pasty and some croissant French Toast.
Then, off to Ekberg bakery, which is supposedly the oldest in Helsinki. It started raining on my way over, and it was also a Tuesday, so it was pretty empty at the bakery. Just me and one other guy. I ordered a Lemon White Chocolate bun and a coffee. I opted to sit outside despite the dreary weather, because it was covered in awnings. HOWEVER, I did not realized this would lead to my second bird encounter.
I was being swarmed. I was surrounded by 4 small birds, all eyeing me not-so-discreetly. They were on the other chairs of my table. They were on my table. They were inching their way towards my tray. Swatting my hands at them did nothing. I’m not sure how you peacefully win a battle when you’re opponent has no fear. Intimidation was not working on these birds that weighed probably 0.5 ounces to my 200 pounds.
They would But eventually, they saw an opening. I looked away briefly. And one dove forwards to my plate, grabbing a section of bun and trying to carry it off. It, unsurprisingly, did not get far, because even 1/8 of the bun weight more than its entire body weight. The bun dropped to the ground, and I covered it with my foot. For their own good. Birds aren’t supposed to eat processed flour and bread. But they did not care. Four birds was now five, and they were all swarming my foot. Chirping, conspiring, getting closer, planning their moves.
I held strong. I scarfed the rest of my bun, downed my coffee, quickly picked up the lost bun and scampered back inside. Cowed by my fierce opponents.
I had a busy morning – a hike in the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum and then a guided walking tour. It helped me get a better sense of history of Finland and Helsinki, and had some interesting insight.
Then, I stopped by Yeastie Boys. It’s a bagel shop tucked away in a back alley that also served drinks and had a very fun vibe. Their description is, “Handmade bagels & craft drinks.” I could definitely see it being popular at… all meal times. I would go back to sit and enjoy it, but I just got my bagel to go. It also made me realize – it could be a little silly to get a bagel while on vacation in Helsinki, but… It’s not like Finnish people only eat Finnish food all the time! This felt like a spot that locals go to.
I got the Harlem Bodega sandwich, which was an amusing name. It was nothing like a bagel you could get in Harlem, in the best way. A “sesame seed bagel, Finnish beef patty with onion, caramelized onion, jalapeños, melted cheddar, lettuce, tomato, coriander, chives and spicy mayo.” So so good, hit the spot, and really well spiced – both the meat and the general spice levels. I sat on a bench and ate it in a park. A great place to rest my legs.
Then, I was back on the move to squeeze in another museum – the Architecture and Design Museum that had a Moomin exhibit! I was able to get my Moomin fix, in a very cool exhibit about the “architecture of Moominland,” and also the architecture and design of the various homes and studios of the creator Tove Jansson.
On my way back to my hotel to pick up my bags, I decided… I needed an ice cream do-over. There were more flavors I wanted to try, and I was still smarting from the seagull attack. So I got some licorice lemon ice cream, the same man warned me about the seagulls, and I was on my way. I got it in a cup, hoping that would help deter the seagulls, and I ate it while I walked. No dawdling. I was in defense mode. And it was delicious.
For those keeping track, the score was now Birds: 2, Audrey: 1.
With my bags, I headed on to the port to board my Viking Line ship to Stockholm. I settled in right on time, which was a relief after packing so much into my day. And then we were off! I couldn’t get a spot at the sundeck bar, so I spent departure on the top deck, looking over the railing like a lot of other people. Gorgeous view, and we sailed very close to a lot of islands.
Everyone else departed eventually, and I lingered on the top deck to read my book for a bit, but… it turns out that the middle of the Baltic Sea is a bit windy and chilly, so I went down a level to get some protection from the wind. There, I found the sun deck bar nearly empty. So I ordered, you guessed it, a Long Drink, and sat to read.
When I finally got up, the bar was closed, so I ventured inside and got changed for dinner. I wasn’t interested in spending a ton of money on a meal that was bound not to be as good as some of my other meals. There was a buffet for something like 48 Euros. I just… didn’t need that. So just went for a sandwich and some peanuts in the cheap cafe. I accidentally made my most cost effective purchase of the trip with the peanuts – 1800 calories worth of peanuts for 4 Euros. I still have them because I could not consume them all during my trip. The sandwich was perfectly serviceable – a chicken Caesar focaccia. I can guarantee that an 11 Euro dinner amongst all the other spending I was doing definitely tasted better than any buffet.
I also wondered at this point whether I was their cheapest passenger.
Then, up to another indoor bar for another Long Drink as I sat quietly with my book while a crazy game of Bingo happened. I was now up to four Long Drinks on my trip and thinking that it was not enough. This was my Long Drink view this time:
The party seemed to be getting started around 9:30pm – they did an introduction of all the entertainment options that genuinely felt like this SNL skit. After the intros, the Bulgarian cover band started singing “The Gambler” and the European teens took to the dance floor, so I excused myself to take one more look at the view and then turn in for the night.
When I woke up… I was in Swedish waters! Sun was pouring in, I’d gotten an extra hour of sleep with the time change, and when I sat up there was an island outside my window. Very exciting wake up.
I’m not sure which post to include my breakfast in, but I bought a cinnamon bun at Fazer on the recommendation of my walking tour guide, and I took in on the ship for my morning breakfast.
I suspected it would be better than the onboard offerings, and I could have a chill morning in my cabin. I was correct. A warm americano from the ship, a tasty cinnamon bun, and a view out my window of all the passing islands of the Swedish archipelago. Not a bad morning. Not the best cinnamon bun of my trip, but it was a day old and the bar is high. It was still tasty, even if there was more cardamom than cinnamon (another recurring theme).
Then… off to spend the day in Stockholm!