Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Cathedral

The idea of spending a weekend in Finland, yet another Scandinavian country worked well for me. Flew from Oslo, Norway on Friday 5th June to Helsinki and stayed in Espoo, which requires by train travel of approximately an hour from Helsinki central / Kamppi. 

Uspenski Cathedral

On Saturday morning after having breakfast (Karelian rice pies - Finland pasties,  made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice, Indian Bread Patato Rolls and Indian Tea) reached Helsinki central at 9:30 a.m and decided to explore the city on foot. Started of with the visit to Esplanade park before making my first stop at  one of the most popular tourist and  iconic  Helsinki Cathedral or the white church which was built between 1824 and 1826.  As the centre of Helsinki has many fine churches representing different styles decided to go for the Uspenski Cathedral or the Red Church, which reflects the Russian influence on the helsinki architecture.

As it was a sunny day, decided to take the ferry to Suomenlinna  island (15 minutes journey) and spend the next 3  hours in the island.  The island was busy with many picnicing groups and many meusuem visitors.  As it turned out to be a Suomenlinna meusuem day, entrance to all 4 meusuems were free and everyone was having a good time.

Later at 2 p.m was back to White church to watch the Brazil dance festival, which went till 5 pm.  It was good to watch school kids to older adults dancing to very entertaining music with colourful costumes.

Samba Carnaval 2015

Samba Carnaval 2015

Samba Carnaval 2015

Samba Carnaval 2015

On Sunday, visited the Olympic stadium, which provides a beautiful aerial view of the city before visiting the Sibelius Monument, dedicated to the Finnish music composer Jean  Sibelius.
The monument consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern and the intention of the artist was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius.

Sibelius Monument

As it turned out to be a windy day was not expecting much crowd in the park, but as there was some kind of photography competition and was able to witness many people trying to get different facade of the park with their SLR camera apart from the regulars, jogging and reading books.

After a late lunch, started my return journey to Oslo, Norway by the Fin Airways. The 2 day travel pass, I bought at the Airport turned out to be a very good deal as I ended up in spending only 18 EURO for all my travel (commute from airport by bus, commute to espoo on train, ferry to Suomenlinna island and local trams and bus within the city).


Samba Carnaval 2015

 

The Pulpit Rock and Drøbak, Norway

Preikestolen - Lysefjord

Being in Norway, gave me a wonderful opportunity to go to different kinds of places like Drøbak (chill out for a day) and Preikestolen (hike for a day). Let me share my hiking experience first.



Pulpit Rock

Preikestolen also known as The Pulpit Rock is by far the best known tourist attraction in Norway. It towers an impressive 604 metres over the Lysefjord and takes about 2 hours to reach the top from the start of the trail. It is located in Ryfylke in south‑western Norway and offers an wonderful hike with an amazing view.

Hike to Pulpit Rock

How to reach Pulpit Rock:

During summer, from Stavanger Sola airport take airport shuttle to Stavanger ferry terminal (shuttle travel 20 Minutes). Then take the ferry from Stavanger to Tau and continue by bus to start of the trail ( ferry+bus travel 90 Minutes) The bus stop at Tau is next to ferry and is timed with ferry timing, so not much of waiting for the bus.

Enjoy hiking...

Drøbak Fjord

If you are fancy a one day romantic getaway, when in Oslo, Norway then look no further than Drøbak, which is about 40 to 50 minutes bus ride from Oslo S. What else can one expect more when you are in cute and calm little town, with lot of old buildings on narrow street and which is beside the blue waters of the Oslo Fjord.

As the ferry service (recommend mode of transportation in Summer) starts only from Easter, headed straight to the Oslo Bus Terminal, after having breakfast (fresh slice of bread with butter and brunost -caramelised  brown chees and an hot espresso) and took the bus No 541 to  Drøbak. Had to shell out 70 NOK one way per person but thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Drøbak, though summer hasn't arrived and party hasn't started yet.

Drøbak Street Map

A leisurely stroll around Drobak including the visit to OSCARSBORG as a refreshing.



Drøbak Church

In the evening, visited the Peppes Pizza (Norwegian pizza chain), for a bite of smoked salmon pizza (salmon forms the basis of many Norwegian dishes) before heading back to Oslo.

Peppes Pizza

Oslo, Norway

Planning to spend a weekend in Oslo, Norway, below are some of my suggestions, you might want to consider. 



Holmenkollen



Pedestrians friendly Karl Johans 

 

If you flying down to Oslo Gardermoen airport (the main airport), take a Flytoget, the Airport Express Train to Oslo Central Station (cost you about 180 NOK per person). It is the fastest and most convenient way to reach Oslo S. There are normal trains and bus services as well. Check out the information desk at the airport for guidance. By the way, almost eveyone in Oslo speaks English, so no worries if you ever get lost but also remember that the most local beleive if someone smiles at them, the stranger has to be either a tourist or drunk :) , so don't get offended by the behaviour.

There are Narvesen and 7- Eleven stores at the airport and at Central Station as well, where you can buy your T-Bane (local metro train which runs within Oslo) pass for Zone 1 (either for 1 day or 1 week). The pass works out to be cheaper than buying tickets for each trip (30 NOK each trip).

Now let's get on with our weekend plan.

Saturday Plan

Karl Johans View from Oslo S

Karl Johans Street
The main and most famous street in Olso, which leads to the Royal Palace from Oslo Central Station is named after the king who started work on the palace, Karl Johans. It runs from the Central Railway Station past the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), the National Theatre, the University of Oslo and ends at the Royal Palace. Large parts of it were recently (in 2005) redone to make it friendly for pedestrians. One can find many restaurants right from TGI Friday's, American restaurant, Jaipur Indian restaurant to United Bakeries to all kinds of branded stores to do your shopping on the way. Karl Johan is always buzzing with some kind of activities and you will often see groups of people and tourist walking around or having a drink in the street-side pubs.

Norway Shopping

Norway Parliament
The Stortinget, or the great council is the supreme legislature of Norway, which was established in 1814. The parliament has 169 members, and is elected every four years.  If you fancy a tour inside the parliament, there are free guided tours, which usually last for approximately 1 hour and is open for all. The visitors are expected to arrive at the Akersgata entrance, which is on the back side of the building. Since there is a limitation of 30 members per tour, it is better to arrive 20-30 minutes early for the guided tour programs to avoid disappointments. Some tour are in English (one at 10 a.m on Saturday) and some are in Norwegian, so be sure to check the tour timing. More details at www.stortinget.no.

Stortinget, Oslo

The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace overlooks the west end of Karl Johan and is the home for King Harald V and Queen. The Palace is open to the public during the summer, but is not free. (Costs approximately 90 NOK for adult). The back side entrance by Slottsgården should be used and the tours last for approx. one hour and it takes visitors through some of the most beautiful state rooms in the Royal Palace. In winter the only option will be to witness the changing of the guard event, which happens every day at 1.30 pm.

The Royal Palace, Oslo

Sunday Plan

14 meter tall single stone sculpture

 

Vigelandsparken
Start your day by visting Vigelandsparken, which is one of the popular places in Oslo to enjoy the most famous 14 meter tall Monolith sculpture carved out of single stone.

Be amazed by Gustav Vigeland's work, when you enjoy your morning walk. One could take a any west bound Tbane from Oslo S to Majorstuen and short walk to the park, or can take the tram 12 from Oslo S.

Oslo Tram

Bronze Sculpture



Dare to Ski at
Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen
One of the unique tourist attractions in Oslo is the Holmenkollen National Arena. If you have the zone one, day pass for the T-Bane, one could take T-Bane Route 1 from Oslo S (central station) to Frognerseteren and get down at the Holmenkollen stop. The Holmenkollen National Arena which hosts international Nordic skiing tournaments and Winter World Skiing Championship is located close to the station. One could visit the Ski Museum and the Jump Tower, which are open from 10 a.m throughout the year, will cost you 120 NOK, but will offer you a panoramic view of the place. In winter, I would recommend to spend more time by going up to the last T-Bane stop  Frognerseteren and enjoy either skiing or watching others skiing. There are many trails and are open to all. I was really impressed with the number of locals arriving every hour to Frognerseteren, which shows how much Norwegian love skiing & snow.



Frozen Sognsvann

Sognsvann Lake
Lying just within the greenbelt around Oslo (just north of Oslo), the Sognsvann (or Sognsvannet) lake is a popular recreational area, used as a camping, picnicking and bathing destination by the residents of Oslo during the summer, as well as a cross-country skiing, skating and ice fishing in the winter. Even a leisurely walk around the lake (3.3 km circumference) in summer or winter would be enjoyable. If you have the zone one, day pass for the T-Bane, one could take T-Bane Route 6 from Oslo S (central station) and get down at the last stop Sognsvann. The lake is 2 min walk from the station.


Sognsvann

Other tourist attractions worth to visit are the Akershus Fortress - medieval castle, Nobel Peace Center and Oslo City Hall - Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.
 

Nobel Center