Helsinki – a priceless city?

Just returned from 3 days working in Finland’s capital, Helsinki. An attractive city with a beautiful cathedral and some very fine Art Nouveau/Jugend buildings, plus stunning vistas of scattered islands and islets on the Gulf of Finland. Only one drawback – €14 for a glass of wine in a restaurant, €8.50 for a small bottle of water in the hotel make this one of the costliest cities in Europe. Luckily we did find a Fishermen’s Market one day and had the tastiest selection of pickled and spiced fishes with seaweed salad and rye bread – delicious local food for only €10 – a truly excellent deal. My image shows Helsinki Cathedral designed by German architect Carl Ludvig Engel and built between 1830-1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.