It was our final day in Helsinki and though we were starting to show some wear from our travels, we were eager to make some key final stops before our departure on the ferry ride to Stockholm. One stop in particular I had been looking forward to since we initially began planning this trip. Being bakers ourselves, we had to stop at Ekberg, a top notch bakery in Helsinki. To be fair, all the pastries we had throughout our time here have been fabulous, but Ekberg has a 172 year pedigree! We packed up our belongings, said goodbye to our lovely accommodations, hopped on a tram, and set out to experience it.

Unfortunately, Shay has come down with a bit of a traveler's cold. Though we did our best to remain as protected as possible, traveling a vast distance and mixing together with new germs and micro-biomes will often result in some kind of illness. We stopped off at a pharmacy on our travels. I won’t say it was particularly easy to navigate a pharmacy where every printed word is Finnish, but we had help from the staff, who were quite insightful and guided us to the medicine we needed. One thing to note for anyone thinking of going, there is no DayQuil, NyQuil, or any other such drug cocktail we have in the States. There are separate medicines for separate symptoms. We explained Shay’s symptoms to the pharmacist, and she in turn recommended medicine for each one. Having established a micro-pharmacy of our own now, we made our way to Ekberg, which was right down the block.

We arrived at the tail end of their breakfast buffet, but we were really only there for a cup of coffee and some wonderful baked goods. We got both. At this point in the journey, it really didn’t seem fair that Finland was hogging all the best coffee in the world. It was once again immaculate. I can’t even think of the word “Folger’s” without gagging now. We spotted some familiar favorite Nordic pastries, Napoleons, Budapest Rolls, and Cinnamon buns. The Budapest Roll we had at Ekberg differed slightly from how we prepare ours at Krown. There was a very light topping of powdered sugar and a fine chocolate drizzle. In the roll was whipped cream and only mandarin oranges, no raspberries. The cinnamon bun was formed differently than how we do our Cinnamon Swirls at Krown, but the flavor and texture was just about identical. The Napoleon and Almond Croissant were delicious. The Napoleon differed from ours in that it seemed to be filled with custard, rather than french cream, and rather than powdered sugar on top, there was a delicate layer of icing. Quite tasty!

I can taste it just looking at this picture.

Our Ekberg expedition didn’t end there. There was still the matter of quite possibly my favorite bread in the world: Ruisleippä or Finnish Rye Bread. I’ve only ever had this bread in America, either prepared by someone else or myself. I needed to taste the real deal, in Finland. We grabbed a loaf, which they kindly sliced and it was, of course, delicious! I only wished I had some munavoi handy at the time. That flavor combination is superb.

Satiated by our Ekberg experience, we had a lot of time to pass yet in Helsinki. At this time we were lugging around our bags, which was a tad cumbersome and limiting. We wanted a place we could relax before boarding the ferry, so we traveled to the ferry terminal and, because Finland is a wonderful place, there was a gorgeous park nearby the Helsinki Observatory. I sat, relaxed, and reflected on my journey so far, now that the first quarter was coming to a close. We sat there for some time, but before I knew it, I was hungry again, and there was one final dish to try. Luckily the sea-side market was not far from the park, or the ferry terminal.

I recalled a recommendation I read from one of our lovely customers. They were rather insistent that I try the Finnish Salmon Soup, so that’s what I did, and it was the right call. It was creamy, full of delicious fresh dill, potatoes, carrots, leaks and the salmon was perfectly tender. The only trouble is, I was so exhausted and hungry I didn’t stop to take a picture to feature here, like a bone-head. You’ll just have to try it yourself!

After the late lunch at the market, we head to the terminal to await our ferry. By this time, it began to rain, so the shelter of the terminal was welcome. We found some comfy seating and I got to work on one of these blog posts.

One aside: when I hear the word ferry, I think of a long flat boat that you park a car on to cross a small body of water. This ferry was not that. It was what I would normally call a Cruise Ship. It was absolutely massive.

Before we knew it boarding began. We made our way through the gate and onto the ship. On board was a night club, a food court, a casino, bars, a buffet, a Tommy Hilfiger store for some reason, and many other fashion stores.

But I don’t think I would be allowed to leave Finland if I did not mention Moomin. Those that know, know, but for those that don’t, Moomin is apparently a massive cultural monument in Finland. A series of books, comic strips, films, and TV shows and more, created by Tove Jansson. I admit, I am missing context on this, but Moomin is everywhere, and why not! Moomin is delightful in every context I witnessed. It’s so prevalent I am now determined to get to the bottom of the appeal, outside of the obvious outside-looking-in perspective. This is a long, rambling way to say: there was a Moomin Store on the ship (I’m sorry; this is just how my brain works).

Shortly after perusing the promenade, we set sail (even though there were no sails). Shay and I took time to stand on the deck and wave goodbye to Finns and Finland, both figuratively and literally. It was a bittersweet moment of closure on the first chapter of our Grand Nordic Tour.

I feel now as though I need to make some closing comments about what I observed during my time in Finland, and how it compares to the perceptions I had, correct and incorrect, before arriving. I think it is somewhat common to hear Finns described as grumpy, anti-social, awkward or mean. I really think this is untrue. There social culture is much different from my own, this is true, but beyond perhaps the initial recoil that visitors like me have lies a beautiful county, full of beautiful people. I observed, and even documented in this blog, kindness, humor, love, and joy abounding. If taken purely at face value, a typical American such as myself could have bounced off Finland entirely, shutting out understanding of a system different from my own. This would have been a tremendous blunder. I don’t fully understand Finnish culture and I never truly will, but I was determined to try and I’m glad I did. Just because they refrain from small talk or smiling at strangers doesn’t mean they’re not wonderful people. Finns, to my eye, value privacy, routine, and personal space. I will say that in Helsinki, I was not hassled on the street once. I cannot say the same of any metro area in the U.S. that I have been to. Everyone both co-exist, and march to the beat of their own drum. They love music, they love drink, they love art, design, efficiency, the list goes on and on. My recommendation to anyone who, like me, had no prior context or understanding of Finland but still plan to visit give it the old college try. You won’t be disappointed. I have so much more to learn, and so many questions left unanswered. I will have to return one day, but until then: hei hei, Suomi! Kiitos paljon!

Up next, Stockholm, Sweden.

Day 3 – Our Final Day In Helsinki! Until We Meet Again!

Krown Bakery & Eatery