places i've been, things i've seen

This is a very belated post of Helsinki from October, 2014...

The first thing I noticed of Finland on the look out from my seat on Finnair were trees... lots and lots of them!!! No need for phytoncide sprays here to supplement your daily dose of phytoncide needs like we do in Seoul. 

The second thing I noticed was that it is COLD. Having visited the Scandinavian countries in beautiful weather of June, I was quite surprised how dark, gloomy, grey, and just how bitterly cold it was in October! But then I was warned plenty of times before of the cold and brought pairs and pairs of Uniqlo heat tech gears with me. 

Despite my efforts, I was already catching a cold and a mild fever accompanied me on the first day. Naturally soup was on my mind. They were having Baltic Herring festival down by the harbor but we headed straight to Kauppahallin for warm bowls of soup. It was a perfect choice. 

Suomenlinna was next on our list. It is an inhabited sea fortress that was set up by Sweden to fight Russia in the early 20th century. It consists of six islands near the city of Helsinki. Nearly all buildings remain in their original forms and there are about 900 people who live on the islands permanently today. Visitors can learn the history and usage at the Suomenlinna museum which is super helpful. There were cute cafes and b&b's on the islands too but they are only open in summer. 

By the port where we got off the ferry from Suomenlinna was the Hotel Manta Helsinki project by Tatzu Nishi. I didn't go inside but I think his projects are quite interesting. 

No photos here but we stayed at SATO HotelliKoti in the Kamppi district. It was close to city center and the apartment was very clean, modern, and spacious. It met all the Finland design standards. 

When I'm planning a trip, the FIRST list I make is of the food I'm going to be eating while I'm there. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS! And then the list of museums, shops, tourist attractions, and etc come... Thankfully same goes for my family and one of the things we were most excited for was Nordic cuisine's creativity. 

Out of the four cities we visited (Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen), Oslo seemed to offer the most variety and quality of dining options. We were celebrating my dad's 60th birthday during this trip so we decided to have his birthday dinner at Fauna in Oslo, Norway. 

Fauna opened in the summer of 2013 and it already has a Michelin star under its belt. To match its reputation the seven course dinner menu included some of the most creative dishes I have ever eaten.

Superb food and superb service. 

Visit Fauna at Solligata 2, Oslo

Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo, Norway. The museum was designed by Renzo Piano and it is situated by the beautiful harbor of Oslo's posh neighborhood. I did not like the museum's permanent collection that included Damien Hirst's taxidermy series at all. However, I really enjoyed the architecture, seeing MJ and Bubbles by Jeff Koons in real life and the special exhibition of Elmgreen and Dragset. 

Munch Museet in Oslo, Norway. One of the most impressive museum I’ve been to that is dedicated to a single artist. I got to see The Scream and other famous prints such as Madonna (not pictured here). More importantly though I really enjoyed his beautiful and vibrant colored paintings. I never realized how pretty Munch’s color palette was.