ABOUT

Hello.

I’m Maia. Yet another Helsinki enthusiast, free-lance artist and a researcher. And Helsinki100 is one of my hobby projects.

I first visited Helsinki in 2006 and it was a love at first sight. I adored the special light (somehow the sun seems to be so close and so far at the same time), the air, the unique mix of architecture styles, the proximity of nature, that hip youth vibe pervading the Finnish traditions, the climate (yes, actually). After having lived in the UK, Germany and Sweden I moved to Helsinki in 2012 and since that I’ve been calling Finland my home.

What I noticed as a tourist that there is no real tourist area in the town. The sights are scattered around the city (not just the city centre) and penetrate the “ordinary” Helsinki. This means that sights, or at least the areas surrounding them, are enjoyed by tourists and locals alike: these encounters help remove the boundaries between the locals and the newcomers and enrich both groups… Actually when I think about it, there are very few tourist traps in Helsinki – maybe with exception of those dinner cruises around Helsinki archipelago and those cheesy souvenir shops.

The thing is, Helsinki has so much more to offer than what the scope of your tourist guide is trying to tell you. These gems are unobtrusively hidden on the map, some of them are even semi-secret to the locals too, but definitely worth a visit.

In 2017 Finland will celebrate its 100th birthday. And here I would like to share with you 100 reasons to visit its capital, so next time you are around you can skip the overpriced market halls and the white church, get on the bus or bike and enjoy Helsinki the way I like to. And if you are an expat, now you have something new to do every week.

Comments? Ideas? Or just want to get in touch or meet for a cup of coffee? Drop me a line at magdalena.kosova -at- gmail.com.

 

Check out my other WordPress projects:

My very personal blog – maii.wordpress.com

Museokortti challenge – museokortti.wordpress.com

 

Disclaimer:

The opinions, suggestions and pictures posted in this blog are mine and mine only (unless of course stated otherwise).