Travel - Perfect Finnish Design

Hovering 18,000 ft above the city, enveloped by powdery white clouds, I tried to peer down through the aircraft window. I could just about see blue ribbons of water bodies caught in a tight hug of green expanses. Dots of civilisation peeped between the two colours reminding me that a capital city lay cocooned amid Mother Nature's bounties.

Ensconced comfortably in the almost flat seat of the Finnair flight, I stared at the blue hues around me - the blue of the sky seemed to merge with the cobalt of the interiors. And that seemed to be the dominant colour of the Baltic vistas around me.

At the beginning of my journey, I had memorised a lot of facts about the country I was about to visit, courtesy my trusty travel guide-book. Armed with statistics from it, I could reel off all kinds of facts and figures about many places, leave alone Helsinki! It never failed to impress fellow travellers.

"Helsinki has no less than 315 islands, 98 km of shoreline, 25 beaches, 11,448 boat moorings, just imagine!' I informed the wide eyed woman seated next to me.

"You must have come here a dozen times," she replied, predictably surprised.

"No, this is my first visit," I replied smugly. "I like to read up on places before I get there."

"I don't care about the stats. It is the place that interests me," she retorted, quelling my arrogance.

Hurt, I maintained a dignified silence for the rest of the journey. But not before informing her that the cellphone she had in her bag was made in Nokia, a tiny village in Finland. Hah! So Nokia was also a place not just a brand!! Her shocked look massaged my ego and I gloated over my small byt necessary victory.

Incidentally, Finnair has regular flights between Delhi, Mumbai and Helsinki. Not only is it the fastest connection to Europe as the airline insists, it also has a choice of Indian meals and music on board, which is what does it for me!

Landing at the Vantaa airport of Helsinki, I reminded myself that the city was built along a string of irregular-shaped peninsulas and islands suspended into the Baltic coast; giving it the moniker 'The Daughter of the Baltic'. Everywhere I turned there was water. Blue, blue and more Baltic blue....

Helsinki is apparently younger and smaller than most of the other European capitals and its architectural style gives it a rather unique horizontal skyline. The city is a medley of Russian, Scandinavian and - of course! - modern Finnish architecture, so it's a treat for aficionados.

Finland, by the way, has a very efficient railway service that provides both comfort and pleasing panoramic experience. There is also the water route that connects many places of the country, so getting around is never an issue. Within the city, I'd opt for trams, though buses are also very efficient.

Tram lines criss-cross the city, their efficient vehicles trundling past with dignity. In fact, their timeless, evenpaced existence is a perfect foil for the fact that Helsinki is a city with great energy. It moves with smooth speed but somehow isn't frenetic at the same time.

No wonder I fell instantly in love with Helsinki!

Starting my sightseeing tour from the South Harbor, as advised in the Guide book, I came across the outdoor Market Square (Kauppahalli), where stalls sold almost everything. From fish and fruit to fur hats and hunting knives, souvenirs, jewelry, hand-knit sweaters and caps, and all things reindeer, there was something for everyone.

The red-and-yellow-brick covered market built in 1888 was packed with food, including cheeses from France and olives from Italy. And there was fish, a whole lot of it, in all forms. Why not, given that cuisine in this region seemed to depend enormously on the bounties of the Baltic....

A few steps away from the Market Square is the famous Havis Amanda, the bronze fountain, which is 100 years old. A svelte girl's figure graces the centre of the fountain. Lovingly called 'Manta' by Finns, she is washed by students each spring, as a prelude to the May Day celebrations and even gets a cap to wear.

On the seaward horizon from the Market Square, we caught a glimpse of the church tower that doubles as a lighthouse on the island fortress of Suomenlinna, a Unesco World Heritage site. The Finnish word means 'Fortress of Finland'. Although not as grandiose as some forts in other parts of Europe (and nothing compared to our caparisoned castles!), it is worth a visit for the history it depicts.

The next stop, Senate Square was everything the guide book professed it to be. The 155-year old Lutheran Cathedral is one of the most photographed buildings in Helsinki. Ringed by beautiful and important buildings, the square is a triumphant showcase of designer Carl Ludvig Engel's architectural skills.

On one side is the Prime Minister's office, on the other the National Library and on another the University of Helsinki. With the Cathedral poised against a bright blue sky on one end and the statue of Emperor Alexander II adorning the centre, the square is a place where concerts are held on many enchanting evenings. At the moment the square was abuzz with tourists even though the mid noon sun blazed fiercely above.

It is said that a fire raging through the city destroyed many of Helsinki's traditional wooden structures and the German-born architect Carl Ludvig Engel was commissioned to rebuild the city. It is to this genius that Helsinki owes its neoclassical architecture. Finnish modern architecture combines a lot of glass and blonde woods, a look we would generally associate with Ikea and Scandinavian furniture.

That style seems to have spread round the world, given it's ergonomic value and modern idiom. Luckily, most of Helsinki's major cultural buildings - all architecturally significant - like the opera house, concert hall, and national museum are within a short distance of each other around a place called Töölönlahti.

It is the Temppeliaukio Church that catches the eye with its unique concept. Quarried out of the natural bedrock, this church is one of Helsinki's unique constructions. The sun shining from above illuminates the stunning interiors with its birch pews and cavernous walls.

When we entered the church a pretty girl sat at the piano warbling out lilting tunes. The church is venue to many concerts that draw enthusiastic crowds, it seems. And it's not difficult to understand why: the acoustics are awesome with live music reverberating in the dome crafted from almost 20 km of copper wire.

The Sibelius monument, a tribute to Finland's best loved composer, is truly a work of modern art. This 40 year old work of art, with its umpteen silver tubes that appear like the pipes of an organ, the monument stands close to the picturesque stretch of shoreline fringed with a park. A bust of the composer set amidst the rocks completes the picture. It was an afterthought, a Finnish guide tells us.

The Parliament, with its huge Corinthian columns and a façade crafted out of red granite, is impressive example of the Art Deco style of the 1920s. But a visit to Helsinki is not just about architectural marvels, I realised. It is as much about sauna and food, two of favourite pastimes of the locals.

The Finns love their sauna as dearly as they love their cuisine. They follow up a sauna with a swim in one of the umpteen lakes that surround Helsinki. Their sauna obsession can be reflected by the fact that there are more than 2 million saunas for a population of 5.2 million Finns. Even the Parliament building has its saunas. Almost every hotel provides sauna facility free of charge and the bigger hotels offer a private sauna in their upper-end rooms and suites.

Half an hour in the sauna and I realised why the Finns are obsessed with their sauna. Finland without sauna is unimaginable!

And then there's the second obsession: food! Helsinki, on that count, provides a great blend of cuisines, from old world Russian to the Southern Mediterranean flavours. Rye bread, with aromatic dill and an optional drizzle of that sweet mustard sauce, is a delicious way to begin a meal.

The abundance of water bodies all around the city brings in a variety of fish and it comes in an assortment of forms - salted, charcoal grilled. Reindeer and elk meat are a speciality, if you like red meat. Koskenkorva or the Finlandia vodka is a good drink to round off a sumptuous meal.

The country produces umpteen kinds of berries - a sort of delicious flavour thread that binds all the Scandinavian countries! - which make delicious dessert, especially when combined with fresh ice cream.

And how can anyone talk of this mecca of design without mentioning Finnish glassware and ceramic ware? All that's worth buying is available at Stockmann, the largest and most celebrated department store in Scandinavia. But no retail therapy is complete in Helsinki without a dekko of the Iittala range of glassware, a pioneering name in modern Scandinavian design. It's a must-buy. Also recommended are the absolutely divine berry-liqueurs.

But you can drop a lot of cash in Iittala, unless you know where the discount factory shop is. My advice: get on the No 6 tram at the Esplanade, and you'll be at the impressive Arabia factory shop in six minutes. The Arabia factory shop is home to Iittala and several other Finnish manufacturers' products at discount prices.

Tanushree Podder