Finland ranks first in the world for coffee consumption per capita so café culture is important. One great spot where they seem to congregate in Helsinki is Esplanade Park. Two streets line a broad greenspace in the city center from the market square to the sea. There were so many cafés that it was hard to pick one. So in the end, we visited three. There was a chic hotel bar-looking one (I had tea, but it was 8 euros for a draft beer!), the quirky glass box construction with local art on the walls, and the glorious glass conservatory style of Cafe Kappeli. Rich was against such luxury until someone vacated a popular corner enclosure, which he then ran to claim. I sampled the cinnamon rolls Finns seemed to hanker for (more sweet, less bitter, and less glazed than Cinnabon). The place also happened to have the most excellent handmade apple-filled donuts, which were almost worth the 4 euros a piece. Locals seemed to get around the expensive prices by buying drinks (beer, strangely enough, at 10 am) and bringing their own snacks into the café, and none of the staff seemed to mind.
Esplanade Park and the surrounding neighborhood also seemed to be a good place to shop. There were high fashion brands and boutiques. Finnish design prevailed in the bright textiles and smooth metal finishes. If it weren't for the steep price tags (easily 2-3x what they would be in Spain) and the strict limitations of carry-on luggage on a discount airline, we would have been sorely tempted. Rich was chuffed to see an echo from his childhood - a whole store devoted to The Moomins... and alternately, exasperated at me for having no idea who they are. Created by a Swedish-Finn illustrator, they are a family of hippopotami-like creatures of a cartoon series that was popular in the U.K. and abroad. They reminded me a little of Babar the Elephant in style. We were lucky to get away from the empire of merchandise with just a magnet. There is also a Moomin World theme park elsewhere in Finland.
We checked out Finnish art of a different nature at the fabulous Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. Contents continually shifting, the exhibits during our visit seemed to be perfectly in line with our tastes. There was a three-dimensional comic exhibition from Finnish artists and a foley editor's dream of a sound installation telling a rich story with just a forest of speakers. Several floors in the labyrinthine Kiasma were devoted to "Thank You for the Music." The collection from different artists explored the relationship between music, musicians, and fans. Some were predictable (e.g. an homage to vinyl or people solemnly putting on KISS makeup) but still highly personal (e.g. interviews with concert-goers about why they follow their favorite band). A band playing traditional Turkish music improvises after hearing divergent clips of the Chemical Brothers, Nirvana, etc. A jihadi-styled video of a man reading from a Koran fascinatingly subverts expectations when he stops, picks up a guitar, and starts belting out that patriotic American hymn, "This Land is Your Land" from the depths of his headscarf. By far, the most haunting piece was a parody of Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" video. Maybe it's because the artist explores gender issues with the viewer reacting to all the careless nudity of the men in the music video with something akin to a prude's shock, yet seeing that many scantily-clad women would be a prevailing norm on TV. Maybe it's because the song recast in the locker room setting could be interpreted as a commentary on pro athletes ("You got your million dollar contract!"). Then again, maybe it's because the song is just too frickin' catchy. Could someone get it out of my head, please?
Esplanade Park and the surrounding neighborhood also seemed to be a good place to shop. There were high fashion brands and boutiques. Finnish design prevailed in the bright textiles and smooth metal finishes. If it weren't for the steep price tags (easily 2-3x what they would be in Spain) and the strict limitations of carry-on luggage on a discount airline, we would have been sorely tempted. Rich was chuffed to see an echo from his childhood - a whole store devoted to The Moomins... and alternately, exasperated at me for having no idea who they are. Created by a Swedish-Finn illustrator, they are a family of hippopotami-like creatures of a cartoon series that was popular in the U.K. and abroad. They reminded me a little of Babar the Elephant in style. We were lucky to get away from the empire of merchandise with just a magnet. There is also a Moomin World theme park elsewhere in Finland.
We checked out Finnish art of a different nature at the fabulous Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. Contents continually shifting, the exhibits during our visit seemed to be perfectly in line with our tastes. There was a three-dimensional comic exhibition from Finnish artists and a foley editor's dream of a sound installation telling a rich story with just a forest of speakers. Several floors in the labyrinthine Kiasma were devoted to "Thank You for the Music." The collection from different artists explored the relationship between music, musicians, and fans. Some were predictable (e.g. an homage to vinyl or people solemnly putting on KISS makeup) but still highly personal (e.g. interviews with concert-goers about why they follow their favorite band). A band playing traditional Turkish music improvises after hearing divergent clips of the Chemical Brothers, Nirvana, etc. A jihadi-styled video of a man reading from a Koran fascinatingly subverts expectations when he stops, picks up a guitar, and starts belting out that patriotic American hymn, "This Land is Your Land" from the depths of his headscarf. By far, the most haunting piece was a parody of Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" video. Maybe it's because the artist explores gender issues with the viewer reacting to all the careless nudity of the men in the music video with something akin to a prude's shock, yet seeing that many scantily-clad women would be a prevailing norm on TV. Maybe it's because the song recast in the locker room setting could be interpreted as a commentary on pro athletes ("You got your million dollar contract!"). Then again, maybe it's because the song is just too frickin' catchy. Could someone get it out of my head, please?
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