Helsinki Day 3: Old Market Hall

There is a difference between cold and dreary, but today, Helsinki was both.

It’s a tall order for the sun to penetrate the dense cloud cover, and today it was almost impossible. The moisture level was high in the air and quickly gave way to falling snowflakes.

: Christmas lights already clearly visible at noon.

: Allas Sea Swimming Pool – heated outdoor pool with with plunging pool and saunas

: Harbor

: Seabirds – snoozing on a floating piece of ice – or are they frozen?

We made our way down to the Old Market Halls, an indoor collection of food sellers. It was packed with people stopping for lunch or shopping for ingredients for their evening meals. You could find wine, cheese, many varieties of smoked salmon, pickled fish, caviar, pastries, glogi, coffees, soups, bread, jams, cakes and on and on. We met up with Kelly, Henry and Brahm for a bit and then headed back over to the Christmas Markets to show Henry. Brahm still wasn’t feeling well and the damp cold was a further deterrent. We hope to see them at dinner after a day of resting.

: Old Market Hall

The Christmas markets were busier than yesterday, but not too busy to try Finish pizza, grab more glogi and another donut!

: Finish pizza – kind of like a bagel, cream cheese and lox.

: Glogi three ways

: A warm up in the hut – but the only one without a working heater, so mostly just an escape of the sleet

It really was a miserable day, so we just slowly made our way back to the hotel to relax and warm up. We strolled through an old cemetery that we found out was a tribute to the victims of The Spanish Flu epidemic from 1918 to 1920.

6A92B4C6-64C7-41A5-9BF4-3146ED5E9D93

Dinner tonight was at a neighborhood restaurant called Sikke and they say that it’s “Like a good friend’s dining room.” It was such a cute spot with taper candles running the length of the table, a black and white tile floor with a plush green booth on one side and delicate wooden chairs on the other. It was an easy walk in a direction we hadn’t been yet and it misted on most of the way, so we did look a bit like drowned rats by the time we arrived. Soon enough the warm and cozy room and inviting staff made us feel right at home despite dripping hair and damp faces. Eve and Liz met us at the restaurant looking fresh as daisies despite the long haul flight, so now the whole gang is together.

One of the reviews I read said Sikke had a gorgeous wine list, and Kelly picked out some great bottles. We started off with a lovely champagne and then had a choice of a Barbaresco or Riesling – both were yummy and easy food wines. The food has been on point here, and Sikke did not disappoint. Eve and I had the prefixe menu of Beetroot salad, Fried Halibut and Pot du Caramel – but Eve got the Date Cake for dessert. Lincoln & Kelly had Smoked Salmon, Romaine salad (basically a Caesar salad), Steak of the Day and Pot du Caramel. Bryan had Beef Tartar, Fried Halibut and Romaine Salad. Mom and Liz had the Butter Lettuce green salad, Fried Halibut and Liz got the Apple Pie that was really more like French Toast and mom skipped dessert. It was all fantastic, and I’m glad we had the walk home to recover.