Favorite Trips: Helsinki, Finland

I love to travel.  I have always loved going on trips, seeing something new & different from my day-to-day life.  I get this from my Dad.  Trips to go camping, vacations to Disneyworld, and even weekend family trips to a hotel where my brother & I would swim in the pool all weekend (Sharon, PA!).  But travel became an meaningful part of my life during my pre-teen & teenage years.  During this time, our family visited a number of cities in the Northeast, often including a MLB game.  We went to Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Toronto.  I loved these trips!  Seeing new places, trying new foods, escaping everyday teenage life.......

As I've gotten older, I've been fortunate to be able to travel beyond the US & start "seeing the world".  The more you travel, the more you realize that there is so much more to see, to learn, to experience.  So I hope I've only just started this journey.

I also love solo trips.  As much as I enjoy traveling with my husband, friends, or family, I really do love to take a trip all by myself.  You can do what you want, when you want to do it.  You can plan you trip or just wing it.  You don't have to worry about accomodating anyone.  And it's a great time to think. 

Two weeks ago, I took a solo trip to Helsinki, Finland.  There is a high-speed train called the Allegro that travels several times a day between St. Petersburg & Helsinki.  The train is very convenient because passport control is completed while you travel (3 1/2 hours), saving a lot of time & hassle.

This is the Helsinki Cathedral, in Senate Square.  Built in 1830-1852, as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, who also happened to be Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. 

Helsinki has a great open market in their Market Square.  They sell traditional & local foods, crafts, furs, and souveniers.  It's open year round & is a great place to explore in the summer.  In the winter, it's much smaller but still interesting to walk through.  The sign on the tent says that it's 18C in the tent!

Man on the marina.  It was 15F outside.  I saw him running down from the building on the left, most likely from a sauna.  He got in the water & swam around for a few minutes before going back.  Crazy!

Esplanade Park, right in the city center.  I love the lights.

Hotel:
I stayed at the Hotel Haven, which I'd recommend for anyone interested in being in a very central location.  But there are lots of different options at different price points.   

Food:
I had some great meals at Ravintola Aino (traditional Finnish food) and Havis (seasonal Finnish & Scandanavian seafood, and a great blini & caviar menu), which is in the Hotel Haven

Winter Views

I thought I'd share from photos of St. Petersburg in Winter.

First, some basic geography.  St. Petersburg is located on the western coast of Russia, on eastern shore of the Baltic Sea at the head of the Gulf of Finland.  As a seaside city, our climate is described as a "humid continental climate".  So while it doesn't get really cold (we average -5 to 10C in the winter), it's usually wet & very humid which can make it feel cold, especially when there is wind coming off the gulf.  And the winter is long ...... VERY LONG.   Spring may technically start in late March, but it won't start to warm up & the trees won't start to bud here until early May.

I miss & can't wait for Spring.  But St. Petersburg can be beautiful in the winter, very atmospheric & especially lovely when the snow is fresh & white.  I recommend a visit during winter if you really want to understand the city. 

So since Spring is several months away, here are some images of the city in winter.

The Neva River, not far from my apartment.  The Neva flows from Lake Lagoda in the East, to the Gulf of Finland.  In the distance, you can see a building called the Kunstkammer, which is a museum housing a collection of Peter the Great's"curiosities".  I haven't been there yet, sounds a little weird!.  You can also see one of the famous St. Petersburg bridges in the distance, which I'll post about later.  This bridge is the Dvortsovyy Most (Дворцовый Мост), or Palace Bridge, named after the famous Winter Palace which is nearby.

The Church On Spilled Blood (Храм Спаса на Крови), is one of the more iconic & well-known images of this beautiful city.  It was built in 1881 on the spot that Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by a bomb thrown by a group which called itself the "People's Will" group, who were attempting to over through the Tsar's autocracy.  Not a great photo, because it doesn't do justice to the amazing colors of the domes, or the details on the window frames.

    A pavilion along the Moika River, in the Mikhailovsky Sad or Garden (Михайловский сад).  This garden is part of the Mikhailovsky Palace (now housing the Russian Museum) & is one of my favorite gardens within the city center.  Even in winter.  More pictures in the future.........

The Eternal Flame, in the Field of Mars.  The Field of Mars (Ма́рсово по́ле) is a large park in the city center, Named after the Roman God of War, it was used for miltary manoeuvers & parades in the late 18th century.  After the February Revolution of 1917, it became a memorial.  184 citizens who were killed during the revolution are buried here.  The flame was lit in 1957, and was the fiurst of it's kind in Russia.  It's a very popular spot for locals & tourists throughout the year, but I especially like it in winter.    

Hello there!

Hello!  My name is Jen and welcome to my blog.

First, a little bit about me.  I am an American woman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Go Steelers!).  Over the course of my life, I've spent time in Erie PA, Glens Falls NY, and Memphis TN with my husband of 14 3/4 years, Pat.  

In the summer of 2010, we were asked if we'd be willing to relocated to St. Petersburg Russia.  It had been a dream of ours to spend some time overseas, so we jumped at the chance & said yes

So this blog will be about my work & life in St. Petersburg - the good, the bad, and the ugly!  I love to travel, so it's will also be about my various adventures & excursions throughout Russia, Europe & beyond.  

I decided to create this blog for several reasons.  I realized that I've been In Russia for over 2 years, and I wanted a better way to document & share my experiences with others.  So it's a way for me to reach out to my family & friends, but also (I hope!) a way to connect with & share my experiences with other expats or people interested in what it's like to live abroad.  And finally, I hope to learn a little bit about myself in the process, and discover where I want my life to go next. 

Here I am in front of the bronze statue of Tsar Nicholas I, near St. Isaac's Cathedral. Tsar Nicholas I was Emperor of Russia from 1825-1855.  His reputation is that of a very autocratic & reactionary leader. He passed away during the Crimean War