Helsinki, Finland

Rain was forecast for the day today but we braved the elements and caught the tram into the heart of Helsinki. Probably not a wise decision because the rain continued throughout the day. We took refuge in Stockmans, the largest department store in the Nordic countries. It reminded us of Smith and Caugheys in Auckland but on a much larger scale. I scored myself a massive hot chocolate with all the trimmings - very decadent. The rain stopped briefly so we made a dash for Temppeliaukio, a church that has been built into solid rock. What an impressive piece of architecture. We then got caught in a hail storm so decided to call it quits and head back to the ship and get ready for 'White Night'. Hence we unfortunately didn't get to explore as much of Helsinki as we had hoped.Read more