Kiitos Suomi! A short family getaway to the eastern Nordic utopia of Finland during August of 2019. Home of never-ending blue skies, fresh air and my favourite chocolate found anywhere in the globe - this trip to the capital, Helsinki, was unexpectedly great.

Why Helsinki, you may ask, and not Stockholm, Oslo or Copenhagen? In October 2018, I flew Finnair to Hong Kong on their A350 connecting through Helsinki Airport. Although it was only a short connection, the airport impressed me having just come from the chaotic and crowded Terminal 3 at London Heathrow (alas, no Lounge access at the time). Of course when one is in Finland for only a few hours you:

Having been impressed by both Finnair & Helsinki Airport (FYI: far better than British Airways!) I wanted to make a return visit to the capital for a few days to immerse myself more in the Finnish culture and to see if the country was as nice as what I had briefly encountered almost a year earlier.

This trip report will cover (links to be added once published):

• Finnair flight AY1340 on Airbus A321 in Economy Class from London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Helsinki Airport
• Finding your way from the Airport to Helsinki City Centre
• Hotel Indigo (part of IHG), Helsinki - Boulevard
• What to do in Helsinki?
• Suomenlinna Island
• #1 Café experience in Helsinki - Fazer Cafe
• Day trip to Tallinn, Estonia
• Tallink Silja Ferry ride to/from Helsinki <=> Tallinn
• Hilton Hotel at Helsinki Airport
• Finnair Business Lounge at Helsinki Airport
• How to score a reduced business class upgrade for the second time
• Finnair flight AY1331 on the flagship Airbus A350 in Business Class from Helsinki Airport to London Heathrow Terminal 3

Come join me for a trip when borders were truly open, masks were definitely not a thing and when life was seemingly more quaint.