I live in Toolo Towers and I LOVE IT!…read more I asked my taxi driver about the demographics of the neighborhood and he said "its not rich and it is not poor, its right in the middle." From what I read, Finland is a classless society, but to come from a finnish, that was interesting. I haven't explored much outside of Toolo, but all of the walking I have done, I felt safe and like if I wanted to go to the lake, city center or up north, everything is relatively close.

Töölö is where I live and I love it. It's exactly the perfect distance from the center and also…read moreclose to nature. Töölönlahti is one the most amzing parks in Helsinki and I live right next to it. We have the Olympic Stadium, Sonera Stadium and Jäähalli, where I can go see concert, football games etc. There are great restaurants, cafe's and bars in the Töölö area and more seem to pop up all the time. It's a very safe neighborhood with an old Helsinki charm.

Great swap meet. There is lots of variety and many booths. Everything I inquired about was…read morereasonably priced. It was unfortunate that the prices were not displayed. Most of the clothes looked almost new. The hours of operation are a bit confusing. I went there on Sunday from 11 to 13 and it was open. When I went on Saturday it was closed.

I love, love, love this neighbourhood of Helsinki situated on a peninsula close to the market…read moreplace. It is almost like a Finnish Jugendstil open-air museum with lots of residential houses of the early 20th century. If you have been to places like Vienna, Riga or Darmstadt, Katajanokka might not blow your mind, but while walking around you will surely discover your favourite floral or graphic ornament, your favourite window, door or balcony or even the house you would love to move in. Quite a lot of houses have been painted in nice shades of brown, blue and yellow and a number of decorative details are highlighted in white. Katajanokka is also a special place because of Hotel Katajanokka that used to be a prison ... a few nights in a prison cell ... well, I prefer my freedom ;oD!

The weather is excellent. Time to spend your whole day outside. Movie theaters are something for…read morerainy days, right? Or you just combine those two and add a good glass of wine and maybe some delicious pastry. Then you get Kesäkino Engel. During the summer till late August Cafe Engel and Kino Engel turn their small yard into a summer cinema, combining the best those two places have to offer. Get your drink together with a small snack from the cafe and get comfortable in one of the chairs outside. Should it get to chilly then just grab one of the blankets. The movies, like in Kino Engel, are rather alternative and mainly from Europe. If you don't speak Finnish then be sure to choose one where a language you understand is spoken. You can find their program and more information on the movies on their website.

This is one of those things to do during summertime in Helsinki. The summer nights require you to…read moretest this: you sit in this cozy inner yard under a blanket with a glass of good red wine ans watch a nice movie. It one of my favourite things to do in Helsinki.

Historical Swedish Church In An Ancient Finnish Town…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/porvoon-tuomiokirkko-porvoo?select=-RphIvvyAi4JdJj-3_8cgg&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w SITREP The Porvoon Tuomiokirkko is a wonderful step back in time, both in looking at this area of Finland over the expanse of many centuries, but also of seeing the burgeoning of Christianity when it first arrived. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/porvoon-tuomiokirkko-porvoo?select=lrr9f32Bc0TxTfYx859ulg&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w THE SETUP One of the more interesting facets of Churches in this area of Finland is how the Finnish and the Swedish communities segregated themselves from each other for a while. Being the seafarers, the Swedish would install suspended ships within the(ir) churches to indicate such. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/porvoon-tuomiokirkko-porvoo?select=QPXNQrCibOlytB8yZGjfaA&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w COATS OF ARMS One of the fascinating threads I was connecting between churches around the Baltic Sea is that both Estonia and Finland - both related by a root tongue - had a practice of installing the Coasts of Arms of the local landed gentry within their churches. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/porvoon-tuomiokirkko-porvoo?select=czQ7Cj1uKzgpEwGre3_XKw&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w DAMAGE Back in 2006, this church suffered serious damage resulting from arson. After a rebuilding program, the church has reopened and our group of friends were definitely the recipients of the blessings of this restored church. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/porvoon-tuomiokirkko-porvoo?select=HkrSDmBLk2sAiI6ezVxSzA&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w THE LOWDOWN Because of it's historical beauty, and the keeping of the local traditions, this church is definitely worth taking that side trip away from Helsinki to come see.

A must if you're visiting Porvoo. Dating back to the 15th century, you'll feel like you're…read morestepping back in time to ancient Finland upon entering this Lutheran church. It's not that large on the inside but it's still impressive and the outside is beautiful. You will need to hike up quite a steep hill to get to it and it's cobble stoned streets so good luck with that. Try to walk about 4 blocks past it on the main road, Rauhankatu and follow that up. It's less steep. It's free to enter so it's definitely worth a visit.