Organic food and more

Friends of ecological products will love Ruohonjuuri Ekomarket. No matter if it is superfood, rawfood, fair trade or organic products you will find it all here. Everything is well sorted and the friendly stuff will help you if you don't find what you are searching for right away. Unlike other places there are also always enough employees around for you. They have an amazingly big assortment of almost everything you would need for your everyday life.

You can find four branches of Ruohonjuuri Ekomarket in Helsinki. The easiest one to find is at Kamppi right next to the shopping center. Ruohonjuuri can also be found in Tampere and Turku. Or if you want you can also order the product you like online at there online store.

Check it out!

First sunshine in 2014

The sun still exists. After weeks and weeks of dark gray sky I didn't believe it anymore. It seems like we would get rid of the clouds for a while.

The clear sky will also bring some pretty cold weather with it. Tomorrow the temperatures will fall below zero and on the weekend we can expect up to -15°C.

Prices going nuts

Finland is known to be quite an expensive country. Mostly people speak about alcohol in reference to this topic. But actually a beer at a bar can still be bought at quite a reasonable price even in the city center of Helsinki.

The product where prices explode is a whole different one - it's nuts. If you are a tourist or expat in Finland and see what is charged for nuts here you should hold onto something. Prices tend to be two to three times more expensive than in Central Europe. Just lately I saw a package of pine seeds (100g) for no less than 9 Euros.

I just wonder if there is any logical explanation for those prices (maybe some special taxes on nuts like on alcohol and candies?) or if there is just someone making a lot of money having a monopoly on importing nuts to Finland. If anyone has an answer to this burning question please write a comment.

My suggestion though: next time you travel abroad don't come back with a bottle of wine but rather with a full suitcase of delicious cashews, peanuts and macadamias.

Tuomiokirkko in color

If you haven't been to LUX Helsinki yet you still have two days to go. It would be a shame to miss it - especially the amazing light and sound installation Corazón at Tuomiokirkko.

Ice lights without ice

It's way too warm for this time of the year and also for the beautiful ice lights (jäälyhty) that are common to make in Finland in the winter time. But with a bit of creativity even with this kind of weather ice lights are possible to make.

Those plastic ice lights are next to the Chapel of Silence on Narinkkatori.

Hawaii in Helsinki

Are you up for some new tastes in the new year? This long weekend gives you the perfect opportunity to try out nice restaurants in Helsinki. One of the best ones is Hoku.

The small place in Punavuori has a Japanese-Hawaiian fusion kitchen and that is something you shouldn't miss out on. The simple interior is dominated by bamboo and wood and together with some small pictures from Haiwaii makes you feel a bit like being on a vacation.

But the best thing at Hoku is of course the food. Go e.g. for a typical Japanese starter like Edamame (soy beans) or some Gyoza (filled dumplings).

For the main course you can choose from a selection of wonderful meat and fish dishes like Braised Crispy Pork Belly, Bi Bim Bap (Teriyaki Beef) or Salmon Teriyaki. And why not have a Hawaiian Longboard beer with your dinner to make the experience complete.

Portions at Hoku are big and filling. But if you still can after the main course you should also go for one of their delicious deserts like the Guava Cheesecake or the Fudge Brownie with Kahlua Ice Cream.

Enjoy!

Lux Helsinki 2014

As every year in January when the nights are long and there is little sunlight in Helsinki it's time for the big light exhibition Lux Helsinki.

This year twelve light installations are put up all over the city center. With light and often also sound the visitors dive into a wonderful, sometimes surreal world of colors lightening the darkness. Follow the LUX path leading you along almost all of the installations in the center.

The Lux exhibitions can be viewed starting from today till January 8 every evening from 17:00 till 22:00. Additionally the LUX IN exhibition at Kaapelithedas is open from 14:00 till 22:00. The Fire Circus Walkea at Kansalaistori performs daily from 18:00 till 19:30.

For more information visit the LUX Helsinki website.

Start Up Sauna

Innovation is the engine driving the Finnish economy. To support good new ideas not getting lost but actually turning into real businesses the state supports start ups where it can. But also other institutions are doing their part. 

Aalto University opened the Start Up Sauna a few years ago. The old warehouse on the campus in Otaniemi is now home to many small business that are trying to find their way to big success. Here they can rent cheap rooms and set up their first own office. But even entrepreneurs without any cash for rent can come here in work for free in the open space. 

For those of you working on a new business themselves this might be a great opportunity to get away from your desks at home and also get some idea exchange with other curious minds from the capital area.

For more information and to find out what's happening at the Sauna visit the official website.

It's your turn

On HelsinkiIn I try to provide you with useful and up-to-date information about things to know, do and see in Helsinki. But of course there is always something that I miss and that would be nice to share with the readers of HelsinkiIn.

That is why I need your help. If you hear or know of something that you think should be posted about here and you think more people should know about (that could be events, tips about cool locations or anything else interesting) please drop me a line through the contact form or in the comments.

I'm very much looking forward to hearing from you!

Happy New Year!

HelsinkiIn wishes you all a happy New Year 2014!

Hopefully it's gonna get even better than the last one.