Brewing dogs and dead ponies

It's Friday! Looking forward for a good beer tonight? Then head to Punavuori and drop by at BrewDog. You might now their bars from other places around the world. Especially in the UK, the origin of the company, you can find their bars in many cities.

But even though BrewDog basically belongs to a chain it has a really original atmosphere to it. And the selection of beers in incredible. Aparts from a good variety of draft beer they have countless bottled ones. Many of their beers are their own productions, such as the Dead Pony Club Ales.

You can get your beer in normal but also in very small sizes which gives you the opportunity to try many different ones on the same visit.

Give it a try and have a great evening!

Election time

The parliamental elections are just a few days ahead. On April 19 Finland will elect a new eduskunta. If you don't have a Finnish citicenship you are not entiteled to vote this time though.

You can still follow up on what the parties stand for. And thanks to Yle you can even listen to what Finnish party leaders have to say and stand for. Yle News has interviewed the heads of all big Finnish parties.

You can find all the videos on the Yle News page. Have a look.

First flowers

The first flowers raise their heads out of the still cold soil. In the parks around Helsinki the first crocuses can be seen.

Spring is now coming and the next days promise sunny weather with temperatures above 10 degrees. Enjoy the Finnish spring and have a nice day!

Talking statues

All around Helsinki you can find lots of statues. But do you know who they are for and what the story behind them is? If not, then just go there. They will tell you themselves.

Now you find a small plaque next to them that shows you two QR codes. One is for the Finnish and one for the English version. Scan them with your phone and you can watch a video that will explain you everything you need to know.

Let Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Zacharias Topelius and many more tell you more about their lives and their own statues.

And if you don't have mobile internet on your phone don't worry. You can find a free wifi spot pretty much anywhere in the city.

Some Mämmi?

Have you had some mämmi over the Easter holidays yet? It's the probably most traditional Easter dish you can find in Finland. And it unfortunately has a bad reputation especialyl among foreigners.

But don't let the look scare you away. The brown rye mash might not look too appealing but it can be surpisingly good. And not all mämmis are the same. Some self made ones might really surprise you. Some even come with different tastes like vanilla or caramel.

And of course you should not eat mämmi just on its own but always with some cream and sugar on top.

So be brave enough and give it a try. You might be surprised.

Hyvää pääsiäistä!

Happy Easter to all of you! Have a great Easter Sunday!

And good luck finding all those eggs.

Easter in Helsinki

So many days off and you don't know what to do? There are quite a few fun Easter activities going on around the city.

Today big Easter bonfires will be lit at Seurasaari to scare away evil spirits. Children dress up as trolls and witches. The entrance is free.

Helsinki Zoo has put together a whole spring program around this long weekend called the Easter Island. Among other things visitors can witness the bears waking up from their winter hibernation.

During the Easter days also many concerts are held in the churches around town.

To find more information on what's going on around Easter in Helsinki have a look at VisitHelsinki.

Have a great Easter weekend!

Easter timetable

If you want to get from A to B today by public transport you might have to calculate in a little bit more time. During the Easter holidays the timetables are a little different. 

Today as well as on Sunday and Monday all metros, busses, trams and trains operate according to the Sunday timetable. On Saturday nothing changes though. You can find more detailed information on all the changes on HSL's website.

So be sure to check your connection before heading out.

Have a nice Easter weekend!

Easter opening times

Easter is about to start. And quite often people are not exactly sure how stores and shops will be open during that time. Here is a short list of the regular opening times during the upcoming few days:

02 April (Maundy Thursday)

Normal working day. Some shops might anyway already close at 18:00

03 April (Good Friday)

Closed.

04 April (Holy Saturday)

Most shops are open till 18:00

05 April (Easter Sunday)

Closed.

06 April (Easter Monday)

Closed.

If you still need some groceries on one the the holidays don't worry. Many of the small supermarkets such as alepa, siwa and k-extra as well as the big k-market in Kamppi Kauppakeskus are open every day.

Burger with a view

The location of Kiila is probably one of the best in town. Through the big glass windows you have an excellent view over the busy square at Mannerheimintie/Aleksanterintie. Watch people passing by while enjoying your breakfast, dinner, lunch or just a glass of wine or beer.

If you are just up for small meal then check out Kiila's burger menu. Every day starting from 15.00 you get good burgers for just 10 € like e.g. the pulled pork, the vegie-halloumi or the salmon burger.

Give it a try and enjoy!