Day 15: Goodbye Norway, Hello Finland!
I left Bergen on a cold misty morning. The air was crisp but fresh, and I was glad the Flybussen airport bus stop at the Radisson Blu Norge hotel was just a block away. On reflection, I should have planned for at least one more day in Bergen, and joined the 'Norway in a nutshell' circuit that would also cover places such as Voss, Flam, and Midal. Oh well, who knows, I might return one day!
For a small (but touristy) place such as Bergen, I was surprised to find the Bergen airport rather well equipped. SAS airline appears to prefer passengers to do self check-in at the machines. I have never used these machines before and needed some help with the printing of boarding pass and luggage tags. There are no airport lounges and as it was still early, I had coffee and waited until it was time to board.
There are no direct flights from Bergen to Helsinki and I had to transit via Copenhagen. For some weird reason, I think I got upgraded to the next ticket class (there are no business class seats) which entitled me to complimentary beverages and snacks. I suspect there was mistake with the online seat selection. I chose the first empty window seat which somehow then became a seat at the next ticket class. Still, I wasn't complaining of course! But I had no such luck for the next flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki.
We landed 15 minutes early at Copenhagen, and as I had about 45 minutes to spare before boarding the next flight, I decided to pop in at the SAS lounge for a quick early lunch. The lounge had more facilities and is more spacious than the Silverkris lounge, but the warm food selection wasn't as good.
The hotel occupies two levels in an apartment block, next to a restaurant and the Forum shopping mall. This was Lonely Planet's top choice hotel and the hotel did not disappoint. Staff were very friendly and helpful, and the room was tastefully decorated. Access to the floor and room is via key card so security wasn't much of a concern.
As it was already 4pm by then, I asked the hotel staff for recommendations on what to do before dinner. He suggested a stroll down the Esplanade to see the Helsinki Cathedral. I was very glad I took his advice because it was such a lovely and warm day, and great for photo taking! The Cathedral was huge and impressive, and glowed radiantly in the late afternoon sun.
As I walked back towards the Esplanade, I caught sight of the Uspenskin Cathedral in the distance. The architecture was clearly Russian or at least had some russian influence. Somehow, there's something very distinctive in Russian arts, just like how you can always tell music by Russian composers apart from other contemporaries.
I also spent some time at Kauppatori, and there was an interesting art installation "Bad bad boy" which was just fun!
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As it was getting a tad too warm, I decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel soon after.
For a small (but touristy) place such as Bergen, I was surprised to find the Bergen airport rather well equipped. SAS airline appears to prefer passengers to do self check-in at the machines. I have never used these machines before and needed some help with the printing of boarding pass and luggage tags. There are no airport lounges and as it was still early, I had coffee and waited until it was time to board.
There are no direct flights from Bergen to Helsinki and I had to transit via Copenhagen. For some weird reason, I think I got upgraded to the next ticket class (there are no business class seats) which entitled me to complimentary beverages and snacks. I suspect there was mistake with the online seat selection. I chose the first empty window seat which somehow then became a seat at the next ticket class. Still, I wasn't complaining of course! But I had no such luck for the next flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki.
We landed 15 minutes early at Copenhagen, and as I had about 45 minutes to spare before boarding the next flight, I decided to pop in at the SAS lounge for a quick early lunch. The lounge had more facilities and is more spacious than the Silverkris lounge, but the warm food selection wasn't as good.
The plane landed on time at Helsinki at exactly 2.45pm. I caught the Finnair airport bus to the train station and had some difficulty finding my bearings at first. A nice lady pointed out the Stockmann department store to me and I knew immediately that Hotel Finn would be right across it.
The hotel occupies two levels in an apartment block, next to a restaurant and the Forum shopping mall. This was Lonely Planet's top choice hotel and the hotel did not disappoint. Staff were very friendly and helpful, and the room was tastefully decorated. Access to the floor and room is via key card so security wasn't much of a concern.
As it was already 4pm by then, I asked the hotel staff for recommendations on what to do before dinner. He suggested a stroll down the Esplanade to see the Helsinki Cathedral. I was very glad I took his advice because it was such a lovely and warm day, and great for photo taking! The Cathedral was huge and impressive, and glowed radiantly in the late afternoon sun.
As I walked back towards the Esplanade, I caught sight of the Uspenskin Cathedral in the distance. The architecture was clearly Russian or at least had some russian influence. Somehow, there's something very distinctive in Russian arts, just like how you can always tell music by Russian composers apart from other contemporaries.
I also spent some time at Kauppatori, and there was an interesting art installation "Bad bad boy" which was just fun!
As it was getting a tad too warm, I decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel soon after.
posted by Lonoxon at 6:20 am
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