The kids and I were fortunate to tag along with Charlie when he went to work in Helsinki for a few days. Sunday morning we took the Superstar ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, which took two hours. Helsinki's detachment commander was there to pick us up and deliver us to our hotel right in the city centre. Our hotel wasn't ready for us but did store our luggage so we set out to explore on foot. We were starving so found a place just down from our hotel, Southern Fried Chicken. We had the all you can eat soup/salad/pizza buffet. It was ok, but we probably should have tried the chicken. By Helsinki standards it was rather affordable. Although drizzly, we didn't let it deter us. We walked along Esplanade Boulevard and scoped out local shops. We visited the Helsinki Cathedral as well. After walking so much, Zach fell asleep in the stroller. The rest of us were getting tired and hungry too. The place I had scoped out as family friendly and affordable was the New Bamboo Center, which is Maylasian and had curry. It was super crowded and didn't smell very tasty, so we looked elsewhere. We found the Grande Grill and enjoyed it.
Charlie had to go to work on Monday, but we all still went down to enjoy breakfast at the hotel. It was quite a nice buffet. They had assorted meats, cheeses, scrambled eggs, porridge, pastries, cereals, fruits, juices and coffee. The detachment commander's wife and kids met up with us and we took a lengthy walk, and enjoyed a coffee break at Cafe Esplanad to get in out of the cold. I had coffee and the kids split a large pulla roll that they loved. We explored the English children's section of a nearby bookstore as well, and then she went home. The kids enjoyed each other and we enjoyed the chat. The kids and I went to regroup at the hotel before going to Market Square to see their wares and treats. The sun was shining and it had warmed considerably so I asked the kids if they would like to take a 1.5 hour sightseeing boat tour. They were game, but it quickly cooled down on the water with the wind. Halfway through the tour we went below to watch from the cafe. It was really nice to see Helsinki this way. We learned about the history and saw some sights we would have missed otherwise. We met up with Charlie after he got off work and we set out on foot again. We decided to eat at Harold's Viking restaurant, which was a bit touristy but definitely fun. The kids were able to wear viking hats and ordered sausages and fries. I cannot remember the cute title of this item, but they both ate well. Charlie and I ordered the Starter Shield for the Divine Battle which had an assortment of game food such as reindeer and smoked bear. All in all in was fairly tasty. It was a nice end to our stay in Helsinki.
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