A Morning Walk around Central Helsinki
Doing it for the Tier Points
- And once again, welcome to the Tier Point Enrichment Centre
- What can you do with about three hours and a bit of sleep? (Coach, Heathrow Airport and Lounge)
- Finnair AY1332 London Heathrow to Helsinki (Business Class/A350)
- Planes, Trains, Boats and Trams – Into Helsinki and slightly beyond
- Crowne Plaza Helsinki
- A Morning walk around Helsinki
- Back to Vantaa, Finnair Non-Schengen Lounge
- Finnair AY1337 Helsinki to London Heathrow (Business Class/A350)
- Heathrow wows, Euston moans, and Rugby looks pretty
- 320 Tier Points, Done
With the body rested, I made my way out of the Crowne Plaza and towards the tram stop to do a little more walking around the city. And maybe a little gift shopping too.
Catching a tram to the cathedral seemed like a good idea to start the day, so that’s what I did.
To the Skoda Tram
I Like a map.
The Finnish Parliament.
Riding the tram, I decided to start my walk near the Cathedral, with Alexandar II standing proud.
And from there, I crossed over to the Esplandi and walked up and down it. Well, on a summer day like this, it seemed like a good idea.
Playing a pleasant tune.
Brand everything.
Street rubbish.
More street furniture.
There was a little retail therapy to be done – and it was mainly foodstuffs. An important note for those who are browsing Helsinki on a Sunday- and that’s most shops don’t open until midday – so those with early flights should shop the day before (or spend an extra day in a rather walkable city).
For everyone else, some cafes open up early enough, as well as what is open on the Esplandi. And that’s the second place I ended up on, with it being a summer morning and people out and about.
I had a Moomin stop to make along the way – so a trip to a Fazer cafe was required. Well, I seem to know this place pretty well at this point off the game – as well as where to find it.
Ah. Moomin Stuff.
For most of my payments, I used my Monzo Debit account, with my Curve card doing the heavy lift and charging back to my Visa credit card – it’s a way of avoiding annoying currency fees when travelling (and yes British Airways faithful – I do have a BA Amex Card. Yes, it’s a basic one and no, I won’t use it with the FX markup – except for one transaction a trip marginally).
I took my time winding my way back and forth, playing Pokemon Go and doing a few things that made me smile
Sha la la la la la.
Gerry! Gerry!
Tram life.
Do you Stock men in Stockman?
As well as stocking up “stuff that is harder to get in the UK from the supermarket”.
With everything in hand, time was ticking – whilst I would not be as early to the airport as I was last time, I wanted to make good use of the lounge too.
I, therefore, tracked back to Helsinki Central station and started the trip back to hot Britannia.
Towards Central station.
Through the doors
Ah. The deapture list.
The longer you’re here…
Spend a penny? More like spending a Euro…
With a train located and some interesting souvenirs, it was time to track back to Vantaa and Helsinki Airport.
Next: Back to Vantaa, Finnair Non-Schengen Lounge.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, featuring in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can follow me on Instagram too!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
