helsinki

[Berries including lingonberries at Hakaniemi Market Square]

Fifty hours in Helsinki.

[round the corner from the Aalto House; there are two rows of windows behind the creeper - and the lights were on inside]

Filled with walking, sitting in old-fashioned cafes drinking coffee and trying different types of pulla (favourite: cardamom), visiting the Alvar Aalto House, spending hours looking at the brilliant range of Finnish books on crafts and gardening and architecture in the Aalto-designed Academic Bookshop*.

['Wave' plant container at the Aalto House designed by Aino Aalto]

Travelling around the city by tram and gazing out of the window. Enjoying the design details everywhere. Appreciating the lack of pretension and the modesty of the city.

[Old Church Park]

Going to an exhibition of Finnish design and craftsmanship (such a rich history of passementerie and hat-making).

[Hakasalmi Villa, now a museum, above and below]

Looking for colour, and being richly rewarded.

And following Nigel Slater's recommendation and eating one of the best bowls of soup ever in a small, simple, very popular soup kitchen in the indoor market.

* Galinsky is a brilliant website and an incredibly useful, free resource if you are interested in modern architecture.