It was the last two days of a wonderful trip with some wonderful people. We arrived in Turku around noon and it was slowly starting to get dark as the sun had already set. Everyone was slowly getting hungry and after discussing various options we finally settled for a Georgian restaurant- RIONI. We ordered varieties of bread and starters and they started coming in. After eating the starters everyone was almost done and the waitress informed us that the main course would come in a few minutes. We started to look at each other in shock. The food was really heavy and it was delicious.
After a delicious meal, we decided to explore the city which is the oldest in Finland. The first stop in our city was Turku’s top attraction — Turku Cathedral. It was constructed in 1300 and is the only medieval basilica church in Finland.
The spire stands 100m above sea level which was reconstructed after the ‘Great fire of Turku’ which destroyed half the city in 1827.
After a brief time in the church, we headed toward a dome-shaped building in the distance which happened to be an observatory- Vartiovuori Astronomical Observatory. It is surrounded by Vartiovuori Park, one of the oldest municipal central parks in Finland. As the observatory sits at the highest point in Turku, one can get a great panoramic view of the city.
In the middle of the municipal park was an open-air amphitheatre which is a performing arts theatre in the summer. We played some snowball battles and everyone sang a few lines of ‘We Will Rock You’ and slowly headed back to the pickup point. We made sure that we took a group selfie after a great evening.
A long night awaited in front of us to spend in the Viking Line’s Grace to Stockholm from where we headed to Copenhagen.
Copenhagen
After a long trip through Stockholm crossing the Baltic Sea, we reached our final city- Copenhagen. A vibrant city with the world’s second oldest amusement park located in the city Centre lit up with its bright lights.
As we got off the bus, our first location was the city’s most famous attraction- The Little Mermaid. Based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the statue is visited by tourists all around the year.
After visiting the statue, we headed back to the city Centre to explore more attractions. We strolled the streets of Strøget one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets with shops lined on both sides from budget-friendly to luxury chains. Street also has a Guinness World Records Museum and Ripley’s Believe it or Not shop.
From Strøget we headed to the busiest part of Copenhagen- Nyhavn or New Harbour in English. A 17th-century waterfront and entertainment district lined by colorful buildings on both sides. It’s definitely worth visiting on a bright morning to capture the colorful buildings with their reflection on the water.
We strolled our last few hours exploring the neighbourhood, came across a unique Christmas tree made of wine glasses and an old restaurant from 1733.
My last stop in the city was in front of none other than the city’s most famous author H.C.Andersen overlooking the Tivoli Gardens.
A long and unforgettable trip has come to an end and I look forward to travelling again with this bunch of people.
Conclusion
An unforgettable week and a great trip with a crazy bunch of people.
People looking to strike out the Northern Lights from their bucket list should keep an eye on the Uniflucht trips page as the trip sells out fast.
