As I’ve mentioned I’ve been walking around the city quite a lot with and without camera. And this place amazes me. I used to dislike HEL a lot. But I have to admit that I was wrong. Gosh, is this how that feels like?! Not my favorite feeling, at all! Jokes a side. I didn’t know that concrete jungle would have such beautiful places. Okay, it has a lot to do how I picture cities too, random parks here and there. Mostly poor gardens and lawn, you know, how people in cities see nature. The truth is quite far from it. Apparently it is mostly about finding these things.
I like to wander around, and often I find really cool places on my own, but it is way easier if you have company that knows the cool places. And is willing to show them. Who knew that there could be little pieces of heaven in middle of HEL? Actual forests just few minute walk from city center. Or architecture that blows your mind? I’ve grown up in middle of forest, my parents still live on lakeside, and nature is extremely important to me even if I like the service that city provides. I need my alone time and what would be better ways to do it than wander in woods. I kinda was afraid I would have to give up that luxury when I decided to move in ’big city’ but I’m happy that I was wrong about that.
Other than just forest and woods I freaking love plants. And I’ve tried to visit botanical garden several times already, but somehow I always manage to be late. Opening hours are so weird! Or at least for person who works…
But day off and I managed finally get in! With the evil sidekick ofc! 
This and winter garden are definitely one of my favorite places in HEL, even though I haven’t actually visited the inside of winter garden yet. But the rose garden outside of winter garden is so beautiful that how bad can the inside of the greenhouse be? I adore these places not just because of plants, but also because of architecture. The greenhouse is amazing to look at. They definitely knew what they were doing back 1889.
Nobody builds like that anymore, which is a shame. The old buildings that have survived from bombings and burning the HEL back in the days are pure gold. Good old days before functionalism came to ruin everything… Not like I’m bitter or anything… Anyways! At last I got to visit this beautiful garden and I was stocked! I could live in there, all that natural light and plants trying to escape from roof windows, pure magic.
"Do not touch"... Well, if the hand fits, it fits... I'm wandering around with a brat, who knew.... Except everybody.
Talking about old architecture, I have a thing with old villas. Nice woodworking, disgustingly delicate pastel colors, so cute that it almost makes you feel sick. There are some of these dream houses sprinkled around the city. These beauties are just a kilometer away from the city center. Blue villa is a cafeteria and the pink one is actually still private property. There is also the worlds cutest playhouse next to blue villa, so detailed work that not most houses which are lived in are such fine work.
The view from the cafe is towards city center, what do you think? Not the worst new home town, eh?
There are endless amount of little islands in HEL some you can just walk in by bridge, some that you gave to take a boat ride, but there are many of them. I’ve visited only a few but I’ve fell in love of them. The most cutest one yet have been the ”lamb island” aka. Lammassaari. There are actually 3 lambs living in island ! Cute af! When we walked around and stoped to watch these wool fluffy-balls, one of them came to near and demanded clearly some attention while her friends were eating everything green they could find from rocky ground.
I asked that could I take one of them with me but my request got denied. Bummer. The road to Lammassaari made me feel that we were nowhere near the city. How can one be so near of city center and at the same time in middle of nowhere?
The presence of nature was intoxicating. There was almost post-apocalyptic feeling of seeing some deers on field and seeing the metropolitan area behind it. So close but so far.
So, I'm doing fine, even if I've been slacking with posting. Enjoying the new hometown and what it has to offer.
