Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine December 2017 | Page 141

Travel | Helsinki
1 The true home of Santa Claus is in
Finnish Lapland, but don’t be surprised
to find him in Helsinki.
Kids love skating, and they’ll also enjoy the Christmas
window at the Stockmann department store on the corner
of Keskuskatu and Aleksi.
Never too late to skate
The skating rink – the Jääpuisto, or ‘Ice Park’ –
in the railway station square is the first evidence
of festive fun. Tap your feet to the music or
warm up with coffee and hot chocolate at the
rink-side café between skating spins, or just sit
and admire the skills of the locals. Skates can be
rented, and you can borrow sleds to keep your
balance, and helmets, at no extra cost.
5 Senses – Taste
GLÖGI
Nothing says Finnish Christmas
like a glass of glögi, a cousin of the
glühwein popular in central Europe.
Non-alcoholic wine sweetened with
berry syrup is the base of this hot
winter beverage, spiced with cloves
and cinnamon and sometimes
‘sharpened’ with a dash of vodka.
With a sprinkling of almonds and
raisins, it’s often served as a greeting
drink at the pikkujoulu – little
Christmas – parties that precede
the main event.
Kids love skating, and they’ll also enjoy
the Christmas window at the Stockmann
department store on the corner of Keskuskatu
and Aleksi. The elaborately decorated window
changes annually and its official opening,
together with the switching-on of the Christmas
lights in Aleksi, is a much-anticipated Helsinki
family event.
Stockmann, a Helsinki institution, is the city’s
biggest store and a good port of call for one-stop
Christmas souvenirs or gift shopping. ‘Under the
clock’ at the main entrance in Aleksi is a
favourite rendezvous for friends meeting up in
town, and Three Smiths Square opposite is the
site of a colourful Christmas market. The mixed
aroma of roasting chestnuts and glögi, a spiced
wine served with almonds and raisins, has
become an essential seasonal feature of this
spot, and stalls sell gifts ranging from sweets
to thick winter socks and pullovers.
1
Natal di Finlandia tak dapat
dipisahkan dari segelas glögi, sejenis
minuman glühwein yang terkenal di
Eropa. Wine non-alkohol dengan sirup
beri sebagai pemanis menjadi dasar
untuk minuman hangat di musim
dingin, ditambahkan cengkeh, kayu
manis dan terkadang “dipertajam”
dengan sedikit vodka. Dengan taburan
almond dan kismis, minuman ini biasa
disajikan sebagai minuman pembuka
saat pikkujoulu, Natal kecil, yaitu pesta
sebelum tibanya Natal.
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Follow Aleksi down to Senate Square and
you’ll find another lively Christmas market,
the St Thomas’s Market (December 2–22),
spreading in front of the majestic Lutheran
Cathedral and surrounded by Russian-era
neoclassical buildings. The cathedral is also
the starting point for the Lucia Day procession,
a special festival of light on December 13.
When the market here is in full swing,
the music from the children’s carousel, the scent
of fresh gingerbread cookies and cinnamon
on hot porridge, and the colourful selections
of handicrafts and homemade preserves
are sure to lift the spirits. Stop off for coffee
and a ‘Christmas star’ pastry at Café Engel
on the square.
Fine design
Move down to the park running through the
Esplanade – ‘Espa’ – to discover Helsinki’s top
design shops, forming a periphery of Helsinki’s
Design District. Marimekko’s brightly coloured
textiles and clothes, stylish bags and other
accessories have n