I've always wanted to go on a snow holiday. I've been blessed that in my younger years my parents have taken me on many sun holidays but I was ready for a change.
That's why when my best friend moved to Finland for her college placement you bet I was going to fly over and pay her a visit, obviously not just for the holiday, I do love her dearly.
Anyway, when most people think of Finland for a trip away no doubt one of the cities that pop into their heads would be Helsinki but this is not where I ended up going.
I did fly into Helsinki airport, met my friend and had a little reunion cry, but then it was off on a bus for two and a half hours away to Turku.
Tell me about Turku:
Before anyone goes Googling I'll give you a little run down of the city which is located in the southwest of the country and was built around the river Aura.
It is the oldest city in the nation and was Finland's one-time capital but this changed when Emperor Alexander decided it was too aligned with Sweden so turned his attention towards Helsinki.
In all fairness, you can still see Swedish influence throughout the city as many signs are both in their language and Finnish. But why visit Turku instead of the capital?
In short, it's just beautiful, full of old architecture including buildings that just happen to have ladders attached to a window on the top floor in case the residents get snowed in.
Where to stay:
I didn't go down the hotel route, though not overly expensive when you compare it to rooms in Dublin, I wasn't going to pay €400 for a room when Airbnb had so many apartment options at a fraction of the price.
While Finland has a bit of a reputation for being expensive I managed to get a studio apartment for four nights just a ten-minute walk from the city centre in an area called Lantinen Pitkakatu, for around €280 which I didn't think was that bad.
The studio was located on the first floor of a building hidden away from the main road behind a gate and some lovely high walls, though be warned even when you're away from the road you can still hear snow ploughs going at all hours of the night.
Now it wasn't a luxury penthouse by any means but it did have a double bed, full kitchen, wifi, bathroom and the most important part, it was warm.
Once there you really don't have to leave the area if you don't want to, Turku has plenty to offer without having to get up at 6am to head elsewhere.
Where to eat:
My first day had an early(ish) start. Make sure to leave time to put on all your layers if you visit in the winter months as even though it wasn't yet snowing it was very VERY cold!
If you get the Foli app on your phone you can get a day ticket for the bus for €8 which lets you go all over the city all day.
To fuel up our first stop was an adorable little bakery called Leipomo Manna where we got raspberry and chocolate macaroons but there was one thing that stole the show.
The pulla pastries or bread, I'm not even sure how to class them, were stunning and the perfect thing for breakfast available in a wide range of flavours from cinnamon and orange to cardamom all baked in these intricate knotted shapes.
If you have a fear that someone won't understand you don't worry as soon as you open your mouth and speak English nearly everyone will have the ability to switch languages. Of course, it's always polite to know the basics like hello and thank you.
When it comes to dinner in Finland you may not think of incredible Spanish-inspired food but that's exactly what we found.
Di Trevi not only made a mean red pesto risotto and pan-fried cod that I, a known fish hater, enjoyed but they also make a mean cocktail just what you need when the snow starts pelting down outside.
I don't know where the stereotype of Finnish people being quiet and unfriendly came from because anyone we encountered was absolutely lovely and definitely up for a chat.
Word to the wise though, on Sundays things seem to close early so don't you fall asleep in the middle of the day as I did and then try to find a place to eat. My dear old friend being the sweetheart she is didn't want to wake me so instead of what we had planned to be a fancy dinner we got fast food at Hesburger, the Finnish answer to McDonald's.
Where to go for a drink:
You have to remember we were a pair of young wans loose in a different country so we managed to find a very interesting place for a few cheeky cocktails.
The bar we decided to call into was located in this cabin-like building just randomly in the middle of a park called Liberty or Death and it seems that we may have chosen death.
We settled down in a cosy corner of what I can only describe as a very cool bar, watching the snow fall out the window over the river as our sobriety went with it.
These drinks were dangerously good and they didn't even taste like alcohol. Even the one my friend had with absinthe in it went down like it was just water.
If you're looking for another good spot to drink, call into Bar Edison for both Guinness and Lonkero, a type of Finnish gin-based beverage that is way too easy to enjoy.
Where to visit:
Though it was a bit of a hike uphill, Turku Art Museu was worth it when we stood in front of this beautiful stone building that looked like something out of a vampire movie but it was what was inside that really did it.
From an interactive exhibit that allowed you to become part of the art to what looked like endless black and white photographs by photographer Shoji Ueda that told dream-like stories against simple backgrounds like endless sand and sky, it was easy to get lost in it all.
Another activity would be taking the bus to the Botanic Garden of the University of Turku. For me this was like something out of a movie, the snow had fallen all night and unlike at home, things just don't stop because of the white stuff.
It was amazing to stand in these greenhouses muggy with heat and tropical flowers while outside was a blanket of white and missing pathways.
When we were done staring at the koi fish and the budgies that few around our heads we decided that going on a little hike around the grounds was exactly what we needed to do.
With the layer of snow that had fallen, we couldn't see anything in the gardens, but there was a bridge that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale and lots of pretty scenery to enjoy.
Takeaways:
Monday marked my final day in the country and though we had lots of plans to do things we were cut a bit short after a quick trip to a thrift shop thanks to a mix of heavy snow and my inability to use my limbs after a fall, though I did manage to get a Finnish army jacket for just €23 and have the best cup of chai of my life.
If there is one thing I could change about the trip it would be the length, there is literally so much to do in just one tiny corner of the country I would have loved to have seen more.
From visiting the castle to walking around the markets, I do regret not getting the chance but if there's one thing this trip thought me it's don't be afraid to break away from the normal tourist trap capitals on your hunt for adventure, you might just have the time of your life.
