Finally, Onto the Cities

At the rate I'm going, if I don't start now, I won't get to the actual ports before my next trip!

Had I ranked the places according to which I thought I would like the most, I would have been totally wrong.

Remember how disappointed I was when I cancelled my trip to Stockholm (with a return trip to Iceland) back in the spring? I was quite upset by it.

I was so sure I would love Stockholm and Copenhagen. When I got there, I liked them both but they didn't resonate with me as deeply as I thought they would. It's neither good or bad rather just is.

Helsinki was the city I thought I would like the least and it ended up being my favourite. It has a more lively vibe compared to the others. I liked how stylishly people were dressed. Loved how earthy the local market felt.

To me, it was a combination of how I see Amsterdam and Berlin. Had a wardrobe malfunction and found what I needed at Stockmann (great dept store). Fell in love with Passionata.

St Petersburg comes in second. Lots of history and ornately designed buildings. Contrasted with a lot of run down buildings. Some of which I thought should be condemned when it was still lived in.

The best buildings were ones where Italian architects were hired to design and build them. Otherwise I wouldn't rank over all build quality of regular buildings as great.

You can tell there is a wide gap between the rich and the far from rich. There are many women who are dressed in very utilitarian wear. Whereas others are in 4 inch heels and fashionable. There are sushi restaurants every other block.

Tallin is a close second. A medieval city, very beautiful and very popular. The new part is quite urban with all the high end shops you would know. Didn't expect that. Discovered yet another new brand this time shoes -- Hogl.