All the way back to Helsinki for a cup of coffee

A cup of coffee may be one of these little pleasures we come across in our everyday lives, but is this a good enough reason for going all the way to Helsinki? Probably not. But then again, there is the Uschakoff building; it was built in the beginning of the nineteenth century in the heart of the city. And it happens to have an internal hall, designed in 1903 by the architects Lars Sonck and Valter Jung. This is presently called the Jugend Hall, and it hosts a spacious and friendly café under its skylight. The fresco at the rear was painted by Wilho Sjöström in 1916.

 

11.04.2011

I suppose this is what happens when people allow themselves to wander freely and rather purposelessly in a city they have never visited before, and they willingly loose themselves in its heart, rather than follow some sort of conventional sightseeing guide. Sooner or later, they end up in places such as this, which may as well be one of my favourite places in the world to sit and read, have a coffee or a salad. Is this a good enough reason for going all the way back? Probably not. But then again…