Anne was really taken with Helsinki. The "natives" are friendly and helpful, thanks in no small measure to the fact thay they all learn English from an early age. The Hotel Haven is a very comfortable place to stay, and very well located, close to the harbour. Since Anne's visit, it been named Hotel of the Year for 2013 by the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.

Each morning at breakfast there were strange little pastries with rice, which tasted rather bland. I found out later that they are called Karelian pies and should have been loaded up with the mashed hard boiled egg and butter mixture that was on the table beside them. I'll know next time. ​Karelia is a region of SE Finland which straddles the border with Russia. ​