Night location: Etihad Airways en route to Sydney This morning we took advantage of the late check-out offered by our hotel and slept in, ate a substantial breakfast served in the Finnish design brand Marimekko dinnerware, packed our bags and rested in readiness for the long haul home. Last night at Restaurant Nolla, one of the waiters was an Australian who had moved to Helsinki six years ago. We had a lovely conversation with him and he shared with us a Finni...

Night location: Helsinki, Finland We are nearing the end of our holiday which is bittersweet in many ways. For the last full day in Europe we made the most of the brilliant shopping options in Helsinki. After a relaxing start to the day with a delicious breakfast we began our shopping marathon in the Finnish department store Stockmann which opened in 1862. From here we caught the tram up to the design museum shop and cafe in the heart of the design district and ...

Night location: Helsinki, Finland Today was our final transit day of our holiday before we do the long haul flight home. We arrived in Helsinki in the late afternoon and disembarked from the airport train to a chilly 5 degrees. Fortunately Amber had her gloves and beanie handy for the walk to our hotel. On the way we stopped at a small coffee shop to keep us going until dinner. Our hotel is in the main CBD area of Helsinki so after checking in we walked through...