Neon and Chocolate

This is one of my favorite buildings in Helsinki. Finns call it Lasipalatsi, which translates as Glass Palace. It’s currently under renovation – the pictures are from last year.

The building is located right in the center of town and it’s from the 1930’s. The architectural style is called functionalism.

I love the style – its lines, curves and some of the sharp shadows that the angles create.

Some of the interior design is amazing, too. There was (and hopefully still will be after the renovation) a small movie theater which made you feel like you’d just stepped into the 1930’s. Red walls, round, hanging, white, glass lamps, and a huge clock on the wall. Very minimalistic but also very classy. I wish I had photos to show you.

But the best part is the neon signs, designed to look a bit retro. I can never get enough of those signs. Unfortunately I never managed to get a good photo of them all.

It’s a hard building to take pictures of due to the central location and all the traffic – you’re always too close and at a weird angle, or too far away. The best time would probably be in the middle of a summer’s night, when the sun doesn’t set and you could go stand in the middle of the then empty road.

Maybe I’ll do that some time.

While I’m on the subject… I did a series of posts on Helsinki a while ago. But I forgot to tell you about something important: Finnish chocolate!

Now, I know Finland and chocolate might not be a match that immediately rings a bell, but Finnish chocolate actually can rival its more renowned Belgian and Swiss counterparts any day.

The main brand is called Fazer. It’s over a hundred years old, and it’s sold everywhere. They have a wide range of products but if you’re visiting Finland and want to try Finnish chocolate, some of the more traditional chocolate bars include the plain milk chocolate version, in a dark blue wrapper, and one called Geisha, with hazelnut filling.

In fact, you shouldn’t even consider leaving Finland without trying Geisha!

(Hope I’ve convinced you!)