Helsinki Christmas Markets - A Weekend Update

Happy Tuesday girls and boys. Can you believe Christmas Day is a little over a week away?! Cue mass panic. I'm feeling really unprepared this year. Anyway, as a little festive break, Scott and I decided to head over to Helsinki for the weekend to soak up the atmosphere at the Christmas markets and do some last minute shopping.

A huge Glogi fan!

A fair amount of snow had fallen the night before in Kotka where we live, but I was a little disappointed to see that the streets of Helsinki were completely clear on the white stuff. That being said, it was still FREEZING cold and we were glad to be keeping warm with gallons of Glogi. 
The markets were packed full of Finnish arts and crafts, as well as jars of pickled everything and sugary sweet gingerbread houses which I really regret not getting a picture of! 

The view of the markets from the top of the Cathedral steps

I always get serious vertigo climbing the steps to the Cathedral which is pretty ridiculous considering that they are really not that high. I made Scott hold onto my arms as I stood and took pictures because the wind was blowing hard. (Laugh if you will...)

Christmas windows in Stockmann

We paid a visit to the Stockmann department store, (which is an absolute must if you're ever in Helsinki!) It was absolutely heaving with people rushing to finish their Christmas shopping. Scott seemed less than impressed at how long we spent in the make up department, but needs must, eh girls! 
I picked up these lovely treats for myself; although I was pretty gutted one of the MAC lipsticks I was lusting after was out of stock.

We stayed over at the Radisson Plaza which is in the centre of Helsinki and only a few minutes walk to Alexanterinkatu, one of the main shopping streets in the city. I love the Plaza hotel, it's one of my favourite places to stay in the Capital. There was also a Blu Santa in reception when we arrived.

In the evening we ate at YUME, an Asian fusion restaurant situated in the Glo hotel. We'd heard nothing but positive reviews of the restaurant and so we were excited to try it out. 

Trying to convince myself it wasn't that cold outside

The food at YUME was incredible! We ordered spring rolls, vegetable tempura, Japanese hot stone with beef and crispy duck and pancakes, all to share. Our waitress was lovely; however the service was pretty slow which was a shame as other than that, we had a great time. After we had eaten, we headed over to A21, our favourite cocktail bar in Helsinki. (You can read an old review of mine here) 

A21 Signature Champagne Cocktail

I highly recommend the Rhuba Martini and the A21 Signature Champagne Cocktail - Both extremely delicious. We always have such a great time whenever we visit. 
What did you get up to at the weekend, did you visit anywhere new?