Borders blur from the bullet train window, and while the frontier between Russia and Finland is distinct, the signs themselves literally become invisible at high speeds. Instead, the only indicators are passport control agents on their purpose-filled staccato journey through each car, offering seatside passport and visa inspections with a cursory goodbye and welcome, depending on which nation they represent. The scenery outside remains dark stands of evergreens interspersing fields and lakes, rocks cropping up along this low horizon in horizontal shelves, a picture both sharp and serene. This gives way to houses and garden, the telltale signs of human habitation scaling up as we near the heart of Helsinki. Stands of trees remain, but they are now surrounded by low apartment blocks and offices. Exiting the main station, a characteristically understated and stunning Eliel Saarinen art deco masterpiece, one is confronted not by touts or taxi drivers, but a minor symphony of green trams, upright cyclists, and unhurried pedestrians. It makes for a great first impression.

For us, Helsinki was a city of easy pleasures, a lovely, seemingly effortless, combination of big city vitality and life infused with calm self-assurance. It is an easy place to like. Armed with the excellent Helsinki Pass (72 hours of admission to almost every museum in the city and free public transport), we went out on foot, tram and bright orange subway trains from our Kallio-area apartment, casually fitted out in restored mid-century furniture and scented with teak oil. Highlights of the museum circuit were the Amos Rex and the Contemporary Art Museum, both featuring well-done shows blending international and national works in buildings not just stunning but also fit for purpose. Another big winner was the Design Museum, which had a globe-spanning exhibition exploring traditional craft production by Johan Olin and Aamu Song that was engrossing enough to justify buying and hauling the museum book back to Canada.

Beyond seeing the sights, Helsinki was also just a pleasure to explore and bear witness to its summertime living. Perhaps it the reward for the long, dark and cold winter, a pent up desire to be in the world, the counterbalance which drives the locals to make hay while the sun shines, but Helsinki shone for those June days. We wandered between the various neighbourhoods surrounding the centre, stopping into the local market halls, which serve as local community hubs, perusing the open air flea markets, and even the stunning central library. In keeping with Nordic stereotypes, the clean design was both modern and warm, infused with wood and equipped with a forward-thinking program going far beyond just the borrowing of books. Saunas feature throughout the city, tucked away on side streets, and featured as public structures often on the water’s edge. There is evidence of willingness to spend money on public buildings, on seeing a value in this, that is inspiring to see.

One indulgence I took was to visit a new and redeveloping area of the city called Kalasatama. In the urban planning world, the Vancouver brand carries a cachet which opens doors and I was able to arrange a morning tour with two of the local planners for the site. This huge area is centered on an infill metro station, a former industrial area spread out along the waterfront edge in the east of the city. It is uncompromisingly contemporary and high-amenity, and in the state at the time very much a work in progress, with occupied homes next to construction sites and vacant lots in the background. It was enough to see the vision clearly, to get a sense of the outcome and the care and attention paid to making new neighbourhoods great not just for planning geeks but for residents. and visit with planners.

We took one daytrip out of the city to the nearby islands of Suomenlinna on a sun-baked windy day. The ferry through the harbour was jam packed, clearly we were not the only folks who had this idea and we lasted nearly ten minutes on the exposed upper deck before retreating down the ladder aft. The local seagulls had decided to hover above the ferry on its journey, ominously gliding overhead. It was only a matter of time. On Suomenlinna, we wandered the island, a former fortress guarding Helsinki now dotted with old buildings and tiny docked submarine to explore. All in all a reasonable enough diversion, but we were not as wowed as the UNESCO folks, who designated it a world heritage site. Still a nice enough walk on a pleasant day.

Back in Helsinki, we continued our explorations. Near the centre is one of the main greenspaces of the core, the Esplanadi. It’s a long, fairly formal strip of grass where locals bask under the trees, cautiously picnicking, ever watchful for the supremely aggressive seagulls who show no mercy in their effort for a good meal. Never in my life have I seen such bold seagulls – the ones that pester Granville Island snackers are rank amateurs by comparison. Even the gulls gave way however around the main square facing the Helsinki Cathedral for the staging of the Pride parade, a giant event crowding the square with floats and vehicles waiting their turn to take to the streets. It was festive and joyous, another beautiful showcase of Helsinki’s easy charm.

For all its pleasures, Helsinki is a fairly new city in a fairly new country, an urban area that mushroomed from a much smaller nucleus over the course of the 20th century. To have grown with such care and attention is a credit to the local Finns, who lend it an air of grace and self-confidence that is never showy but always tangible. I enjoyed every minute of our time here and was utterly charmed by the city – even the gulls.