Munkkiniemi in early February 2026.

March has been the warmest on record in Helsinki so the snow is all but gone. Only various shades of brown, grey, and yellow remain – apart from the occasional snowdrops in gardens and parks. I am not keen on photographing the city until green starts to become the dominant color in the landscape. So, birds then! Unfortunately my recent photo walks have not been productive either. I have attempted to photograph local hawfinches and goshawks but the birds have been uncooperative. Well, it sometimes be like that. I don't actually mind it too much because I also look forward to spotting migratory birds on my walks. It's harder to fail at that if you keep your eyes and ears open :) To my delight, I saw the first cranes of the spring today.

#munkkiniemi
#helsinki
#finland
#winter
#february

#Kirjat #Munkkiniemi #raitiovaunu
Vanhusten tapahtumarikas elämä vyöryy värikkäänä esiin Minna Lindgrenin sarjan ensimmäisessä romaanissa. Huumorintajuiset ja sivistyneet palvelutalon asukkaat onnistuvat väistämään dementiaosaston lepositeineen omien moottoripyöräenkeliensä avustuksella🥂👍

In terms of weather, January has been wonderful so far here in Helsinki with temperatures being below 0C almost every day. A proper winter unlike last year. Good weather doesn't always lead to good photos though, so here's one of my recent failures for a change.

I decided to take a detour to an ice rink in Munkkiniemi to take photos of ice skaters and this fancy building in the background. According to the forecast, the sun was supposed to come out to play by the time I got there. It did not. And of course, no one was there except me. I think my sigh was heard throughout the neighborhood. I waited there for a while. No one showed up so I decided to cut my losses. At least someone has skated on the ice.

#helsinki
#munkkiniemi
#finland
#january
#winter
#youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwant

People going for a swim on the last day of 2025.

December 31st was a wonderful day for a cozy winter stroll here in Helsinki. The sun was out, and the temperature was about -10C – pretty much the ideal winter temperature for me. I decided to head to Munkkiniemi as I knew its coastline would look pretty in midwinter sunlight. Naturally, there were a lot people out and about enjoying the weather and taking photos. I walked along the coastline towards northeast, hoping to reach a bay called Tarvonsalmi by sunset. There is a pontoon bridge crossing the bay, and I thought it (and people walking on it) might function as a foreground element in a photo. After I got the sunset photos I wanted, I took a moment to watch the sun disappear behind the treeline for the last time in 2025.

#helsinki
#finland
#munkkiniemi
#photowalk
#december
#winter

The last sunset of 2025 in Helsinki. Happy New Year!

#helsinki
#munkkiniemi
#finland
#december
#winter
#sunset

I walked through Munkkiniemi in Helsinki about a week ago and spotted an apple tree next to an old manor. The tree still had apples on it, and they looked remarkably good for mid-November. I wonder what cultivar it was... I took a closer look and found this particular apple lying on oak leaves under the tree.

Last traces of summer...

#apple
#appletree
#malusdomestica
#helsinki
#munkkiniemi
#finland
#november
#autumn
#fall

Yesterday, the sun decided to show up for once so I went for a leisurely afternoon stroll in Munkkiniemi – one of the more affluent neighborhoods in Helsinki. Fancy buildings, a €300 000 Ferrari on a driveway... But more importantly, a beautiful goldcrest looking for dinner in a Scots pine and a view to the Baltic Sea. I wish there had been someone on that pier in the distance.

#goldcrest
#regulusregulus
#scotspine
#pinussylvestris
#helsinki
#munkkiniemi
#finland
#fall
#autumn
#september
#birds

Magical light in magnificent branches





#evening #sun #Munkkiniemi #Helsinki #coats