Random romances in Helsinki this winter

Meiju Niskala is a performance artist who lives in Helsinki and is passionate about interaction, public spaces, experience the world in new ways and making things better. Start your romantic date by throwing dice. Look what number you get and find the matching location.

If you threw a 1, compose a love poem beside the sea

Escape the sharp angles and millimetre-precise planning of the city centre and head for the shoreline. Follow the twists and turns along the natural waterfront and navigate your way carefully around the giant boulders. When you find a secluded beach, compose a giant love poem with your feet by leaving footprints in the sand or snow that blankets it. Make it big enough and it might even be possible for a granny in Australia to see it on Google Earth.

If you threw a 2, make a wish atop Heaven’s Rock

Climb 60 metres to the top of Taivaskallio, “Heaven’s Rock”, on a chilly winter’s evening and admire the lights of the city below you. Dare to dream and make a wish by throwing a coin into the pond – or onto the ice that covers it. Look up and you may even see a meteor.

If you threw a 3, ice dance at Brahe Ice Rink

In the middle of a lively residential neighbourhood there is a massive ice rink that is used by ice-hockey enthusiasts and skaters alike. Beneath the glow of a full moon or the light of the street lamps you can practice ice dancing with your partner. The colder the wind, the nicer it is to hold each other as close as possible – regardless of how thick your overcoats.

If you threw a 4, enjoy the duck ballet by the bridge to Seurasaari

Watching the ducks swim alongside the romantic bridge that takes you to the recreational island of Seurasaari can really cheer you up, especially on a cold winter’s day when they invite you to throw them some bread. If you bring enough bread with you and have good aim, you can orchestrate some fine choreography among the ducks – a veritable Swan Lake. Try to get the prima donna and prince to perform in the foreground by enticing them with French bread while keeping the choir members in the background by throwing them sweet buns. For the best effect, play the music to Swan Lake in your headphones while feeding the ducks.

If you threw a 5, kiss a frog at the Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden

The two-metre-wide leaves of the giant waterlily at the Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden are big enough to fit a small family – and probably an entire generation of frogs. The flowers of the waterlily open in the dark of the evening and are white on the first night and pink on the second. During these two days you should become acquainted with all your potential dates, even a frog. One could turn out to be a prince who may propose to you before the sun rises in front of the Queen of the Night that adorns the Desert Room.

If you threw a 6, give a first kiss on the Bird Song Bridge

The pedestrian bridge that crosses the railway tracks in the Linnunlaulu “Bird Song” wooden house district has witnessed many first kisses over the years. As the trains pass beneath the bridge carrying their travellers, commuters and holidaymakers to and from the North, couples have stared deeply into each other’s eyes and rubbed their noses together. Engagement vows have been exchanged amidst clouds of steam from old locomotives, while newlyweds have travelled to their honeymoons in either direction along the tracks. As the sun sets and the lights go on in the city, you can stand on the bridge and remember your first kiss – or experience it.

You can read more about random romanticism and other tips for urban explorers in Helsinki in Meiju’s book Olet tässä (Helsinki) published by Avain in 2008.