Helsinki, Finland: Esplanadi

When the weather turns warm in Helsinki - no remarks, please - people want to get out and walk a bit. I would guess there's no better place to do it than on the Esplanadi downtown ... or, as it is called, Espa.

Picture a street divided into two sections, with a decent-sized park filled with trees and flowers in between. That's the Esplanadi. Take it from someone who walked it on a lovely June day, stopping at shops along the way, it was a wonderful way to see some of the city. The businesses are a mix of designer firms and souvenir stands. As you'd expect, there are street performers and vendors who set up shop here, and weddings sometimes are staged in the park. 

Standing guard over the area - or at least his statue is - is Johan Ludvig Runeberg. He's a poet, author and priest from the 1800s. The statue debuted in 1885. Runeberg popped up on a commemorative coin in 2004 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth. They still remember you, Johan. 

Here's as close as we can get to seeing what the place is like from here: