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Drop me a line at kathrin(a)luminoucity.net. Can’t wait to hear from you!

About Me

I'm originally from Luxembourg, but have been living in Helsinki since 2010. Join me here to discover the local food scene, urban nature and life as an expat entrepreneur in event production and content marketing in Helsinki!

#Helsinkilove content contributor for: Matador Network, National Geographic Traveler, Dein-Finnland.de, The Simple Things Magazine, My Helsinki, AMEX Essentials, Spotted by Locals, AHK Finnland, the European Commission and many more.

Read more about me!

kathrindeter

✖️Luxembourgish 🇱🇺 / Helsinki since 2010 🇫🇮
✖️Restaurants, Food, Nature & Travel
✖️Pastry expert and Pasta eating professional

✖️COLD WEATHER ESSENTIALS & TIPS I'm a winter

✖️COLD WEATHER ESSENTIALS & TIPS
I'm a winter soul, I love the cold and the snow so the weather we currently have in Helsinki is an absolute dream for me. It took me a while to figure out what really makes the difference in being able to enjoy the sub-zero temperatures and feel comfortable - so here are some of my top tips:

✅Protect your skin: moisture on your skin can freeze and crack it. The solution is to protect your skin with a barrier that cannot freeze. My favourites are the @lumenefinland arctic berry oil and the @avenesuomi cold creme which is wax-based. Also, the sun IS strong in the wintertime as well, regardless of the temperature. I use SPF 20+ daily even during winter.

✅Always cover hands & ears: A proper warm hat is a total game-changer. My mum kept telling me this throughout my teenage years but I only really came to accept this in my mid-20s 🙈 My @myssyfarmi and @samujistudio beanies have been trusted companions during the last years. For gloves, I recommend a thin base glove and cozy mittens on top. Frostbite is no joke.

✅Thin merino layers: these are key to staying warm without looking bulky. Merino wool makes all the difference, I layer tights or leggings under both jeans or winter pants alike and I never freeze. It insulates well and isn't itchy. Stay away from most synthetic fibres and cotton when it’s very cold as they retain moisture instead of keeping it away from your body. Cashmere, wool, and viscose or tencel in combination work best.

✅Invest in a good coat: a warm coat is a purchase that will always pay off in the long run. Here also it is important to check for material and insulation and always make sure it’s not too tight so you can layer underneath. @makiaclothing coats have been my personal favourite for city winters for years.

✅Shoes with good grip: many popular shoe brands that look nice are actually terrible in snow and ice. Make sure the sole is actually made for winter and doesn’t turn into an ice skate. I have my trusted @sorelfootwear boots, many people also swear by @icebugofficial and their studded pieces for really heavy-duty ice days.

📸Thank you for the lovely photo @kaurlotta ❤️ edits by @kaurlotta and me😊

✖️FREEDOM TO BREATHE // MY HELSINKI FREEDOMS

✖️BLINIS AT KAPPELI January is blini season!

✖️BLINIS AT KAPPELI
January is blini season! One of the best places to enjoy Finnish blinis is at @ravintolakappeli on Esplanadi in truly beautiful historic setting (this was poet Eino Leinos personal table!). What a treat to start off a new year!

These thick buckwheat blinis are served straight from a cast iron pan so they come fresh and crispy, along with a great selection of toppings such as a salmon tartare, mushroom salad, reindeer mousse, shrimp skagen and of course the traditional smetana, roe, red onion and Russian pickles with honey (very underrated favourite). The blini menu comes with an incredible crayfish soup to start with, which is also highly recommended - three courses including the whole selection of blini toppings comes in at 62€ (also available as a vegetarian version) or for just blinis for 33,90€. Either way: perfectly paired with a nice glass of Riesling. The season lasts until the end of March.

This blini dinner was kindly gifted by @raflaamo / @ravintolakappeli 🤍

You can find all my recommendations for blinis in Helsinki on the blog, linked in the bio as well. What's your favourite blini topping?

#bliniviikot #blini #blinit #blinikausi #ravintolakappeli #heleats #raflaamo #hokelanto#bliniseason

✖️HELSINKI WINTERLOVE Today the Christmas sea

✖️HELSINKI WINTERLOVE

Today the Christmas season officially ends! I’ll miss the trees and the coziness, but hopefully we can still enjoy some of the lights around Helsinki! I just love the city in its snowy winter coat. So bright and beautiful.

#myhelsinki #helsinki #visithelsinki

✖️WINTERWONDERLAND Can you tell that the snow

✖️WINTERWONDERLAND

Can you tell that the snow makes me happy?

Snowsuit: @luhta_official (I’m 1,54m and it FITS which is highly unusual)
Beanie /preloved: @samujistudio

✖️TÖÖLÖNLAHTI It was a bit of a slippery ad

✖️TÖÖLÖNLAHTI
It was a bit of a slippery adventure yesterday to do the round of the bay, but it was worth it.

Watch your step and have a great week ahead!

✖️20 THINGS FOR 2020 - REVISITED For last yea

✖️20 THINGS FOR 2020 - REVISITED

For last year I created a list of things I wanted to learn, see or do in Finland in 2020. Let’s see how I did and what I need to get to again in 2021:

1️⃣ Skating on natural ice: this didn't happen, and I'm so sad! With less natural ice and rising temperatures, this needs to be super spontaneous.

2️⃣Monthly museum visit: well, here's where COVID came in, because many museums were closed for months and I couldn’t make the best of my @museokortti.

3️⃣Make Karelian pies: yeah no excuse. It's not like there wasn't enough time at home or anything.

4️⃣See the Northern Lights: nope. But another thing that’s hard to plan.

5️⃣@visitoulu: didn't happen! Not enough travel happened this year.

6️⃣Sleep under the stars: this also didn't happen, but mainly because I kinda changed my mind. I really like my bed!

7️⃣Summer cottage: YES! Finally. We spent two weeks in a rented cabin in the West and it was everything I wanted.

8️⃣Koli National Park: almost. The trip was booked, the car was ready. But the weather was gonna be pouring rain for all 4 days, so I cancelled.

9️⃣Pick a Cloudberry: I didn't find one 😭

🔟@visitespoo Islands: Yip! Especially the day trip to Iso Vasikkasaari was lovely!

1️⃣1️⃣Learn more about wild foods & foraging: Yes! We joined a foraging outing with @slowfoodhelsinki and learned a lot.

1️⃣2️⃣Back @olavinreitti trail: I did! I hiked parts of the trail in @visit_aland this year with @evaurora.

1️⃣3️⃣@visitvaasa: Another no 😔

1️⃣4️⃣Do another multi-day hike: see point 12. So, yes!

1️⃣5️⃣Visit Oulanka National Park/Karhunkierros trails: Nope! While I do want to go, this wasn’t too high a priority.

1️⃣6️⃣Regular saunas: yes and no! I had a good weekly routine going on for this after playing Badminton, but when COVID ended that, the following sauna evening also did.

1️⃣7️⃣More Staycations: Yes!

1️⃣8️⃣Visit @kyrodistillery: must coordinate this with trip to Vaasa.

1️⃣9️⃣Learn more about Finnish history: meh. I don't have a good excuse here, only that my general motivation to study wasn't there.

2️⃣0️⃣Spot a flying squirrel: of course not.

What’s on your wishlist for this year?

✖️GOODBYE 2020 . Isn’t it a bit silly that w

✖️GOODBYE 2020
.
Isn’t it a bit silly that we put so much pressure on 2021 being so much better? If we can take anything from this year, is that we clearly don’t know what’s going to happen anyway. I still like to take the moment at the end of the year and think about the things that I can take from everything and be grateful for in a not-too-cheesy manner.

I think my biggest learning is the utter importance of our mental health and well-being. I learned so much about it, in myself and others. I understood in what ways it affects our daily life in aspects we might only understand much later. It’s fascinating and a bit scary, and just so important to talk about.

This year, I’ve reconnected with old friends and strengthened personal relationships. The newest addition here has been rescue cat Misu, who is the cutest little lady with the softest paws (also a moody diva, she is a cat after all). She and the tomato plants on the terrace have definitely been big contributors to sanity during a year that was full of the unexpected.

Beyond thankful for the great people in my life, being able to live in the city that is forever my favourite place. To more hugs ❤️🤗

✖️MY SOUL FACE // HAPPINESS IS GREAT COFFEE .

✖️MY SOUL FACE // HAPPINESS IS GREAT COFFEE
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Give me a great oat milk cappuccino, a cozy sweater and a fluffy beanie, and you’ll see my soul face, according to @veerabianca 🥰
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The best coffee in town still at @signoradeliziacafe. Hands down.
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#myhelsinki #visithelsinki #cafesofhelsinki #helsinkicafe #helsinkicoffee #helsinkicoffeeshops #spottedbylocals #helsinki

✖️CHRISTMAS 2020 . So that was a bit different

✖️CHRISTMAS 2020
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So that was a bit different. Christmas is one of the few times for me to go back home to Luxembourg, enjoy a lavish meal with my parents and see a lot of my old friends from back home. In the last years I’ve also hosted my parents a couple of times in Helsinki, which was always lovely. There was one Christmas I spent without them, and that was a choice. This year it obviously wasn’t. I’m lucky enough that I got to travel home earlier in December for my dads birthday and to spend some time with them then, but somehow Christmas ended up hitting me harder than I expected as the days drew closer. And by that I mean that I was basically crying non-stop for hours on the 23rd. It was rough. Christmas never meant so much to me, but having left Luxembourg behind in 2007 makes returning for the holidays something special. I only came to realise this over the last couple of years and the season became more and more important to me.
.
Christmas ended up being super cozy and lovely with a tiny dinner with a befriended couple that involved lots of potatoes and cheese, followed by a little getaway for the night at @hotelrantapuisto, a little hike by the seaside, lots of hugs and red wine. I really can’t complain. Many of my friends haven’t seen their families in ages and not a clue when it will be possible again. My heart hurts just thinking of that. Yet, only because it could have been worse, doesn’t mean it’s not hard.
.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas, however you spent it and no matter what it means to you. 🎄🍷❤️

✖️WAITING FOR THE LIGHT . Oh man, December has

✖️WAITING FOR THE LIGHT
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Oh man, December has been the most darkest ever and it’s been kinda rough! Usually, December is pretty bright and sunny but this year, there was almost none of it! My daylight alarm clock and Christmas lights around the house but also the beautiful seasonal light installations around the city have definitely helped to brighten up the days a little bit! But productivity and inspiration have definitely suffered from this and I can’t wait for a proper break over the holidays!
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That being said I also have been indulging in the darkness with lots of all-black outfits, soups, red wine and early sleeps - which I’m totally okay with.
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Chunky beanie /preloved @samujistudio
Pikku Karla bag /preloved @marimekko
Vuono coat @makiaclothing
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📷 @veerabianca

✖️JÄTKÄSAARI Happy Monday and please enjoy t

✖️JÄTKÄSAARI
Happy Monday and please enjoy this reminder of bright days and blue skies. I don’t know about you but the last days have felt SO grim and dark and meh that sometimes I forget how it can be! Apparently this December so far has had a lot less sunshine than previous years so it’s no surprise. So let’s all remember: get outside when you see the sun. You don’t know when it’s coming back the next time 🤓☀️

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