Helsinki, Finland

 We arrived on the ferry from Estonia, only a little over 2 hours and it was crowded with weekend partiers from Helskini. We saw so many people in the ship carrying back boxes of beer and liquor on wheeled carts. Apparently beer is so much cheaper in Estonia than Finland that people do beer runs! 

Trams were waiting right outside the ferry terminal and we got a quick ride to our AirBnb just outside the city centre…

Helsinki is the capital city of Finland with about one million population including the urban area. It was founded by the Swedish King Gustav in 1550. Finland has been a part of Sweden and also has been ruled by Russia, but gained its’ independence in 1917.

Helsinki has a different feel from the other capital cities we visited and I think it may be the influence of many years under Russian control. The main square called Senate Square has the Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral which was built in 1830 -1852 to honour the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas of Russia whose statue is in the centre of the square…

On the roof of the Catheral are statues of the twelve apostles holding different objects in their hands…

This is Bartholomew who holds a knife symbolizing his tragic death…

John the Apostle, the patron saint of bookmakers is holding a book…

It is not ornate inside but has wonderful details…

The Square is surrounded by other buildings of the same period including the Government palace which houses the Prime Minister’s office…

Not far from the square on a hill overlooking it is Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, the largest Orthodox Church in Northern and Western Europe which makes for an imposing sight. After Helsinki became the capital of Finland, the government of the time imposed a tax specifically for the two main churches…the Orthodox and the Lutheran which gave them much prestige and power.

The interior which is quite ornate…

There are also many modern churches in Helsinki that were interesting to visit. This is the Rock Church built into the side of a hill and a good example of Finnish architecture…

The shafts let in natural light and the walls are exposed rocks. 

It is one of the most visited sights in Helsinki due to its’ unique design. Here is what the copper roof looks like outside…

Helsinki is known as a city with great design and this Chapel of Silence which is located in one of the busiest parts of the city was designed in 2012 as part of a world wide design contest. It is non denominational and is promoted as a place to come and reflect in silence. Very unique design, but didn’t get inside as it was closed when we were there…

Another great building nearby is the library…

The Finns are some of the most literate people in the world with half of the population visiting the library every month.

This building is beautiful…

It lies opposite another striking  building the Finnish Parliament…

 Besides great architecture Helsinki is filled with colour…

A scene from Market Square which is set up all year long down by the harbour…

A Marimeko store window…this Finnish store is quite famous for colorful clothes and home design…

A great place for a meal with a view…

All over the city were brightly coloured benches and flower pots…

Finland is a northern country with cold winters so maybe all the colour the rest of the year makes up for that? 

Helsinki also has a lot of green spaces which we enjoyed…

 

We ate our lunch one day in this sunny spot…

Lots of parks and spaces to sit and enjoy the day…

A great Market Hall as well…

So much good looking fish, especially salmon…

What about a spoonful of caviar for 15 CAD?

The city also has a vast network of walking and biking paths that lead all over the city so one day we set out for a long walk which led us to different parts of the city…

To one of the city beaches…

Huge well kept cemeteries…

Lots of little cafes…

Wide tree lined sidewalks…

Wild roses by one of the lakes…

Small churches…

Helsinki has a lot of coastline so many marinas…

Peaceful ponds…

Also passed the Opera House which is located by one of the bays….

By the time we were finished our step count was 17000 for the day and we were tired, but a wonderful way to explore the city.

Our last day there we took the ferry over to Suomenlinna Fortress…

The view back to the city as we were leaving…

Lots of summer homes on the islands we passed…

Our first glance at the Fortress…

This fortress began construction in 1748 when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was built to protect the city of Helsinki against warring armies but fell to Russia in 1808 and Finland is made an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. It continued as an active base right up to World War II.

We decided to walk counter clockwise around the island as there were less people on the path, we didn’t anticipate being forced off the path by these families who were everywhere…

They look similar to Canada Geese but they are called Barnacle Geese and the babies are balls of fluff…

The Fortress is built from rock found on the island and is made into an irregular shape…

There are many well preserved buildings within the Fortress that stand today…

We spent a few hours walking around the island from end to end and seeing all the historic buildings.

Suomenlinna was added in 1991 to the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites as an outstanding monument to military architecture…

There is a War Museum which we visited that gave a great history lesson on the Finnish Defence Forces and their on and off relationship with Russia. There was also the Finnish Civil War in 1918 which was one of the most bitter civil wars of that era. It was fought between the Reds and the Whites, those loyal to Russia and those not.

This is the Kings Gate built in 1753 and is the ceremonial entrance to the Fortress…

A submarine used in World War 11 that was open to the public to tour…

 

There are lots of cafes and restaurants on the island as it receives over a million visitors a year…

The bridge joining two sides of the island…

There are 800 residents living here year round with a school for the children. These houses were in a peaceful cove…

It was an interesting way to learn more Finnish history.

On the way back we saw one of the newer saunas built on the harbour with two pools. Sauna is very much a part of Finnish culture so we will look for one at our next stop…

Helsinki was our introduction to Finland and we enjoyed our time here, the people we met have all been very helpful and polite, though reserved. 

We look forward to at least one more stop in Finland before heading home.