We only had 2 nights and 1 full day in Helsinki. It was actually an after-thought for our trip. After looking at a map, we realized Helsinki is a mere 2 hour ferry ride from Talinn, Estonia! So we chopped off a couple days from other destinations, booked a ferry ride and hotel room, and off we went!
The history of Finland is quite interesting! Once a part of the Swedish empire, they gained their independence from Russia after World War 1. The Soviets attempted to re-include Finland after World War 2, but unlike the other Baltic states, they repelled the Soviets, thus maintaining their independence!
Helsinki is beautiful! There is so much to see, that we only scratched the surface.
 |
| The subway of Helsinki! |
 |
| massive statuary on the train station |
 |
| interesting decoration on the buildings |
 |
| main square fountain |
 |
| main square |
 |
| goofing around with reindeer hats:-) |
 |
| Lutheran Cathedral- this building dominates the skyline! |
 |
| massive steps lead from the square to the cathedral |
 |
| I love manhole covers! Each city has different, interesting covers, most with city names and crest |
 |
| Catholic Cathedral- closed on Mondays:-( |
 |
| Helsinki pier |
Suomenlinna- a UNESCO heritage site- during the Swedish reign, the Sweden built this massive fort across several islands to defend against Russia. (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomenlinna)
 |
| Ferry to Suomenlinna |
 |
| Vessika! A submarine museum! |
The grounds of Suomenlinna!
 |
| wine break:-) |
 |
| evidently, it was defensive:-) |
 |
| main gate at the pier |
 |
| view of Helsinki from the ferry |
 |
| Rock Church- this takes about 5 minutes to see:-) |
Views of Helsinki
We loved Helsinki so much, a bottle of wine was required for the sunset! Spanish wine, of course:-)
After leaving Helsinki on our way to Warsaw, we had enough time to go to Copenhagen for lunch and a beer at Nyhaven!
 |
| Rich and our bags |
No comments:
Post a Comment