Helsinki

So, why Helsinki? As you may recall, I’m traveling around the world using airlines and flights within the OneWorld airline consortium (the other is the Star Alliance). When looking at flights from Delhi into Europe the only options I had were through Amman, Jordon, and onto London, direct to London, or to Helsinki. As I’m leaving Europe from London I wanted to fly to a different city to begin the Europe leg so Helsinki it is. I toyed with trying to get to St. Petersburg as a side trip from Helsinki (and may very well have been able to as it turns out) but the logistics did not make sense. Besides the extra days saved give me more available days down the line.

The flight from Delhi to Helsinki was uneventful. I did luck out again in my seating as I had been unable to get a pre-assigned seat on both of my Finnair flights when I originally booked my ticket. However, when I completed the online check-in I was able to change my seat to a window in an unoccupied row so I was able to watch the scenery below. The route we took was “the scenic route” as I guess a direct route would take the plane over some politically sensitive areas considering that some of the countries involved include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Russia. The main feature of interest for me was the Caspian Sea, the largest inland sea in the world. It does live up to that title as, although we crossed it at its narrowest point, it is impressively big from the air (and I understand it is smaller now that previously).

The other feature of the flight was the dichotomy between the starting point and the ending point. The temperature in Delhi when I left was 32^oC and the sky clear (well, as clear as it ever gets in Delhi). On arrival in Helsinki the temperature was 12^oC with overcast sky and light drizzle, on and off. And that’s just the beginning as you might imagine. India has a population of over 1.1 billion (Delhi has over 50 million residents) whereas Finland has a population of 3.5 million and about 500,000 live in Helsinki. Delhi is gritty, noisy and smelly; Helsinki is clean and quiet. I could go on and on about the differences but I’m sure you can imagine can how much of a change it was.

Immigration and customs were easily taken care of on arrival (the border control officer asked me why I was visiting and for how long then stamped my passport and after collecting my gear a quick walk through the nothing to declare gate). There are several ways to get into Helsinki from the airport – you could take a taxi but why when Finnair has an express bus that drops you right in the center of town by the main railway station (costs €6) and also stops at several places along the way. Everything is within easy walking distance of the main station (my hotel was about 5 minutes away and most major hotel chains have a hotel closer than that). In fact Helsinki is a very compact city, and while it does have a very efficient, and reasonably priced, public transport system, it’s just as easy to walk around town. I think the longest I had to walk to get to anywhere of note was a 15-20 minute walk to the Olympic Stadium (more on that later). Helsinki also has (as do most major cities in Europe) a visitors card (the Helsinki card) which gives you unlimited access to public transport (ferries, buses, trams and the metro rail) for the length of the card and discounted, or free, entry to major attractions if there is a cost involved. What you get varies from city to city (Berlin included transport, Prague did not), and the cost varies from city to city and by the valid length of the card. It’s hard to beat these cards if you’re a tourist as you can jump on and off whatever transport you choose without having to worry about getting a ticket – just remember to validate the card by sliding it into a validating unit (which time stamps your ticket) before beginning your first journey. After that, you’re good to go.

Day 1: The reason why Helsinki exists, and is the capital of Finland, is due to the presence of Suomenlinna Sveaborg (sea fortress) which is located on a group of islands that protect the city harbor and dominate the only navigable channel from the Gulf of Finland into the harbor (this is still true today). So, today I took advantage of my Helsinki card to take the ferry out to the fortress, a 15 minute trip across the harbor with spectacular view of the fort, some of the other inhabited islands in the harbor area, and of course, the city itself. While waiting for the ferry, took the opportunity to check out the street market that operates in the area of the ferry terminal every day but Sunday. Here, you can buy fruits and vegetables, handicrafts from the people who made them (I purchased a pair of lined leather gloves made of moose leather), and typical Finnish foods from street stalls. On separate occasions I tried salmon prepared on a flat griddle and reindeer meatballs. Both came with potatoes, peas and carrots and were very good!!

The market on the harbor front.

 
For much of Finland’s history it was part of the Kingdom of Sweden and its capital was Stockholm. A small, but significant part of the population still speaks Swedish as their mother tongue (all Finns speak both Finnish and Swedish as they learn the other language early in school). What is now Helsinki was a small fishing village, just a collection of huts and muddy streets was how it was describe by the tour guide. Because of potential threats from Russia (under Peter the Great), the original fortress was begun in 1748 and finished two years later. In 1809 the fortress was captured by the Russians and Finland became a part of Russia, eventually becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy within Russia. During this time the fortress was expanded to its current size. In 1918, after a civil war, Finland declared independence from Russia and the fortress reverted to Finland. The features of the fortress (buildings and ramparts) reflect these events.

A map showing the make up of the fortress. Originally there were five separate islands but during the Russian period the channel between the two islands at the bottom of the map was filled in, creating a larger island.

The entrance to the central square of the original Swedish fortress. This gives you an idea as to how thick the walls are and they are solid stone.

The central courtyard of the original fortress. The yellow building across the square is the commander's house.

Another view of the courtyard taken the next day.

While these battlements look natural, they are man-made. The Russians important sand from Latvia to build these ramparts.

Another view of the earthworks.

Along the edge of the shipping channel the Russians and Finns built more substantial walls. During the Crimean War and Anglo-French fleet shelled the fortress then just sailed away!!

This is the sea entrance to the shipping channel and the reason why Suomenlinna was built.

Looking across the fortress from the sea side. The buildings in the background were barracks and store depots for the garrison.

Another view across the fortress.

Another view of the entrance to the shipping channel. Note that the walls are built right up to the waters edge. Cannon were mounted on, and in, these walls to dominate the channel

This church has a checkered history. Originally built as an Orthodox church by the Russians (with the "onion-dome" steeple), it was modified and reconsecrated as a Lutheran church when the Finns took over. The onion-dome was removed and replaced with a more traditional steeple cupola.

The top of the cupola features a glass enclosure as the steeple is also a lighthouse, and has been for over 100 years.

 

I went out on the ferry mid-morning after getting my Helsinki Card and arranging for a bus tour of Helsinki tomorrow. After wandering around the fort for about an hour I headed back to the visitor center for a guided tour of the complex. By the time it was all over I had spent most of the afternoon exploring the fort and it was time to head back to the mainland.

Note: one of the things to bear in mind in Europe this time of year is that most things open late (around 10:00am) and close early (usually at 5:00 or 6:00pm) and daylight is relatively short. You also need to be prepared to deal with the weather-it will be cold, there will likely be rain at times, and potentially snow. One other observation before I continue-public bathrooms (toilets, WC) are rarely free in Europe. Keeping a supply of coins for paying for the use of a public facility is important. Don’t count on fast food places either, as many of those also charge for the use of the facilities.

Day 2: The bus tour pick-up point was at the end of the first park in Helsinki called the Esplanade. It was originally divided in to two sections-one for the common folk and one for the well to do. It also served to divide the town from the country during the first years of Helsinki’s development. Today it is still only minutes from the city center on foot but it is surrounded by shops, restaurants and cafes and is a place to come to sit and watch the world go by.

The harbor end of the Esplanade which stretches for about three city blocks.

 

The tour visited many of the most popular and well-known tourist sites, some of which I revisited either later that day or the following day. The day of the tour was overcast with periodic light rain. The following day was clear and sunny so you’ll see a mixture of pictures taken over two days.

Sites visited on the tour included:

1. The church in the rock (note in not on)
2. The Jean Sibelius memorial
3. Olympic Stadium
4. Senate Square and the State Cathedral
5. Various government buildings, and
6. The harbor.

That afternoon I went for a walk through Senate Square, up the hill to Uspenski Cathedral, then out along the waterfront around the harbor. For most of this walk it was drizzling so when I made it back to town, I took a tram ride around the city. One of the tram lines (No. 3) is recommended to tourists as it passes by most of the important points of interest, and with the Helsinki Card, it’s free. After riding the tram back into the city I went into Stockmans department store, which is officially described as the largest store in Scandinavia. I found some nice souvenirs for myself and Erica in their tourist center. As it was now getting on for 5:00pm, it was cold and wet, and everything was closing for the day, so I called it a day as well and headed back to the hotel.

The entrance to the Church in the Rock

Rather than build on top of the rock, the architects designed the church to fit into the rock outcrop.

The ceiling contains a feature made up of 5 kilometers of copper wire coiled into a disk.

The Sibelius memorial.

The State Cathedral in Senate Square.

The statue is of Czar Alexander II who was very popular with the Finns.

Another view of the Cathedral and statue of the Czar.

The National Library of Finland is located on the western side of Senate Square.

The grey house is the oldest structure in Helsinki, dated 1757. The building next to it is the Lord Mayor's residence.

Parliament Building.

The National Museum of Finalnd

The entrance to the National Museum is guarded by the Finnish national animal, a bear.

Day 3: Today was clear and sunny for the first time since arriving in Helsinki. I walked out to the Olympic Stadium (about 20 minutes) as the tower attached to the stadium, at 54 meters, is the tallest publicly accessible structure in Helsinki. For a small fee you can take an elevator to the top. The views from up there are amazing and you get an appreciation for just how compact Helsinki really is. The stadium was originally built for the 1940 Olympics which were cancelled due to the war. Finally, in 1952, Helsinki staged the Summer Olympics in the stadium. It now forms a part of a larger sports complex that caters for just about all major sports.

The Olympic Stadium and tower.

Another view of the tower.

Looking north over Helsinki.

Looking towards the city center. The "hazy" look is because of the Sun which you'll see in another photo.

The National Museum and Parliament building from the Olympic Stadium.

Looking south. This photo was taken at about 11:00am and the Sun was about at it's peak for the day.

 

After taking the tram back into town, I wander back over some of the territory I had covered yesterday to get some pictures with the sun out. This included heading back out to Suomenlinna as I also hoped to catch one of the ferries negotiating the passage that the fort “protects”. I missed out but still got some good pictures.

Uspenski Cathedral - an Orthodox Cathedral

The Cathedral sits on a small hill adjacent to the harbor and dominates that area of town.

Another view.

Helsinki harbor.

Part of the waterfront.

There are numerous islands of the coast, many of which have structures, some inhabited, on them. Suomenlinna, for instance, has about 800 permanent residents.

Another inhabited island.

Helsinki harbor from the ferry to Suomenlinna. The two large vessels are overnight ferries to Sweden. They carry vehicles and people.

Yet another inhabited island in Helsinki.

This ferry is headed for Tallin in Extonia. The trip takes about 2 hours and is a popular day shopping trip.

These two buildings are restaurants, only open in the summer. In the winter both use buildings on the harbor foreshore.

Looking towards Suomenlinna from the ferry.

Helsinki from the Suomenlinna ferry wharf.

 

Day 4: I was happy to spend yesterday mostly walking around as today I spending most of the day sitting around Helsinki Airport waiting for my flight to Berlin. Check out from the hotel was at 12:00pm but my flight was not scheduled to leave until 5:00pm Helsinki time. I was able to take my time getting everything packed up and then headed down to the Central railway station to get the Finnair bus back out to the airport. I found a quiet corner where I could plug in my computer and worked on finishing up my India posting. One of the nice things about most airports in Europe is that they provide free wifi access and power outlets so that you can be productive while waiting.

I used some of the time to figure out how to get from Tegel airport (my destination in Berlin) to my hotel using public transport. With typical German efficiency, the public transport web site allowed me to enter in my starting and ending points and gave me three options, including the bus and U-Bahn numbers to use, the prices of the tickets, and where to change from bus to U-Bahn. So, by the time I exited the terminal at Tegel I was ready to navigate my way through the Berlin transport system to reach my hotel. But that story is for the next post.

Doc