Helsinki

The mysterious ways of airline costings meant that we actually flew from London to Helsinki first, before continuing to Tallinn 24 hours later by boat. So, a whole 24 hours in Helsinki in which to unwind from work, whilst also making sure that we got to see all the key sights. 

Helsinki is one of those cities that most people have heard of, but it isn't really a big tourist destination, and people don't instantly connect it with a specific site like they do the Eiffel Tower with Paris.

A walk round on the first evening certainly showed us that there were quite a few interesting things to see. These "gremlins" guarding the entrance to a shop intrigued me somewhat. There was a pair on the other side who looked slightly different. I'm not sure if there's any sort of story behind them or anything like that.

 

Most photos of Helsinki seem to feature the Helsinki Cathederal which is one of the most prominent buildings on the Helsinki skyline.

Quite disappointingly though inside is so plain and stark while that it is quite a let down for such a prominent building.

Although it doesn't stand quite so proud the Uspenski Cathederal provides somewhat more external interest through the rich brick red colours that we caught shining in the bright evening sunlight. We never did make it inside though so I've no idea if the interior provides more to see than the Helsinki Cathedral.

One church interior that really caught my imagination was the Rock Church. Mr C has a fantastic habit of picking things out of the guide book
that I've overlooked, and this was one such gem. 

From the outside the church really looks more like an entrance to some strange bunker type place, but inside it opens up into a fantastic light space. Natural day light was flooding through the glass between the copper dome roof and the rock walls.

The church was "built" in 1969 by being created out of the rock that surrounds it. I really had no idea what to expect when we entered, but it was truly beautiful. The addition of a young woman playing some classical music on a grand piano only added to the beauty.

After the rock church it really did make some of the other sight seem a bit, well, dull by comparison. The train station has a certain style to it that I imagine Central Station in New York to have. The two statues holding globes on either side of the main entrance and particularly well know and look fantastic at night when the spheres are lit.

One advantage of being so far north is that in the middle of June daylight hours are so very long. Mr C and I were able to wander the streets for a fair while after dinner, thus extending our sightseeing window. The photo below was taken at about 11.30 in the evening as we walked back to our hotel. The sky became a beautiful pink colour as we approached this lake and we soon found ourselves part of a small group all admiring the effects of the sunset on the water. Beautiful.