Neutral on Helsinki

Following our two-day visit to St. Petersburg, our tour of the Baltic continued with a stop in Helsinki (May 8^th).  Talking with other passengers, the consensus was that we needed one “at sea” day to recover from the exhausting visit to Russia before we took on another port.  Unfortunately, however, the geography isn’t conducive to that happening!

The port was about 3 km from downtown Helsinki and the shuttle bus was €10 return or €7.50 one way.  I was with my new Aussie friends and we chatted with a taxi driver.  For €15 he drove us into town; that seemed the easiest solution.  We were dropped in a main square near a market.  We looked around the market a bit before walking to the Lutheran Church.  It is on a bit of a hill overlooking the sea.  After the opulence of the churches in St. Petersburg, this one was quite stark and unadorned.  It seemed more appropriate to me as a place of worship, not that I am an expert!  Some reading material on the ship said it was the unofficial symbol of Helsinki. The taxi driver had also pointed out the Ferris wheel across the harbour.  One of the "cars" on the wheel is brown and he told us it is actually a sauna!  Really? 

Note the brown "car" which apparently is a sauna

We just walked around for a few hours.  It was nice to have no schedule or plan, although in hindsight, I would have like to do the boat tour around the harbour.  We did see the train station, another square, and an upscale pedestrian street with all the usual upscale shops.  The city seemed to have an easy feel to it and, after Russia, this was a pleasant change.  Walking around, we also saw the “arts and culture” area where there were modern buildings with a theatre, convention centre and museums.  We slowly made our way back to the older part of the town where the cab had dropped us.  We stopped at Kappeli, a well-known and beautiful café in Esplanade Park for a break.  It is a very pretty restaurant in the style of an orangerie.  As we continued on, I took photos of the Uspenski Cathedral which is the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe (with, of course, golden domes) and the city’s Ferris wheel with one car that is a sauna; yes, a sauna!

Next we had a look around the old market hall which has lots of stalls selling mainly local food products but also some souvenirs.  

We then had a discussion about whether we would walk back or take a taxi.  It was a lovely day so we decided to do the latter.  The walk back was mostly along the shoreline and some of it reminded me of walking along Beach Drive near the Oak Bay Marina because of the little islands off the shore and the sailboats moored nearby.  There were also some interesting rock formations with grey-black and pink-orange stone layered together.  It was very striking.  As it turned out, the walk was further than we expected so by the time we got back we had walked over 17,000 steps! 

I am not sure what my expectation was of Helsinki but, like Finland, I am neutral about it.  I don’t think I would return here but, at the same time, I have nothing negative to say about it either.  It was pretty and the people we met were lovely.  Maybe, I was just still tired!  I later heard that a visit to the Rock Church here is a must - missed that one!  I think some of the other shore excursions might have been interesting, like a boat trip around the harbour or a day trip inland.  However, the Holland America excursions often seem over-priced to me so I decided against them.   

For additional information, here are the ship notes for Helsinki:

Located directly across the bay from Tallinn, Estonia, this capital city lies on the southern peninsula near the Gulf of Finland, with its inclusive islands nearby.  Settlement dates back to the mid-16^th century when Swedish King Gustav wished to compete with what is now Tallinn.  Residents who lived in the neighboring towns were ordered to migrate to Helsinki to improve productivity and, in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, Helsinki finally reaped the fruit of its labors.  Industrial, construction, and transit developments grew, as did the influx of immigrants, and the city would eventually go on to host the Olympics in 1952. 

Wander through Senate Square and marvel at the Neoclassical design of Carl Ludvig Engel, who took on the challenge of designing an entirely new city center.

Stop for a bite or beverage at one of the many cafes or restaurants lining the streets.  Visit one of the most popular destinations in the city, the Helsinki Cathedral.  Built in the mid-19^th century, the structure was also designed by Carl Ludvig Engel and features four small domes surrounding a large green one.  Wander the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, or peruse picturesque architecture alongside an old wooden church.