Finland

Helsinki

This is Helsinki's large Russian Orthodox Cathedral, also a remnant of the 19th century when Helsinki was home to a large number of Russian officials. It's one of many architectural examples that make Helsinki look somewhat Russian in style. Shown here are both exterior and interior photos. Much of Helskinki's architecture is either 19th century, built during Russian rule, or 20th century, sometimes very modern and unconventional. This is because Helsinki is a relatively modern city (founded at this site only in 1640, so it's not as old as many of Europe's cities), and consequently doesn't have the old medieval center common to so many of Europe's cities (fires also are responsible for the lack of much from those early days).

One of those examples of modern architecture is the Temppeliaukio church, built 1968-69. Known as the church in the rock, it's built of stone and copper. Underneath is an air-raid shelter. It's a very impressive space, made even more so by music. The outside is rather plain in appearance by comparison. Other modern architecture that Helsinki can be proud of includes the Finlandia Hall (a concert hall) and National Museum. In contrast to this there are also some old-style facilities, for example the public carpet-washing stations where anyone can go and wash their carpets in the Baltic sea. But Helsinki is becoming very modern, we also saw a large shipyard where large cruise ships were being built, including models like the ferry I arrived on, and others destined to be cruise ships in the Caribbean. Finland is also very up to date with technology, with one of the highest rates of internet connectivity in the world, and lots of cell phones (Nokia is a Finnish company). Computer experts won't forget that Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux operating system (I'm a Linux user), started his work here at the University of Helsinki. Maybe Linus should have his own statue along with Alexander II.

Here's another interesting Helsinki innovation. Like many of Europe's cities it has a tram system covering the center of the city. This particular tram however is unique... it's the Pub Tram. It's a bar that takes you on a 40 minute loop through the city. I didn't ride it, but I'm told that the fare includes one drink. I wonder how many get spilled. Drinking and driving can get you in lots of trouble in Europe, but apparently drinking and riding is OK.

Another one of Helsinki's best-known places is the Open-Air Market at the harbor, where you can buy fish right off the boat, fresh fruits and vegetables, and even prepared food (I ate lunch here). Lots of Helsinki's best known buildings were undergoing renovations in 1998 - that included the building on the left. It's the Pohjoisesplanadi (city hall, if you don't read Finnish). What you see isn't really a building. It's a tarp, painted to look like a building, while the real building behind it is having its façade restored. At the right you can see the Uspensky Cathedral again.

Another architectural treasure I can't omit is the Art Nouveau Train Station. The massive solemn faced figures on either side of the entrance are especially interesting. It's Finnish name is Rautatieasema (by now maybe you're noticing that Finnish appears difficult to learn). Many Finns also speak Swedish (the country is officially bi-lingual). The Swedish name is Järnvägsstation. If that's still too difficult, most people also speak English well (as do most Scandinavians - (at this point I guess I should mention that Finland isn't generally considered a Scandinavian country - that classification generally includes Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland)). The city's abundance of buildings that are Russian in appearance is cause for Hollywood to film many Russian subjects in Helsinki - an easier place to work than Russia). We took an introductory tour of the city with a local guide - a guide who had a delightful Russian-sounding accent that made the city seem even more Russian.

Getting Here

If you want to get here from Sweden or other nearby countries, an excellent way to get here is by one of these ferrys. They're called ferrys, but they're more like luxury cruise ships. They do carry vehicles, which qualifies them as ferrys, but they also carry many passengers without vehicles. Many of the crossings are overnight crossings (such as the one I took from Stockholm). You get a quick sample of cruise ship life, including excellent all-you-can-eat smorgasbords of good food, gambling and entertainment, and a nice cabin for the night. This is a good deal if you're traveling and need a room anyway - after dinner you go to sleep and wake up in a different city, much more comfortably than overnight train rides. I just left my luggage in my cabin and spent the day exploring Helsinki before returning to the ship for the return crossing the next night. You don't even need a car. They dock right near the center of the city in Helsinki, so you can just walk off and start sightseeing (at Stockholm, there more distant - you'll probably need to take a bus or taxi). Shown is the Viking Line ferry Mariella that I took (it carries 2420 passengers, with beds for 1986 and room for 550 cars). Also shown is a boat that belongs to a competing line - the Silja Line Festival. Silja is supposedly even more luxurious than Viking. These ferrys are quite popular in this part of the world - people ride them just for the ride (and duty free shopping and gambling). I didn't really realize what a ferry could be, and therefore didn't really understand the tragedy of the Estonian Ferry Disaster, which took place off the coast of Finland, until I rode one of these ferrys and saw what they were like.

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Created January 16, 1999
Be sure to check out my home page for other travel destinations.

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Copyright © 1999 Gary Strait all rights reserved. garystrait@earthlink.net