Helsinki, Finland

Our trip to Finland (Suomi) started on Thursday when we left Oxford for the Premier Inn near Heathrow airport, where we spent the night because we needed to arrive at the airport very early for our flight. The hotel was nicer than expected; with a restaurant, and it is even used by international flight crews. 

Matthew and Lori look wide awake even though Matthew didn't sleep all night at the hotel. The restaurant where we ate dinner is in the background.

Waiting for the taxi to arrive.

We were given the option to have Mom chauffeured but Matthew wanted to drive through the airport. Heathrow Terminal 1 looked just like Terminal 4; long, low empty hallways with shopping in the center.

We found our gate. That's our Airbus 320 in the background.

The flight only took 2.5 hours from London to Helsinki. The Finnair flight crew was efficient and friendly. Relaxing classical music was playing on the PA and once airborne, the relaxed mood continued.We had several beverages, a snack, and a Fazer chocolate. We even bought a Fazer (Finnish candy) chocolate bar on the plane.

The signs are not in English. We must be in Finland!
We took the Finnair bus from the airport to the rail station, in the center of the city and directly across the street from our hotel. 

http://www.hotelliseurahuone.fi/

Our hotel was built in the early 1800's and is one of the oldest hotels in Helsinki. The lobby and dining room were beautifully ornate and I can picture the upper class of the Victorian area attending banquets there. Click on the link above to see more about the Hotelli Seurahuone.

This is our hotel as seen from the rail station side of the street. Directly under this street is 1) the world's northern-most metro, 2) tunnels from the rail station to the metro, and the Soko's store, and the tram, and the Forum shopping centre, plus other places (lot's of tunnels). Mom and Matthew had a room on floor 2 between the traffic lights.

The front of the rail station, across the street from our hotel. The architecture, especially the big men with the globes, seemed very Russian to me, and I found out why during our visit. 

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After checking in, we took a walk toward Kauppatori (Market Square) and took in the sights of the city centre with the many shops and ravintola (restaurants).

We found vendors selling local wares but this one had fruit from Spain.

Matthew, the king of souvenir shopping. We stopped at this shop 3 times! Notice the jerseys; the international hockey championships were being held up the street and Finland was doing well!

Pohjoisesplanadi (Norra Esplanaden in Swedish) is a street with a park in the middle and many high-end shops. Here is Matthew with Finnish poet Eino Leino. 

Another poet on the Esplanade, Johan Ludvig Runeberg.

We found the market! The vendors are under the white tents. The local food smelled good (the smoked reindeer was tasty) and the many handmade crafts were mostly made of wood and wool.

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The orthodox church as seen from Kauppatori.

The indoor market next to the tent vendors. We had lunch in a small stall where the menu included reindeer toast.

Happy shoppers outside the market building.

The public WC was interesting. The entire interior was stainless steel and flushed between uses (not just the toilet, the entire room was washed down automatically!) Next to the market was the harbor with ferries to and from Estonia and Sweden along with boats taking tourists to the many islands.

I believe that this boat was heading out to Suomenlinna, the island sea fortress.

Since tourist season starts in June, the carriage horse needed some coaxing to get started for the summer.

Iittala, the Finnish glass company, has a nice store on the Esplanade. We all picked up a souvenir here.

Lori, checking out Marimekko, the fancy fabric place. 

The Finns are tough because they have forged steel for generations with no clothes on... or maybe not. It may be because of the long, cold, winters? Another Russian-looking statue, I think.

Hockey is BIG here.

Trying to buy a tram ticket was interesting, even in English.

If it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't know where these tickets would take us. Everything here is in both Finnish and Swedish (and only sometimes English). This 2 euro tram ticket allows us to ride any tram for an hour after purchase.

Here comes our ride...

...that takes us to Senaatintori (Senate Square). That's the Helsinki Cathedral (Lutheran) in the background. The senate and other government buildings surround the square.

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Czar Alexander I of Russia built the city of Helsinki to resemble St. Petersburg when Finland was an autonomous region of Russia.  This is why the city looks Russian!
Here is a statue of Czar Alexander II who helped pave the way for Finland's independence. 

The traffic was light and the city had the feel of a small town, instead of the capital city of a nation. Public transportation was plentiful and I felt very safe and comfortable. We took the open top bus tour and learned our way around and some history. We learned that Finland is the least densely populated nation in the EU (with more moose than people).

A Baltic cruise stopped for a day trip into Helsinki.

Matthew's favorite bus seat is in the top front.

A typical street with plain buildings and tram tracks.

The church in the rock. It is literally carved out of the stone. 

Temppeliaukio Kirkko

Here I am near the copper domed roof.

The outside looks like a pile of rocks but the inside is spectacular. The organ is in the background and the altar is far right.

Dogs in Finland are smart. The buildings have signs so they know when they can and when they can't.

For people, the signs are in two languages. All street signs have Finnish names (top) and Swedish names (bottom).

The nationalist composer, Jean Sibelius monument. Our tour guide told us that the pipes give  the music played here an unusual quality. We didn't have a band, so Matthew occupied the space under the sculpture.

Mr. Sibelius and me.

Matthew loving his grandma while waiting for the bus. The coastline of Helsinki (background) looked to be a relaxing destination on a warm summer day.

The 1952 Olympic stadium; still used for summer sports today,

Paavo is still running here. He carried the torch into the stadium in '52.

Paris has statues to warriors. Helsinki has statues to poets and writers. The National Theatre is behind Alexsis Kivi.

The shops have "traditional" Finnish sauna hats. When I challenged this, the shop keeper admitted that they are Russian, not Finnish. Finns don't need sauna hats; remember, our people forge iron while nude!

Sadly, the Finnair bus will take us back to the airport,

Strapped in and ready to roll. 

Matthew is much better rested for this segment of the journey.

The country side on the way to the airport reminded me of Michigan's upper peninsula; lots of pines and white spruce. The houses even looked to be of similar construction and vintage. I have wanted to visit Finland for many years, and I left feeling satisfied; strangely connected to my family roots. I think that Mom feels the same.  Would I go back? Joo, without hesitation.