Finland

Helsinki, Finland    June 7-10, 2012

Day 1
 We were up early in Gothenburg, Sweden around 5:00am, heading down the  brick covered  streets before 6:00am. We walked about three blocks to the bus station and boarded the bus to the airport immediately upon arrival. The buses seen to run about every 20 minutes. The  flight on Finnair was smooth and right on schedule, arriving in Helsinki at 11:10 am (adding another hour to time making this seven hours  ahead of Virginia time)

Don Frazer and his nine year old son, Alex, picked us up at the airport and took us to his lovely three bedroom, two bath home about 15 minutes away.

 

We settled our baggage and then took off for a 20 minute walk into the small village of Malmi, Finland.... finding the train station, market and nice shopping mall...it even had a McDonald's. Larry and I enjoyed lunch on the square and did some people watching while taking in some sunshine. Finland was bit warmer than Sweden. By 4:00pm our early morning rising was starting to get our bodies attention so we headed back to Don's home and took a nap. How wonderful!

We cooked some burgers for dinner. It is surprising how a good an old American hamburger with lettuce and tomato can taste. We had dinner on their deck around 8:00...it was so bright out.

Don brought his wife, Marja, and  his 2 1/2 year old daughter and 9 year old son over to meet us around 9:00pm. Larry teased Marja that he was going to steal her orange VW. He told her how much he enjoyed his old bug years ago.

They left shortly to get the kids in bed. They were staying at Marja's mother's home.

Marja had the most beautiful Bleeding Hearts along with other gorgeous plants growing in her yard.

 We took a few shots of the gorgeous Finland sunset around 11:00pm and went off to sleep like a baby. The country sounds of Malmi, Finland were a welcome change from hearing the city sounds in Gothenburg, Sweden.

11 pm frpm our bedroom deck

What a gorgeous sunset!

Day 2
Larry and I were up and out of the house around 10:00am. Don insisted on taking us to the train station where we rode for about a 15 minute ride making about 5 stops before reaching downtown Helsinki. We walked through a big shopping area inside the station before reching the outside warmth, The weather was perfect. Great sunshine and mild temperatures. Outside the train station on the main boulevard the buildings were very elaborate and ornate.

Outside the train station/

Helsinki was founded in 1550 and became the capital of Finland in 1812. It is currently celebrating its 200th anniversary.  Long ago the area of Finland belonged to Sweden until 1809 when Russia claimed the area after the war. Finland finally became independent in 1917. After recovering from the hardships of World War II, Helsinki hosted the Summer Olympics in 1952. It became a member of the European Union in 1995 while capturing the title of the World Design Capital this year. It uses euros for currency. Yippee! No money exchange required here.

Larry and I walked through the many old tall buildings, a sophisticated shopping area to reach the historic center .Bicycles were parked in a long line.

We walked down Esplanade Park, a promenade for locals and a place for city residents to relax. It was very beautiful with green grasses on both sides and park benches flanking the walkway. Many people were stretched out on the lawn just soaking up the sun.

We enjoyed the music of two teens  playing a saxaphone and guitar.

We also saw a group from South Africa that played relaxing flute music, just perfect for kicking back in the park.

 Further down the promenade we came upon the Espa Stage that had a country  and blues band playing. We had to stop and enjoy each venue.

                                            Larry listening to a great band playing.
How lucky we were to be here this weeknd when they were having a  music festival! Just for us! (HA!)


                                            We walked to see the Presidential Palace (1820),

                                                              Uspenski Cathedral (1868),

and the Market Square. We viewed the harbour with two cruise ships docked. We walked further to see another docking area with private sailboats and power boats.

This lighthouse boat was restores into a restaurant....so unique.

Lots of boat enthusiasts live in Hesinki.

We crossed over the Bridge of Love....Lovers made a vow to stay locked together and placed  a lock on the bridge...thousands of locks were placed on this bridge,

We wondered up a couple of side streets to find the Helsinki Cathedral in Senate Square where tents for more of the music festival and a large center stage was set up.

We climbed the steps that served as seating for the stage to sit and enjoy a raggae band and a jazz band performance.

Nice venue

We had lunch by the Havis Amanda, a famous bronze fountain erected in 1908 that depicts a  maiden rising out of the Baltic Seas with four seals spouting water.

We enjoyed the sights and did a lot of people watching...some strikingly short skirts, Larry swears he didn't look; authentic Finnish costumes, and locals dancing to the music. We had  a salmon dinner in the market square waterfront, trying the tiny krispy fish that locals eat like french fries. Pretty tasty!



By 7:30 the music stopped and our legs carried us through a few new side streets weaving our way back to the train station. We boarded the train and then boarded a bus for short ride back to our home in Malmi. What a great day! We fell in love with the city of Helsinki....the people. the music, and the sights!

                                                   Memories  of the architecture in Helsinki


Day 3

Don drove us into Helsinki where we boarded a catamaran that took us about an hour and a half across the Baltic Sea to Fallin, Estonia.