Helsinki, Finland

Hello Helsinki!

We flew from St Petersburg to Helsinki instead of taking the train as the tracks were due for repair works or expansion, or something like that. Not that I minded. A couple of hours in the plane sure beats a few hours in the train. For me anyway.

Helsinki Airport

We stayed at Holiday Inn, which was really quite nice. Not to mention, the availability of free business centre with internet use is a very very big plus. The particular Holiday Inn that we stayed was the one near the main train station. There wasn't any itinerary planned for the day so we had time to explore the city on our own. But not before getting some good food. American food that is :P. I was craving so much for a good piece of burger!

And voila! I found it at Chico's. That burger was to die for!!!

Lunch :D.

Right after that, we wandered around town, spending some time at Stockmann, which is apparently the version of Harrods in London. Pretty big complex with a huge variety I have to say. But like Harrods? Not yet I think. It's not as snobbish :P.

City Centre

Statues outside Stockmann

Let's see if I have this correctly (well, I do think it is in Finland) - Taxes in Finland are fairly high, and the highest bracket can go up to the 60s. But what was interesting was what the 'Mother's wage' that they had. Apparently after delivery, one could apply for this and get paid their usual wage for 8 months and then after that, 75 or 80% of their wage for the next two years if they have yet to return to work. A pretty good system, isn't it? *well, I stand corrected if I am wrong - it's been too long from my trip -.-"*

The Helsingin Rautatieasema (Helsinki Central Railway Station)
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Started off the day with a visit to the Sebilius Monument built in memory of Jean Sebilius, a famous Finnish composer. Made out of numerous steel pipes, the memorial is definitely a sight. Only thing is, that was the only sight in the whole place (oh, plus his face at the side of course). According to the guide, there was an uproar when the place was first unveiled as the locals weren't particular impressed with the monument and the face was made to peace it out. *Or so that's what I understood*

The famous steel pipes

Jean Sebilius?

No, this wasn't our bus *But cute isn't it?*

After that, they took us to ..... somewhere for photos. It was a fairly pretty place with the white painted fences and bridge, with a house on the background next to the creek coupled the calm lake.

No fishing!

:) Map next to ice-cream stall

There wasn't that much to see really in the place apart from the pretty scenery and calmness that it exudes. When the birds weren't trying to dig your eyeballs. Thankfully, there was only one who was trying to do that.

1952 Olympic Stadium

Let's see.... Impressive? Nope. Well, not at this age and time I suppose. In 1952, I'm pretty sure the stadium would make an impact on a tourist, but for 2009? It was ... well, just like any other medium sized stadium. It wasn't huge to start with, and neither did it have a lot of seatings..Nothing like the Sydney Olympics or the Malaysian Commonwealth. In fact, it reminded me of the sports stadium my high school used to rent for the annual sports day. A miss-able attraction if it isn't convenient for someone.

Streets of Helsinki

Do you know that speeding fines in Finland are calculated not in your usual fine brackets? It is actually calculated against your net income - which makes it really bad if you're a high earner. Just like how the son of a sausage empire was caught speeding and was ultimately fined >150,000 Euro! Talk about expensive fines!

Nordic Walk

Also known as 'Alzheimers Skiing' (as one uses 'ski poles' but forgot to put skis on), it was a fairly common activity in Helsinki. Basically a form of exercise, and not only done by the elderly - the middle-aged group does it to. Especially at areas out of town.

Next stop: Tempplaukio Church

A Lutheran church, it was built into a rock, where the interiors were excavated and lightings entered through the glazed dome. The church was well-lit in the day and was really quite impressive. The church had two levels, both accessible to public and from the higher level, one could see the designs much better. Apparently, the church was quite often used for concerts due to it's great acoustics. What I really liked about the church was the organs. For some reason, church organs just fascinates me :).

Church organ

Isn't that just the cutest?!? :D

It was time for our last tourist stop in Helsinki before boarding the ship to Stockholm.

Helsinki Cathedral

A truly magnificient structure, the majestic aura that it exudes with the white walls and green domes - I truly loved the building. Also a Lutheran church, it was built in 1917 as a tribute to the Nicholas I, one of the Russian Tsars. It is located near the Market Square, accessible by about 7 minutes walk.

More organs :D

Candles & Prayers

There is no entrance fees to the church, and obviously there wasn't any restrictions on photography as well. The church is filled mainly with tourist as far as I can see, but who can blame them? It was truly a beautiful building and definitely one of the highlights of Helsinki.

Statue in front of the Cathedral *Side profile of statue*

Oh look! Trams!! *Reminds me of the Yarra Trams in Melbourne*

Seeing that we had a bit of time, we managed to sneak in a quick visit to the market - which was filled with mainly fresh fruits and some seafood. It is one of the most famous markets in Finland and is located at the borders of the Baltic sea. Which meant that from there, we could also see many of the big ship liners. Definitely a place to put on to-go places if one has the time. After all, its just a short walk from the cathedral.

@ Market Square

*grin*

And then we were whisked off to the ship! It was an overnight cruise on the Silja Line which was a fairly big ship I suppose. It had quite a few restaurants, a bar/pub, a casino - but I suppose these are pretty standard facilities on a cruise ship. But what I liked more, was the views of the city as we were leaving.

Restaurants on the R)
Shops on the L)
Casino/Entertainment centre (behind)

One from the harbour/jetty *whatever you call it*

One of the city *see the Helsinki Cathedral?*

Okay, back to the ship. Well, I suppose as we were on a tour group, we had the lower bunks with no views - as it was proably the cheapest beds available.. which was fine. I never did think the rooms with a small window would see much either. *My proper cruise - I need to have a balcony.. Like those cruises to Alaska or something :P*

Food!!!

Dinner - Yummmmmm......

We had a little browse in the ship at the tax-free shop as we had some time to bum and found some really cute things for sale. Like the one below:

Vodka in a bulb

I thought it was pretty cool.. and a small amount too. Nice touch :D It was bedtime right after that for me - I remembered being totally zonked out that night. Early flights just doesn't agree with me. Plus, I couldn't really find anything interesting to do in the ship :(. It was sleep and Stockholm in the morning!!