Tom`s travels: Helsinki (18-19/06/2017)

In the morning we took the boat from Tallinn leaving at 9:30 and arrived at the port of Helsinki about two hours later. After getting off the ferry, we met with my friends Veera and Pinja who came to pick us up and would host us in their apartment during the time we would spend in town. After leaving our luggage at their friend's house, who lived closer to the city center, we then went to have lunch at the southern end of the city center close to the seashore. The weather was cloudy yet we enjoyed the views across the bay. After eating lunch we the walked along the shore and reaching the ferry terminals, the location where we had landed that same morning. Nearby we then headed to see the Uspenski Cathedral, an orthodox church built at the end of the 19th century on top of a hill during the Russian ruling of the city. From there we walked further and entered the Helsinki City Museum, holding objects, photographs, and memoirs about the city. After the visit to the museum, we then reached the Senate Square, the oldest part of Helsinki, surrounded by neoclassical buildings. At the northern end of the square, stands the impressive Cathedral, built during the mid 19th century on top of an elevated platform. We visited the plain interior, typical of the architecture and of the Lutheran church, and then continued our walk through town. Then, after getting our luggage back, we headed to our friends' house where we had dinner and relaxed a bit before going to bed. The next day, we woke up and headed back into town, where we took a boat that brought us to Suomenlinna, the sea fortress located on six islands in the bay in front of the city. Built during the 18th century, it was called Sveaborg (in Swedish) or Viapori (in Finnish) until 1918 when it was renamed Suomenlinna, meaning Finland castle. It is now a Unesco world heritage site and is popular among locals for picnics and strolls. After reaching the fortress, we started the visit with the island church, still in use as the fortress is still inhabited by about 900 people. As we walked further, the sun starting peering out of the clouds, and turned into a windy yet sunshine filled day. We walked along the fortifications, crossing from one island to the other and enjoying the beautiful views of the coast and sea surrounded by blooming flowers. Once we strolled around the whole fortress we headed back to the ferry spot where we took a boat back to Helsinki. Then, we headed through the Senate Square once again and visited the nearby National Library which was built during the 19th century and visited the old neoclassical rooms in its interior. After the library visit, we headed to the northern part of the city where we entered Linnanmäki, a 1950s amusement park, which is free to enter and only requires tickets for each ride. We went up the viewing tower platform, which was free, and enjoyed the panorama of the city and its surroundings. After the amusement park, we climbed yet another tower closer to the city center called Hotel Torni, where we had an excellent view all around us. After that enjoyable view, we went down to street level and decided to enjoy a drink in a local park as the sun was setting. From there we then headed home where we had dinner and went to bed, ready to leave early the next day for Copenhagen.