Helsinki, City of the Sea
Suomenlinna Island is not all about its military heritage, it’s also very popular with the arts, music and theatre. Many artists live on the island and throughout the summer there are several concerts, festivals and open-air theatre performances. Suomenlinna Church is also a stunning venue for weddings, in fact I was lucky enough to attend a beautiful, family wedding there myself, a couple of years ago. It’s only a short, ferry trip to the island but the Royal Line operates an islands tour which takes you between the archipelago of islands and gives you a different perspective of the city.
The city centre of Helsinki is very walkable, with some cobbled streets, lots of parks and green areas. Down by the harbour is The Old Market Hall and the bustling Market Square with stalls selling all sorts of fresh produce and Finnish souvenirs. Also, harbourside is the Helsinki Allas, a complex consisting of a spa, sauna, two swimming pools and a diving pool. The Finnish cannot survive without their saunas! It is an integral part of everyday living and although there are many public saunas, most Finnish people also have a sauna in their homes. Next to Helsinki Allas is the Finnair SkyWheel, every city seems to have one these days!
Leading off Market Square is the elegant Esplanadi, a long park with plenty of places to while away a few hours at outdoor cafes or listening to a local band perform on stage. The Esplanadi is sandwiched between the streets of Pohjoisesplanadi and Etelaesplanadi, home to small shops, bars and restaurants. At the end of Pohjoisesplanadi is the longest and main shopping street, Mannerheimintie (the Oxford St of Helsinki). It’s very easy to get around Helsinki but trying to pronounce or spell any of the street names is impossible (unless you’re Finnish!)
A couple of streets back from the harbourside is the beautiful Senate Square with its regal 19th century buildings including the Palace of the Council of State, the University of Helsinki and University Library. Dominating the square, in all its majestic glory, is the magnificent shining, white Helsinki Cathedral. As it stands on a higher level than the square, at the top of two tiers of steps, it almost appears to be floating against the clear blue sky.
Helsinki, of course, has many fine churches and interesting museums but there are two very different churches that are definitely worth a visit. The award winning “Kamppi Chapel of Silence” looks like a high sided, wooden bowl and is constructed from curving strips of spruce. It’s located just off the busy southern end of Mannerheimintie but when you walk in the door, it is as if you have walked into another world, one which is calm and serene. Temppeliaukion or The Rock Church, was designed by architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen. It opened in 1969 to huge controversy but is now one of Helsinki’s most visited tourist venues. The church was literally quarried out of solid bedrock. It has a massive copper dome with a diameter of 24m, it is lined with 22 km of copper stripping and light is reflected inwards from 180 skylights. The acoustics are excellent & the church can hold nearly one thousand people.
Helsinki is a beautiful city; the Finns are very friendly, and everyone speaks English! (thankfully). The winter can be bleak and bitterly cold, so summer is definitely the time to see Helsinki at its best.
