Suomenlinna

After exploring the outdoor crafts and food market at Helsinki kauppatori, we took the ferry to Suomenlinna.  A cluster of islands, Suomenlinna was once the battle scene where the Russians seized what had once been a Swedish fortress.  The stroll through Iso Mustasarri and Susisaari, the two main islands, was the most peaceful time we’ve spent in what seemed like ages.  The island is quite lush with greenery and the air quality noticeably better than London’s.

Tuomiokirkko

After visiting the Senate Square, we made our way to Uspenski Church, a red-brick Finnish Orthodox Church that sits on a hill.  The Tuomiokirkko, a Luthern Cathedral, offered an entirely non-traditional experience; built in the 1960s, I was reminded of NY’s Central Park because the church sits underneath a pile of rock surrounded by grass and trees. 

Helsinki

Our arrival to Helsinki coincided with the annual Helsinki Festival, a city-wide arts celebration.  As we strolled through Esplanad Park, where we walked among Manolo V.’s “Las Meninas” statues, I remembered our walks through the center of Oslo, Norway, a year ago; I even half expected to look up and see “Dinner”, the fusion Asian restaurant where we had a memorable meal in Oslo. It didn’t take long though to differentiate Helsinki from Oslo; the people of Helsinki dress a lot more edgy than in the other Scandinavian capitals we’ve visited, and the average age was ridiculously young, probably in the early thirties.  Helsinki is a city designed like Oslo but with an energy and style that approaches Stockholm’s, our favorite Scandi city.