Helsinki: More than a Great Name

We continued our visit to the Baltic...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Day three of our cruise was spent in beautiful Helsinki, Finland. Jamie and I opted to set out on our own before taking our tour. We hopped on a bus and walked in the center of the town: got to see the market place, eat some local cuisine, and see Senate Square.

Finnish Paella. Who knew? Some of it later ended up in my belly.

Afterwards, we went to Hvittrask – the home of the famous Finnish architects, including Eliel Saarinen – and got to walk around. It was located in the forest next to a lake.

We got to see Temppeliaukio Rock Church which is an amazing church built into the bedrock. The only part of the church that you can actually see above ground is the cupola. Plus, the acoustics in the church were pretty incredible…

This is the view from the inside of the church.

This is all you can see above ground: the cuppola.

Overall, Finland wins over Stockholm – although, it’s probably unfair to say since Jamie and I had the opportunity to walk around the town on our own.

Also, check out the sky at this time…

It is so confusing to go outside at 11pm, and have it still be bright outside. We are dead-tired though, so it won't be hard to sleep. St. Petersburg is next!