Saturday, September 30, 2023: Helsinki, Finland

The Rotterdam arrived at the Hernesaari D Quay, Helsinki, under threatening skies and a cool breeze. We joined a tour that would give us the overall highlights of this city, hoping the weather would improve as the morning progressed.

Our exuberant guide, Christina, was a wealth of information, providing us with history and local lore. She apologized for the weather, promising it would improve by 10am. Until then, misty and rainy. June through August are the summer months so we are clearly heading into late fall. The winter, however, requires the heartiest soles who can survive the darkness and the cold. One of the major industrial complexes in Helsinki is the construction of ice breaker ships as all the harbors freeze during the winter months. All boats will be taken out of the harbors so any of the sailboats we had been watching were enjoying the last few warm days before the cold weather.

Finland has well over 300 islands surrounding the mainland with Helsinki being built on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. Finland’s population is around 5.5 million with 650,000 in the Helsinki area. Christina stated that Finlandians love their dogs and that the known pup population is 800,000!

Our first stop was to admire the Sibileus Monument by Elia Hiltunen, honoring Finland’s famous composer, Jean Sibileus. Of his seven symphonies, “Finlandia” is the most well-known and was the anthem for Finland’s national identity when fighting for independence from Russia.

Sibelius loved walking in treed areas, such as parks and forests, that gave him inspiration for his music. The area where the sculpture is located is in a forested area near a harbor. Christina told us when the stainless steel sculpture was revealed it was a “scandal” as the beloved composer’s image was not included. Ms. Hiltunen quickly added his face, in stainless steel,  to the sculpture park to calm the populous and preserve her reputation.

Back on the bus, Christina gave us a few factoids about Finland. The national cuisine is described as “being of the forest”, meaning lots of berries, mushrooms, game as well as fish from the 1,000+ lakes. As in Norway, it is important for people to be active in the outdoors, no matter the weather. We passed an island dedicated to dogs as it is solely used as a dog park. It happens to be on the island next to the Prime Minister’s home. Hope he likes dogs!

Our next stop was a walk to the “Church in the Rock” built within a granite formation in the Toölö area of the city. The rain had stopped, allowing us to take our time walking from street tram level up to the next block where we could just barely see the dome of the church.

Entering the church was an experience. Wood and rock surrounded a large open space with pews. There was a balcony where we got a better view of this magnificent building. Again, this was considered “a scandal” when built in the 1960s. Today, it is a much revered landmark as well as a functioning Evangelical Lutheran Church.

We took a longer bus ride to our next destination however it allowed us to see many of the important, historical buildings and monuments around Helsinki.

We made a quick turn around in the Olympic Stadium parking area where many of the surrounding buildings had been constructed for the 1940 Olympics that never happened. Fortunately, these were utilized when Helsinki hosted the 1952 Olympics bringing not only athletes but Coca Cola and other Western cultural items.

The bus took us past the Opera House, Stockman’s Department Store, the Presidential Palace, the orange-tented Marketplace and a stunning view of the Orthodox Catholic Church with its gold domes high on a hill.

We were dropped off at Senate Square for our last tour location.

Senate Square was designed and built in the mid-19th century by Carl Engle, Finland’s famous architect. The purpose was to formalize the new capital of Helsinki with the location of government buildings flanking St. Nicholas Church. Today, a vibrant market was in high gear with many tents and vendors offering various foods and souvenirs.

We began our walk at the top of the square where St. Nicholas Church is located. To our right was the City Centre Campus of the University of Helsinki, one of four campus areas. Students had taken over the building in protest of housing cuts, tuition fees and lack of mental health services, hanging banners displaying these messages.

Christina stated the President had met with the students, however there is a crisis in both education services and health care system (both currently “free” but this may change as it is under legislative review). To our left was the Government Palace, the Council of State of Finland. 

Walking down many steep steps to the market level, we were given free time to explore Senate Square and the surrounding streets.

We walked by the Sederholm House, the oldest  house in central Helsinki built in 1757. It conveniently houses a museum (and a “free” toilet facility) which we took advantage of before walking to the street parallel to Senate Square where the orange tents were located. The day was sunny and warmer than our morning start. 

Due to the early sail-away, we decided to return to the ship on the tour bus and relax after our walk around Helsinki. A beautiful city, unmarred by the Soviets or Nazis and containing remarkable buildings. We did not have enough time to explore the fortress, an UNESCO World Heritage Site—maybe next time!