Hei Suomi!

Day 20

At 10:30 AM, I arrived at the port of Helsinki in Katajanokka, where I met my uncle. My uncle’s apartment was just a good walking distance from the port, near a Eurohostel. My uncle was a consul at the Philippine embassy in Helsinki, so he was quite an expert in introducing me to the country.

Uspenski Cathedral

When my uncle left for work, I studied the map of Helsinki and decided to simply explore the city by foot. So, armed with Lonely Planet’s Guide to Helsinki (which I borrowed from my uncle), I headed towards the Uspenskin Katedraali or the Uspenski Cathedral. This Russian Orthodox cathedral was just a few minutes away from the apartment. Opposite this church, you can see from afar the green domed Helsinki Cathedral or Helsingin Tuomiokirkko / Suurkirkko, an Evangelical Lutheran church.

Emperor Alexander II statue
and the Helsinki Cathedral

The Helsinki Cathedral was less than a kilometer away from Uspenski but I arrived there more than an hour later, after getting lost along the way. I strolled along the park, Esplanadin Puisto and after attempting to use a map, I succumbed to my GPS navigator. I got a bit perplexed because there were two names in most street signs. I later learned that the names of the streets are actually the same but one is in Finnish while the other is in Sweden. This is probably because Helsinki, which was founded by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden back in 1550, used to be part of the Kingdom of Sweden.

A symbol of Helsinki, the Helsinki Cathedral is found at the Senate Square. A statue of the Russian Emperor Alexander II stands in front of the Cathedral. He was considered as The Good Tsar in Finland for instigating reforms for Finland’s autonomy from Russia.

Helsinki Olympic Stadium

The next on my list was the Helsinki Olympic Stadium or Helsingin Olympiastadion. From Krunuunhaka, I went towards the Taka-Töölö neighborhood. The stadium was all the way up north of Helsinki but I kept on walking, passing by Helsinki’s central railway station, Rautatieasema and the park along Töölönlahti bay, Hakasalmenpuisto, until I reached the stadium . The stadium was originally built to host the 1940 summer Olympics but it wasn’t until 1952 that Olympic Games were held here. 

View from the Stadium Tower

The Stadium Tower, a 14-storey high tower, is another attraction itself. A €N elevator ride to the top of the tower is a must. Aside from a nice view of this Nordic city, the top of the tower offers a brief history of the stadium with photos from the past. I was lucky enough to be the only person on top of tower, so I was able to enjoy being on top of Helsinki for quite some time.

Sibelius Monument

The last in my list of Helsinki-tourist-attraction-to-see was the Sibelius monument or Sibelius-monumentii at the Sibelius Park (Sibeliuspuisto). This monument was created by 600 steel pipes that were welded together, like pipes from an organ epitomizing the music of the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius.

Suomenlinna Church

At around 5PM, I met my uncle at the Sibelius Park and we took the tram to Market Square to take a 15 minute ferry ride to Suomenlinnan Linnoitius (The Fortress of Suomenlinna). Origninally named Sveaborg, Suomenlinna is a sea fortress off the coast of Helsinki. Because of its unique European military architecture, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

My uncle toured me around the fortress. We passed by the Suomenlinna Church, a church which also serves as a lighthouse. It is an Evangelical Lutheran church, although it was originally Russian Orthodox.

The King's Gate

Then, we visited the King’s Gate, the symbol of Suomenlinna. A monumental site, this entrance gateway gives you an 18^th century feeling.

Finally, we visited the sand banks and guns of Kustaanmiekka. The Russians built sand bank walls and guns at the coast as a defense line of the fortress. We weren’t alone in the island but the place was very tranquil. My uncle said that Finnish people are generally quiet.

Sand banks and guns of
Kustaanmiekka

At around 11PM, the night sky has yet to fall. It was almost summer time in Helsinki, so the sun was quite abundant. Just a train ride away from Santa Claus, Helsinki isn’t just all ice and snow.  Being quite far from central Europe, I had been reluctant to include Helsinki in my trip. But my uncle’s warm welcome and the city’s pleasant atmosphere was a breath of fresh air. With influences from its neighbors Sweden and Russia, Helsinki is a quiet but modern city that is worth the distance.

Day 21

Turu Linnan Esilinna

I woke up late and since I didn’t make any plans, it wasn’t until after lunch that I’ve decided to go to Turku. Turku, the oldest city of Finland, was the country’s first capital until the Russians moved the capital to Helsinki.

Turku is 2 hours away from Helsinki by train. Using my Eurail pass, I hopped onto the 2 PM Inter City train from Helsinki to Turku. It was already 4 PM by the time I arrived at Turku (lesson learned: Plan day trips the night before). But it was alright since there was actually just one thing I wanted to visit in this historical city: the Turun Linna or the Turku Castle. From the Turku train station, I walked towards the Tourist Information where I asked for directions on how to go to the Turku Castle. I took the bus number 1 to Turun Linna and arrived at the castle just in time, before they stopped selling entrance tickets (€4.5 for student) for the day.  

Passing through the narrow
hallways of the castle

While the first castle I visited back in Germany (Day 14) was a fairy tale castle, the Turku Castle is a medieval castle that was originally a military fortress. A tour of the castle brings you to several rooms including the King's Hall (Kuninkaan Sali), the cathedral (Turun Linna Kirkko) and the bower (Rovaintupa). There was also an exhibit showing several modern games that were inspired by medieval wars.The dark and narrow corridors of the castle were quite fun to explore.

Turku Cathedral

I passed by the Turku Cathedral (Turun Tuomiokirkko), an Evangelical Lutheran Church by the river Aurajoki. In almost three weeks in Europe, I had already seen more than 10 churches, chapels or cathedrals. So, I didn’t cross the river anymore to get a closer look at the cathedral.

I arrived at the train station 10 minutes before the 19:00 intercity train back to Helsinki. On board, the conductor didn’t accept my Eurail pass, so I had to pay €29.00. The train had free wifi, so I immediately sent an email to the Finish railway and to Eurail about the incident (I received an apology and about €19.00 for refund a month later). I wasn’t so happy about it but hey, railing Europe wouldn’t have been complete without the bloopers. 

I only spent a few hours in Turku but I had a nice time exploring this historical old capital of Finland.