Traveling to and exploring Helsinki

Today the group split, eight of us travelling on to Helsinki and the rest returning home to UK. We left the hotel for the ferry port and were quite surprised by the enormous ferries. There is clearly a lot of movement between Finland (and Stockholm) and Tallin. We gather that people go shopping in Tallin, and the ferry had three freight decks.  Everything was very streamlined and efficient and we soon boarded, leaving behind the skyline of Tallin. This group seem to get on well and we were all looking out for one another now we have no tour leader.

The crossing was very smooth and took a couple of hours; we passed very little traffic, and only a few islands.

The skyline of Helsinki looked very different. Less evidence of ancient monuments, although when we investigated the city there are those from 19th century, but overall it appears a young and modern city.

We were met by Marit our guide who took us to the hotel and then straight on to a city tour, as we were too early to check in. Fortunately the early part of the tour involved a food tasting, plus a glass of wine- really good as we had not eaten. This took place in a food market built in 1898, using a similar structure to the Eifel tower.

It was full of lovely local produce and I'm sure I will return! We had a platter of four local delicacies.

Then we set about walking around the town to see the landmarks.

Statue in front of harbour, Havis Amanda, by Parisian artist, is centre if annual student celebrations.

The food market

Presidents house

Uspensky cathedral which I have not been able to see inside due to its opening hours but am told that Vilnius was better.

Lutheran cathedral which looked stunning in the sun but was very plain inside.

Saw this on a street cornet and couldnt resist a photo. Clearly someone has a sense of humour. This could be your last drink!

Parliament building. Well our guide said the ministers were to be seen in steps between debates but in actually found another building further out today. 

Looks very Russian to me, although Finland has been independent for 100 years after the previous 110 under Russian rule.

National theatre

Central Station,( I visited again Saturday as I thought there was a tourist information kiosk. But the only likely building was closed, so I asked st a souvenir stall. The man very politely told me to walk a few pages around the corner, find a metal box and push a button, which I did. And out popped a folded map, free of charge! How wonderful).

We then found our way to the top of the shopping centre to have tea and cake with a view, but the latter was missing!

Our return to the hotel was a little disorganised. Our guide had left us and there was a lot of questions about a credit card, but since all was paid by the travel company we refused lest they added charges,. It reminded me of the US where they made an automatic charge for maid service and the local parks and gardens!

I spent a little time trying to make a plan of action for the morning with an inadequate map, then went off on search of food! After a wander round the block a couple of times, I settled on a Finnish restaurant where I had little fishes with mashed potatoes and a berry desert. Another couple from our group spotted me and insisted on getting the restaurant to rearrange us to sit together! Her name is Carolyn, and they live in Guildford. Am spreading the word about the Ometepe project too!

Once I had my new map on Sunday I was fine. I marked up a plan of campaign with a bit of variety and making the most of the fine weather, although it was only 9° when I got up, so added my extra layers. I started at the Ateneum, a gallery of Finnish Art. It had some international paintings too and  followed the development of their national art from the 19th century romantic realism to the current day. I picked out a few I particularly liked and noted a few names.

After this I decided to go to the Sibelius monument which involved about a mile and a half of walking, through developing parts of the outer city. I stopped frequently to check the road names which demands much more careful attention than normal!

But I eventually arrived, helped by the spotting of a tour bus, and found a most interesting sculpture set in a green area by the sea. It looked like a collection of organ pipes. The view here was stunning, with blue sky, the sea, boats and islands so I enjoyed it for a while.

Remembering my intended boat trip I then made a hasty stride back to the harbour, arriving with 5 minutes to spare. It was a bit of an extravagance at 20€ for the trip plus lunch which was nearly 50€ for 2 courses and a glass of wine. But the food was lovely, salmon soup and fried fish, pike I think. There is no doubt that Helsinki is a more expensive city. A coffee us 4€, a meal 40-50€. 

  There was a commentary on the boat about what we were passing, and for an hour and a half we travelled around the islands to the Eastern archipelago, I had not realised that Helsinki was comprised of so many islands. Many had buildings, hotels, and a lot of sailing.some of these can also be reached by bus via bridges and causeways.  The trip gave me some relaxation after my efforts of walking to the memorial!

 My boat, the HMV Doris, not sure that's Finnish?

We passed some of the cruise ship terminals, apparently amongst the biggest in the world.

On return I went up to the Upensky cathedral, only to find it was too late to go inside and it is closed tomorrow. I then explored the streets in the peninsula behind and there were some amazing arts and crafts buildings. This is another city to look upwards in!

I walked along the promenade taking in the views, intending to cut back across the middle but was failing to find any of the roads on my map. So I used the reference points of the sea and the cathedral. It was only as I left the peninsula that I realised I had been looking at the wrong peninsula on the map! Which explained a lot......

I checked out the city museum to find that the hours have been changed tomorrow so that's off, then went inside the Lutheran cathedral which is pretty plain as you might expect. That was enough for one day and my legs were complaining, so I now have to identify some potential indoor activities for tomorrow. The market is one and failing all else I might have a look round the Finnish department store, most galleries and museums appear to  be closed.  After an evening stroll I settled with a glass of wine and was joined later by Bill and Sandra, sharing today's experiences and other holiday adventures.

Our final day was wet, supposed to be showers but one long shower. First headed for Stockman's , Helsinki's answer to Harrods where I found many expensive items, but came out with a pretty pair of evening socks. Well, I don't go shopping at home do it is a useful treat. I then checked out before heading to the old market for a little bit more shopping of Finnish goods. En route I had two interesting experiences. Firstly a young lady in highly sophisticated clothing, sleeveless dress, fancy shoes, was in the street with an umbrella. I then realised she was from one of the fancy fashion shoos. She was wearing surgical gloves, and with scissors was dead heading cyclamen. It was the most elegant gardening I have seen. The other experience was soldiers marching, which I discovered was in aid of an official German visit. I later had to make a detour as a police car blocked the street. He said it was because the president was coming.  I photographed the latter, but couldn't do the former surreptitiously.

After a first into some craft shops I visited the City Museum where I learnt more about Helsinki. That allowed time for lunch before heading back to the hotel for pick up.

More about Tallin

Our hotel here is most interesting. It is the first hotel to have a bee colony on the roof and uses the honey in its food. Definitely honey for breakfast!  Latvia was certainly into eco friendly produce, so let's see what else Esthonia has to offer!
Today we went by coach to look around the outer part of the city. It was quite  chilly and autumnal but fine til this afternoon.
We passed through neighbourhoods with wooden houses and large grey communist blocks too, all three countries being similar in that respect. I am currently reading Colin Thubron's, Beyond the Silk Road, which is reinforcing everything I'm learning here except on other frontiers, with China and Afghanistan. There is this imminent proximity with Russia and it's unpredictability.

We started from a lovely park, where local schoolchildren were having PE, what a great idea, since many of our schools have lost their sports fields! There were also people doing Nordic walking, well we are in the right territory! We saw Peter the Great's cottage and the Baroque Kadriorg Palace and the separate houses for cooking and cold storage. Apparently a special fur coat was made to keep the food warm in  transit. He last was here in 1723.

Neighbouring the palace was the president's palace, where we walked into the drive way, there being a couple of guards outside. Apparently it is relatively straightforward to get an audience. But she is not popular. It is one of these systems where a president is chosen or sometimes more than one potential candidate and there is a vote by deputies. This one was an EU employee with no political experience. The people do not vote but think they should.

We visited the inside of the cottage, which was restored by Tzar Nicholas for the people and us now a museum. Then we returned to visit inside the palace with more ornate interiors and paintings. Peter the Great was a good artisan, going to work in various workshops across Europe to improve his skills. Could we imagine Putin  or Trump doing that? He also sent Artists out to improve their skills. There were a lot of portraits here by those who had honed their skills abroad.

A foray into the coffee shop was interesting. The sign said it opened at 11am, people entering were told 10 more minutes, so waited patiently in the seats. She  she finally decided to open, two people, obviously Estonians, walked to the counter and got served. The British queuing culture stood for nothing! I suppose if you've queued in communist bread queues you aren't going to let anyone get in front!

During our walk we also saw the KUMU gallery, a new building set into the hillside, that is the largest in the Baltic area. There was a Michel Sittow exhibition and I decided to return later. It is called the Titanic because of its appearance.

We stopped off at an amphitheatre and monastery ruins and various other landmarks before returning to the hotel.

I ate with Edna and Michael who live near Epping and have a friend in Billingshurst, connected  to the Rotary.  We decided to have a quiet lunch in the hotel, soup and salad. I couldn't face more tourists meandering through the old town, and lots of handicrafts galleries enticing me to spend, so opted for culture and quiet! After all We have seen three old towns I  the last week!  It felt like a day to slow the pace and take stock. We decided to try the trams, and firstly got on for the wrong direction. Then with the help of passengers discovered how to pay! There is a little flap by the driver, in which you place the correct money, then a ticket appears!!

 We arrived safely and I parted company with them as I had a deadline for a massage later, at the hotel. I visited the Sittow exhibition which was most interesting. Small, well executed portraits, and there is one in London and Banbury I discovered!

I did a fairly swift trot around the rest if the gallery and was amazed at the variety although confess to recognising no names. I was particularly interested in those exhibitions portraying life under communist rule. The building inside was fascinated and it was easy to get lost! Someone speaking the local language asked me, then in English, said I try to get out!

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 I walked back to the hotel, I am interested that people wait patiently at traffic lights to cross the road, with  no attempt to skip the lights as a pedestrian or driver. In fact there are no buttons to press.
When I arrived for my massage, the lady began talking in Esthonian, so after I had tentatively smiled and said English, she said, my English not good. My Esthonian, non existent! At the end she said, therefore two tips, and I thought she was going to suggest I rest and drink plenty. But instead, she said, those who like massage and those who don't! Ahh types..... I had really enjoyed it and managed to doze off, and came back to the room for another little rest. I took my book to the bar and had a glass of wine and plate of chips, in the absence of any other snack to take my fancy! A quieter afternoon and some downtime before heading off to Helsinki.