Today we got to explore Helsinki, Finland. We had to convince Jim to get off the boat because he was sure there wasn't anything worth seeing here.
Apparently they build icebreaker boats here.
A mural-thing on the Aalto University School of Business.
I think the US might be the cowboy....or maybe that's Spain. I'm not sure.
Tree-lined streets!
This is the Temppeliaukio Church.
aka the Rock Church.
It was built into solid rock in 1969.
It is also used regularly for concerts as it has amazing acoustics.
For economic reasons the church was scaled back to 1/4 of its original planned size.
It's a Lutheran church.
It has a fabulous copper ceiling.
It's a really different looking church.
Especially considering we've seen hundreds of fancy Baroque/Rococo style churches.
I really liked the ceiling.
Helsinki had some interesting street art.
Helsinki's downtown has some wonderful architectural details, like this mosaic.
And these cool doorway guards.
And adorable bears!
I'm not 100% sure what these guys are about, but Kullervo is a tragic hero from Finnish folk-lore.
This building looks like it was made out of Legos.
"To honor the memory of the founder of the company Karl Fazer Ltd. donated this sculpture on its 100th birthday to the city of Helsinki."
Artistic lines left by a myriad of bird poops.
I'm not sure if they were in the middle of changing the mannequins or if this is an armless statement.
This is the Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square.
Darude's music video for Sandstorm was filmed here.
So you should listen to that while you look through the church photos.
This statue of Alexander II is at the center of Senate Square. It was built in 1894.
The figures around Alexander represent law, culture, and peasants.
There was a guy wetting down the stairs. That's his little truck. I'm not sure why it was happening.
The Illuminati! Or....details on the outside of the church.
Dan's panorama of the church.
This is the altarpiece and baptismal font.
The organ and the altarpiece are the most decorated pieces of the church. Otherwise it is very plain.
Martin Luther. His philosophies are the basis for Lutheranism.
Philip Melanchthon. Collaborator of Luther and intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation.
The main aisle with some fun chandeliers.
In case you want to say The Lord's Prayer in a variety of languages.
Apparently they didn't get the Spanish version quite right.
The church's domes were added later to emphasize the architectural connection to the cathedral's model, St. Isaac's in St. Petersburg.
If Sandstorm is still playing you can stop it now, or don't. I'm not a cop.
Honeysuckle!
The flag was cooperating and this boat looked fun with the old buildings behind it.
Helsinki's lock bridge.
This is Uspenski Cathedral.
It was closed, because it's Monday. So we only got to see it from the outside.
From the hill the cathedral sits on we could see more of the marina.
And the Helsinki Cathedral over the rooftops of the city buildings.
I don't know that I've ever seen a church built in this style made out of brick.
The church is Eastern Orthodox and was consecrated in 1868.
It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos or the "Death" of Mary.
This is the Vanha Kauppahalli or the Old Market Hall. It opened in 1889, even though the building says 1888. There was a an issue with a cement delivery, so it didn't open until the following year.
It was originally designed to have 120 stalls with 6 shops in the center portion of the hall.
All the kinds of salmon!
This cookie was delicious. It's a cookie with a lemon filling and kind of meringue shell. I tried to find a recipe, but it turns out "sitruunaleivos" is just "lemon tart" and not the specific thing. I was very sad to discover this.
This is a restaurant on the island of Luoto-Klippan.
This car has been parked at the dock for a long time.
So long, that a seagull has set up a nest on the roof rack.
It was not happy about me being close to it.
Also by the docks were some cool pieces of street art including these skulls.
This weird mountain eating dude.
This....I'm guessing political cartoon.
And this beautiful folk art looking thing. This one was my favorite.
Tonight we got a brontosaurus!
This concludes our adventures in Helsinki.
