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Cruise report, part 3: Helsinki, Finland
Up a little later than planned, but I had about 230 photos of this day to go through;) I managed to reduce that amount to 44 for this picspam.
After leaving Warnemünde, Germany on Sunday evening August 20th and spending a whole day at sea on Monday, the cruiseship arrived in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday August 22 around 8 a.m. As I had signed up for a bicycle tour that didn't leave until 10 a.m., I could actually sleep in, have a long breakfast and hang aboard before disembarking to explore the town. It was a bit cloudy, but excellent for cycling (I already had to take off my hoody layer at the first stop). Wanna come with?
Tuesday, August 22nd 2017: Cycling through Helsinki
Good morning: sunrise through my cabin's window. Land in sight!
We all have to wear a helmet, which I'm not used to for cycling, but I'm very happy these bikes don't have gears, because that's the same as my bicycle at home, so I can break by kicking back, which I'm more comfortable with than handbreaks;) Hello, Finland!
First stop is the Sibelius monument. I had not expected to be able to get there today, because it's quite a distance from town, so this was a great start of the cycling excursion:) Very cool.
It's very crowded at the monument, but still plenty of opportunity to see the fascinating structure up close and feel the different textures. I really liked the funky "bust" of Sibelius too.
Cycling on. After the park and monument (and a short stop at the Olympic stadium) we circle back to the centre of Helsinki. On the left you can see an old brick wall, that once was part of railway warehouses (from 1899). Behind that, they are building the massive new library, Oodi.
The sculptures in front of the theatre were -ehm- oddly shaped.
My favorite building: the trainstation! I was very happy I managed to capture it while cycling (don't try this at home, kids) because with all the traffic it was impossible to stop for a photo. Would have liked to walk around it for a bit to check it out. Oh well, next time?
Tram in front of the Ateneum Museum (National Gallery)
In front of the Finnish National Theatre (Suomen Kansallisteatteri) sits a statue of Aleksis Kivi (Finnish author).
No cycling in the city centre - hey, you don't disobey the turtle - so we walk to the Senate Square with the Helsinki Cathedral. The statue in front is Tsar Alexander II of Russia (Helsinki was part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century)
We park our bicycles at the Market Square for a short break. I get licorice icecream with Daim and stroll over the market:)
After getting souvenirs (postcards* and jam made from sokeriton lakkahillo or 'Cloud berries", typical Finnish berries, that look like yellow raspberries) we cycle on for some awesome views of the South Harbour. The bronze female figure is Rauhanpatsas by Essi Renvall (1968) - a Statue of Peace.
On the way back to the ship we pass this fascinating structure: it's a sauna!
We're back! But I'm not done with Helsinki yet, so I hop on the shuttlebus to go back to town. I snap a picture of Taistelija, a granite sculpture by Viktor Jansson (1913, "a celebration of robust physical strength";)
The shuttle bus drops me off at the edge of town and I have an hour to get to my goal; I want to see the famous Temppeliaukion kirkko (Rock church).
I don't think I have time for anything else on my list, so I focus on getting to the north of town and jump on a tram. To my surprise that takes me past the bronze sculpture of the Three Blacksmiths that I really wanted to see. Ha! Kolmen sepän patsas was made in 1932 by Felix Nylund; there is no specific reason for these men to be naked, but I like it:)
There's more to see from the tram, I made so many photos. Here's a cute façade and a bronze Carl Mannerheim (Finnish military leader and statesman) by Aimo Tukiainen (1960).
The kind tram conductor reminds me where to get off and I hurry through the streets of the Töölö neighborhood to find the rock church, succes! \o/
Someone was playing the organ; the rough unworked rock surfaces create very cool acoustics. Temppeliaukion kirkko was designed by the architect brothers Suomalainen and opened in 1969.
After walking a quick round inside, I also climb up the outside of the building, even though I'm running out of time to get back to the ship, eeep.
I manage to catch the tram back, it has the same conductor as he is doing a figure eight through town; the whole ride would take about an hour. I get back to the shuttle bus stop, where I take another minute for a last look at Helsinki. *waves at Uspenski Cathedral in the distance* (Argh, too many things I didn't get to see up close)
From the bus I manage a snapshot of Pyhän Henrikin katedraaliseurakunta (St. Henry's Cathedral, 1858). Designed by Chief Architect Ernst Bernhard Lohrmann, it is one of the oldest neo-Gothic churches in Finland.
I also capture this excellent wall art near the harbour. Oh, if only I had time to go back and explore more, but the ship is getting ready to leave, so aboard I go.
These painted seal sculptures are part of the HejHylje! series of 40 unique artworks created by Finnish artists for the benefit of the Baltic Sea, I saw them all over town, fun!
Helsinki is definitely too big to see everything in a day: I felt very rushed, but I had a great day. *wipes away tear while seeing the city disappear in the distance*
On every departure, the captain plays Time to say goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sara Brightman (arranged by Roberto Molinelli). That sure pulls on your heartstrings, dayum.
I'm listening to it now, as I was checking performers and I'm getting emotional all over again. *sniffles*
Seaguls were following us for fish; the way they sailed through the sky to the melody of that song was so fucking beautiful. *sniffles some more*. Dammit, I'm not usually this emo.
*pulls self together* Happy sigh. I love being on the water. Heh, the pilot ship is having fun too, bouncing on the waves:)
What a day. You can read all about my late lunch and fancy dinner in my previous post (see link below). I'm just gonna go and stare out the window a bit more. *chinhands* DID I ALREADY SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE BEING ON A SHIP?
To be continued...
Sources: a special thanks for the information about statues to René & Peter van der Krogt for their excellent website featuring sculptures from all over the world: Statues - Hither & Thither.
I plan to select photos from my day in St. Petersburg next, but with artprojects, family get-togethers and other distractions, it may take a while until the next update. (Not to mention that I made 385 photos that day...;)
Oh, speaking of postcards; please let me know if you've changed addresses in the past year or if you're not sure if I have yours, PM or mail me: beelikej@gmail.com.
Last but not least: I'm used to traveling alone and doing things on my own, but cruises sadly don't have single rooms and I was really lucky I was able to afford paying double for this trip. I'm thinking about doing another cruise in 2018, but would like to share the experience (and costs;). If you are tempted and interested in seeing the North of Europe (Fjords? Iceland? British isles?) from a ship with a fellow fangirl, contact me! (Other travel or meet up plans are also always welcome:)
J.
Part 1: exploring the ship | Part 2: FOOD! | Part 4: Art & History in St. Petersburg
Part 5: Cycling and strolling through Tallinn | Part 6: On my own in Copenhagen, Danmark
P.S. I know Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Långstrump is not from Finland, but she represents the Nordic countries here, okay :-p
After leaving Warnemünde, Germany on Sunday evening August 20th and spending a whole day at sea on Monday, the cruiseship arrived in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday August 22 around 8 a.m. As I had signed up for a bicycle tour that didn't leave until 10 a.m., I could actually sleep in, have a long breakfast and hang aboard before disembarking to explore the town. It was a bit cloudy, but excellent for cycling (I already had to take off my hoody layer at the first stop). Wanna come with?
Tuesday, August 22nd 2017: Cycling through Helsinki
Good morning: sunrise through my cabin's window. Land in sight!
We all have to wear a helmet, which I'm not used to for cycling, but I'm very happy these bikes don't have gears, because that's the same as my bicycle at home, so I can break by kicking back, which I'm more comfortable with than handbreaks;) Hello, Finland!
First stop is the Sibelius monument. I had not expected to be able to get there today, because it's quite a distance from town, so this was a great start of the cycling excursion:) Very cool.
It's very crowded at the monument, but still plenty of opportunity to see the fascinating structure up close and feel the different textures. I really liked the funky "bust" of Sibelius too.
Cycling on. After the park and monument (and a short stop at the Olympic stadium) we circle back to the centre of Helsinki. On the left you can see an old brick wall, that once was part of railway warehouses (from 1899). Behind that, they are building the massive new library, Oodi.
The sculptures in front of the theatre were -ehm- oddly shaped.
My favorite building: the trainstation! I was very happy I managed to capture it while cycling (don't try this at home, kids) because with all the traffic it was impossible to stop for a photo. Would have liked to walk around it for a bit to check it out. Oh well, next time?
Tram in front of the Ateneum Museum (National Gallery)
In front of the Finnish National Theatre (Suomen Kansallisteatteri) sits a statue of Aleksis Kivi (Finnish author).
No cycling in the city centre - hey, you don't disobey the turtle - so we walk to the Senate Square with the Helsinki Cathedral. The statue in front is Tsar Alexander II of Russia (Helsinki was part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century)
We park our bicycles at the Market Square for a short break. I get licorice icecream with Daim and stroll over the market:)
After getting souvenirs (postcards* and jam made from sokeriton lakkahillo or 'Cloud berries", typical Finnish berries, that look like yellow raspberries) we cycle on for some awesome views of the South Harbour. The bronze female figure is Rauhanpatsas by Essi Renvall (1968) - a Statue of Peace.
On the way back to the ship we pass this fascinating structure: it's a sauna!
We're back! But I'm not done with Helsinki yet, so I hop on the shuttlebus to go back to town. I snap a picture of Taistelija, a granite sculpture by Viktor Jansson (1913, "a celebration of robust physical strength";)
The shuttle bus drops me off at the edge of town and I have an hour to get to my goal; I want to see the famous Temppeliaukion kirkko (Rock church).
I don't think I have time for anything else on my list, so I focus on getting to the north of town and jump on a tram. To my surprise that takes me past the bronze sculpture of the Three Blacksmiths that I really wanted to see. Ha! Kolmen sepän patsas was made in 1932 by Felix Nylund; there is no specific reason for these men to be naked, but I like it:)
There's more to see from the tram, I made so many photos. Here's a cute façade and a bronze Carl Mannerheim (Finnish military leader and statesman) by Aimo Tukiainen (1960).
The kind tram conductor reminds me where to get off and I hurry through the streets of the Töölö neighborhood to find the rock church, succes! \o/
Someone was playing the organ; the rough unworked rock surfaces create very cool acoustics. Temppeliaukion kirkko was designed by the architect brothers Suomalainen and opened in 1969.
After walking a quick round inside, I also climb up the outside of the building, even though I'm running out of time to get back to the ship, eeep.
I manage to catch the tram back, it has the same conductor as he is doing a figure eight through town; the whole ride would take about an hour. I get back to the shuttle bus stop, where I take another minute for a last look at Helsinki. *waves at Uspenski Cathedral in the distance* (Argh, too many things I didn't get to see up close)
From the bus I manage a snapshot of Pyhän Henrikin katedraaliseurakunta (St. Henry's Cathedral, 1858). Designed by Chief Architect Ernst Bernhard Lohrmann, it is one of the oldest neo-Gothic churches in Finland.
I also capture this excellent wall art near the harbour. Oh, if only I had time to go back and explore more, but the ship is getting ready to leave, so aboard I go.
These painted seal sculptures are part of the HejHylje! series of 40 unique artworks created by Finnish artists for the benefit of the Baltic Sea, I saw them all over town, fun!
Helsinki is definitely too big to see everything in a day: I felt very rushed, but I had a great day. *wipes away tear while seeing the city disappear in the distance*
On every departure, the captain plays Time to say goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sara Brightman (arranged by Roberto Molinelli). That sure pulls on your heartstrings, dayum.
I'm listening to it now, as I was checking performers and I'm getting emotional all over again. *sniffles*
Seaguls were following us for fish; the way they sailed through the sky to the melody of that song was so fucking beautiful. *sniffles some more*. Dammit, I'm not usually this emo.
*pulls self together* Happy sigh. I love being on the water. Heh, the pilot ship is having fun too, bouncing on the waves:)
What a day. You can read all about my late lunch and fancy dinner in my previous post (see link below). I'm just gonna go and stare out the window a bit more. *chinhands* DID I ALREADY SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE BEING ON A SHIP?
To be continued...
Sources: a special thanks for the information about statues to René & Peter van der Krogt for their excellent website featuring sculptures from all over the world: Statues - Hither & Thither.
I plan to select photos from my day in St. Petersburg next, but with artprojects, family get-togethers and other distractions, it may take a while until the next update. (Not to mention that I made 385 photos that day...;)
Oh, speaking of postcards; please let me know if you've changed addresses in the past year or if you're not sure if I have yours, PM or mail me: beelikej@gmail.com.
Last but not least: I'm used to traveling alone and doing things on my own, but cruises sadly don't have single rooms and I was really lucky I was able to afford paying double for this trip. I'm thinking about doing another cruise in 2018, but would like to share the experience (and costs;). If you are tempted and interested in seeing the North of Europe (Fjords? Iceland? British isles?) from a ship with a fellow fangirl, contact me! (Other travel or meet up plans are also always welcome:)
J.
Part 1: exploring the ship | Part 2: FOOD! | Part 4: Art & History in St. Petersburg
Part 5: Cycling and strolling through Tallinn | Part 6: On my own in Copenhagen, Danmark
P.S. I know Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Långstrump is not from Finland, but she represents the Nordic countries here, okay :-p