Helsinki Show Segment

After a wonderful trip crossing the Archipeligo we arrived at our final destination and fourth country our our journeys.

Off the Silja Lines, we board a bus for a tour of the city of Helsinki.

Helsinki, is the capital of Finland. Around the city itself there grew up from 1950 onwards various suburbs, most of them outside the city limits.

Most of Helsinki proper lies on a much indented granite peninsula on the north coast of the Gulf of Finland, with numerous offshore islands and rocky islets.

With its scientific and cultural institutions Helsinki has been for more than 150 years the center of Finnish intellectual life.

The present city center, in neo-Classical Empire style, modeled after St. Petersburg Russia, was built in the first half of the 19th century by the German architect Carl Ludwig With its handsome streets and boulevards, the city has an air of spaciousness, and the white facades of the buildings have earned it the name of the "white city of the North".

Helsinki was founded by Gustavus Vasa in 1550 on a site northeast of the present location as a rival to the trading town of Reval (now Tallinn). In 1639, however, Queen Chris-tina ordered it to be moved to a better site on the peninsula. The construction of a fortress on the offshore island was begun in 1748. In 1808 the town, still a place of little consequence, was unable to withstand an attack by Russian forces and was incorporated in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, of which Tsar Alexander I made it the capital in 1812. After a great fire, which destroyed a third of the town in 1808 C. L. Engel, was commissioned in 1816 to rebuild it.

After the collapse of the Russian Empire a republic was proclaimed in Helsinki on December 6th 1917. In January 1918 a war began which ended in May of that year with the withdrawal of Russian troops and the expulsion of Finnish socialist forces - for the war was both a war of liberation and a civil war.

During the Second World War Helsinki was one of the few European capitals not occupied by foreign forces. In 1952 the Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki, and in 1975 the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe held its final session here.

Although rainy and grey our bus driver told us about some of the highlights of our trip. She then told us about Finland and the city of Helsinki.

The heart of Helsinki is the Market Square, which is the scene of lively activity on market days. The Flower market in the Market Square preserves its particular charm even on cold winter mornings. It lies on the north side of the South Harbor. Our first photo op is Senate Square. Most of the streets that lead into Senate Square are fairly narrow and unremarkable, that helps to increase the impact as you come into the Square and are struck by the burst of space, symmetry of the buildings and the exquisite form of the Lutheran Cathedral, raised in granite steps that support it like a pedestal. Engel designed this building like most of the others in the square. On the north side of the square a broad flight of steps leads up to the Lutheran Cathedral. The Cathedral was begun in 1830 to the design of C. L. Engel and completed in 1852 in a different style. Construction on the front of the building was taking place during our visit.

On the west side of the square is the University, built by En gel in 1828. To the north of the University is the University Library also designed by Engel, which contains some 1.5 million, volumes and 2000 manuscripts, with the largest collection of Slavonic works in the West. The Library is generally regarded as the finest building by Engel in Helsinki.

Back on the bus we continue with our sightseeing of the city and get a quick glimpse of Amanda. Then a look at a Catholic Church. Then to Embassy Row.

At the waters edge we can see the area used for washing rugs.

Our guide tells us about the importance of the Sauna. or soonah while traveling past some of the many apartment buildings.

Past the shipyards we learn about the Finnish-built cruise liners.

Next stop is the Rock Church. The Rock Church is an underground church blasted out of the native granite. lt has a shallow circular dome of copper sheeting and glass on concrete ribs. The church is also used as a concert hall. The organ pipes line the wall. Here we stopped for a time to see this architectural wonder.

Back on the road our guide told us of the social programs of the country and the best bargains.

To the north of the city, is the old Trade Fair Hall, and beyond this the Olympic Stadium (built in1938), with a high tower from which there is a magnificent view of the city. In the Stadium can be found the Finnish Sport Museum, and in front of the entrance is a statue of the great runner Paavo Nurmi.

Our guide tells us about the transportation system.

Next our guide tells us of the competition for the memorial to the Finnish composer, Sibelius.

Next on to the Sibelius Park, in which is the Sibelius Memorial Sibelius, an eye-catching work of sculp-ture in steel. This at first aroused criticism for its radical departure from the conventional type of memorial, and by way of compromise the sculptor added a bust of the composer.

After a look at Stockman’s, we head to our hotel located across from the Train Station. This building was erected in 1914 and ranks among architect Eliel Saarinen’s greatest achievements. This station is replicates an Art Noveau style, with its huge doors and the four imposing masculine figures that each hold a spherical glass lamp above the heads of the people below. All the features combine to give a sense of strength and solidness. This station will be the departing point for a few of our group who are headed to St. Petersburg.

After shopping and settling in at our hotel we head to our final dinner together, as a group.

Helsinki has offered us another experience to add to our travel journals with its varied architecture, Finnish food, shopping at Stockman’s and ending a wonderful trip. Before we packed to head home, we asked some of our fellow travelers what they would remember most when they look back on this trip.

When we remember this trip we will remember: The beauty of Scandinavia, the people we met in the various cities, the food, the shopping, the Stave Churches, the glaswerks the Hytsill dinner, the castles, the Midsummer celebration, the accommodations, the various modes of transportation, our fellow travelers, our guide, and Bryan’s admonition "Take two pairs of shoes" Our scrapbook is filled with great pictures, wonderful memories and a new love for Scandinavia.

Gabby in her new Scandinavian hat.