Discover Helsinki & Porvo

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We start with an expert led overview of Helsinki, taking in the historical center, Finlandia Hall and the opera house. See the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, Presidential Palace and enjoy brief stops at Senate Square, Sibelius Monument and the Rock Church. Dorothy Williams, of our group, had brought three white roses to leave as a memorial at the Sibelius Monument, and a group of us gathered around her and all sang the beginning notes of Sibelius's Finlandia. Other tourists took pictures of us memorializing Sibelius. It was very touching.

We had a lovely lunch at a formerly Romanov renovated estate near Porvo. The stuffed zuchinni primavera was delicious. The estate was a beautiful setting.

After lunch, we drove into Porvo, an old wooden town with medieval cobble stone streets, outside of Helsinki. It was fun to walk the old medieval streets and see the Church at the top of the hill where a wedding was happening. We were served coffee(or tea) with pastry in a cafe located an Old Porvo Brick Storehouse on the riverbank. Before boarding the bus, we quickly visited a chocolate store and bought the minimum amount.

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