Enjoying Helsinki

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September 2011

Helsinki, Finland was the second stop on our 11 day Scandinavian/St. Petersburg cruise aboard the Emerald Princess.

Our tour of Helsinki began at 10:30 A.M. when we boarded the tour bus. We were driven to Senate Square where the Helsinki Cathedral was located. We had one hour to explore the downtown area. We walked to the local "farmer's market" and craft fair. Many of the craft booths had women knitting caps and scarves. In hindsite I wish we would have tried the fried fish that were being offered at many booths. From the market we walked down Esplande, a tree-lined park-like street bordered by stores, and then back to Senate Square.

Next came a photo stop at the Church of the Rock-Temppeleaukio. Because of its location, it was very crowded with cars, tour buses, and of course, tourists. We were given perhaps 15 minutes to walk a couple blocks, snap a few pictures, and get back on the bus. A 45 minute ride then took us through the countryside to a small town called Porvoo. We had a traditional Finnish lunch (beef, potatoes, veggies, and a fruit tart for dessert), and then we were off for an hour to explore Porvoo. In addition to visiting a chocolate shop, Karen strolled through the local grocery store.

Upon arriving back in Helsinki we drove by the Olympic Stadium built in 1938, but not used until 1952 because of World War II. Our last stop of the day was at Sibelius Park and Sculpture. The park was in honor of Sibelius, a famous Finnish composer.

We very much enjoyed our day in Helsinki and Porvoo.

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Comments

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