Helsinki

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We have now been in Helsinki for a couple of days before departing tomorrow evening on a ferry (Bird says surprise Vicki and Carol Ann) for St. Petersburg, Russia. Even bumped into our ship as we departed Tallin, we'll show you.

Helsinki doesn't have a great number of sights. For the considerable majority of it's history Finland was the property of someone else (Sweden and Russia). It was not even founded until the mid sixteenth century (by the Swedes who owned the place and wanted to compete with the trading city of Tallin). It remained a speck on the map until the nineteenth century. Thus, there is little history here.

However, the people are wonderful. There were a number of times someone noticed airhead tourists struggling and spontaneously offered assistance. Just nice. Yet they clearly think we have gone astray. There were numerous posters of the Trump-Putin meeting; we will show you one. The meeting profoundly disrupted the city and us. Yes us! We purchased a two day tourist card for travel about the city, but the entire business/tourist area where we were to validate our purchase was closed (no business for those folks). Bird angerly estimates we walked 1.5 miles before we found cars and an expensive taxi to carry us to our apartment. Furthermore, Baby Bird's suitcase present to us suffered catastrophic damage to a wheel rolling over cobbled streets. We will have to improvise with the poor thing for the remainder of the journey. Bird intends on sending Trump a bill for the expenses (yeah, that will work).

Recall how cold we were in northern Norway. Well things have changed a bit. It is excruciatingly hot here, mid eighties, but that is way above average for a city where air conditioning is largely unknown and historically not required. We are a tad warm in the apartment. Yet, we obtain comfort that it is not in the nineties with high humidity as with you poor souls. Although adjacent to the Baltic Sea, the humidity is low.

Next post from Russia; not sure when as we do not wish to again deceive you guys. Lets see how the photo ops present themselves. Enjoy the break.

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Photos

Message About Trump
One of the numerous posters we encountered today. Notice the welcome for him at the bottom. There were no posters about Putin as Finns see these folks as potential enemies and not democratic (always have been), while we should have the same values as they.

Statue?
This gentleman remained entirely motionless for extended periods of time. We last saw such folks in Barcelona.

Lutheran Cathedral
Yes recent, completed in 1852. The outside is a great deal better than inside so no picture from there. University students sunbathe on the steps, but as with other Nordic countries, very few go inside.

Temppeliaukio Church
This church is carved into granite. The entrance is ugly, but the interior, wow! The ceiling is thick copper wire-thirteen miles of it. Rick Steves gave three stars to one sight in Helsinki. This is it. Hope you get a sense from the picture.

Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral
Built for the Russian military in 1868.

Uspenski Interior
Inside the church. Yep, a couple images.

Swimming Hole
Told you folks in the north love their summer. Look at all these Finns in this terrible swimming hole.

Tomorrow's Ship
This ferry was constructed in the mid eighties by the Soviets for "internal tourism" (inside the Soviet Union). It continues to serve mostly Russian nationals, and the occasional foreigner desiring to visit St. Petersburg without the cumbersome visa. We should gain good knowledge of present day Russians aboard.

Comments

[Carol ann]

Refined
You mentioned people not being as refined in your last blog. The arbor and the people at Mossy Creek probably not on the refinement scale you have seen in Helsinki.

[Luanne Helms]

Helsinki
Happy you all are still having fun---loving all the pictures---take care and stay safe