Finland (well, Helsinki +) – a little disappointing

The fact that it's taken me so long to get around to making this post on Helsinki says a lot about my views on the place … not a city to really impress me.  Not helped by the fact that so much of it seems to be currently under restoration or redevelopment, from the main city cathedral (above) to many of the city tram lines and therefore the streets and squares, but that aside, there really didn’t seem to be all that much to see, at least compared to the very impressive cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn.

The highlight was a visit to the UNESCO-listed fortifications on the island of Suomenlinna, which were impressive.  Built in the 18th century by Sweden, partly financed by France for some reason that escapes me now, they apparently played a significant role in Swedish, Russian, and Finnish history.  Lots of old walls and bunkers remain, and old cannons, as well as a few of the interior passages inside the walls.  But my enjoyment of it was really helped by the beauty of the island itself, and I spent quite a few hours in the place.

Otherwise, as well as a daytrip to a bog walk on the outskirts of the city, I walked a lot around Helsinki, looking at the National Romanticism (art nouveau) architecture including the rather nice Kallio Church, the “wooden Käpylä” neighbourhood (built in the 1920s to offer affordable homes to the working classes – colourful low-rise timber houses surrounded by greenery), the Puu Vallila wooden house district (these both very different from Helsinki’s modern core), the Greek Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral, and the Rock Church.  For the latter, I really should have checked whether there were any organ recitals whilst I was in town, as the acoustics are supposed to be tremendous.  Oh yes, I also got to try bear meat (rich and gamey)!